The Yeovil Literary Prize

YCAA Website

YCAA Logo

Recent Successes

Read about our most recent successes.

welcome to the

2005 Results

For full details of the results, choose a category:

Results Table Intro Novel Short Story Genre Short Story

Novel Category

FIRST PRIZE - Linda Booth

SECOND PRIZE - Sion Scott-Wilson

THIRD PRIZE - Tresham Mayhew

Short Story Category

FIRST PRIZE - Joanne Riccioni

SECOND PRIZE - Bridget Adams

THIRD PRIZE - Judy Strachan

Genre Short Story Category

FIRST PRIZE - Susan R Hartnell-Beavis

SECOND PRIZE - Steve Leighton

THIRD PRIZE - Ian Milburn

The national and international response to our competition was overwhelming, and the judging team felt privileged to read so many enjoyable and fascinating stories and chapters. The standard was extremely high across the board. Quite frankly, to have succeeded in completing a piece of work, and then to find the gumption to send it to a competition is quite wonderful and all entrants should feel proud. We found much to admire in the entries, and many had all necessary components in place, and created a composite and balanced piece of work. There were, however, several points that the judging team felt might prove helpful to entrants in all categories to enable them to develop existing skills.


There was a noticeable preponderance of undiluted dark plots, many without a hint of hope or uplifting emotion. It was felt that had these stories been handled with a more delicate touch, with perhaps more of a hint at the darkness, rather than a hammer blow, with a sense of development and hope, rather than total despair, the mix would have been much more potent and engrossing. In a few cases, there was also a tendency to create a predictable plot, and present that plot with a predictable 'voice' or style. It takes time (almost an apprenticeship) to learn to delve into the creative imagination, and get in touch with your own unique way of looking at the world and situations, and to then SHOW this in a three dimensional scene.


It is this ability that is elusive, hard won, but totally essential. The author must evoke a vibrant and believable world.


In many cases this was achieved, and to everyone we wish you good luck on your writing journey and many thanks for giving us so many enjoyable hours.


Margaret Graham


(the final judging by Vivien Green, literary agent with Sheil Land Associates.)
The total number of entries for this category was 132. Results are as follows:
First Prize
Linda Booth Lavender Pool UK
Vivien's comments: "Lavender Pool immediately transported me to the height of summer in Provence. The characters were swiftly established and interesting. The lures of intrigue and suspense are there and I did want to discover what happened to the characters…I would urge Linda Booth to carry on writing. "
Linda tells us she was brought up in Leicestershire, studied English Literature at Cardiff University and has since spent nearly thirty years in Somerset. Linda was always keen to write, but life constantly 'got in the way.' Earning a living, first as a primary teacher, then as a coordinator of volunteers for Social Services, alongside coping as a single parent of two children for four years, then bringing up a 'reconstituted' family of four children, meant that writing was forever on the back burner. At last, with children grown and flown, Linda started 'The Lavender Pool', her first novel, five years ago. It's set in Provence, an area she's grown to love, having holidayed there for the past twenty years. It's no accident that two of the main characters are commissioned to take black and white photographs for a travel book called, 'Disappearing Provence', and that there are many references in 'The Lavender Pool' to well known images taken by famous photographers. Linda herself takes black and white photographs, developing her own negatives and printing them in a dark room which doubles as the utility room. Her prints are exhibited at The Tessa Gilks Gallery, Axminster. Linda's last large exhibition, 'Glimpses of Venice', was in Bath at the Royal Literary and Scientific Institute. At the moment Linda is working on a second novel, this time set in Venice. Linda's ambition is to have a novel published, which would include her own black and white images of the novel's setting.
Second Prize
Sion Scott-Wilson Somnabuland Singapore
Vivien's comments: " Somnabulant has a very bold ambitious plot. One is easily drawn into meeting a cast of extraordinary characters. The cameo roles and set scenes are powerful and memorable… "
Siôn Scott-Wilson tells us she was born in the UK, has lived and worked in Europe, the Middle East, Australasia and Asia. Her short stories have been published in a variety of UK and international magazines, and her first novel 'Thicker Than Water', was short listed for the 2004 Fish Publishing prize. She is currently fine-tuning her play: 'Jam'.
Third Prize
Tresham Mayhew Meanwhile Back at the Pie Factory UK
Vivien's comments: "Meanwhile, Back at the Pie Factory has a rather shambolic reporter trying to come to terms with his day to day existence alongside a murder mystery unfolding. There is a wide ranging plot emerging and some good characters with the promise of laughter too. The author appears confidently in control of the material…"
Tresham Mayhew tells us he is a former journalist and editor. In earlier life he delivered newspapers, sold greengrocery, worked in an explosives factory and served with the Royal Military Police during the Suez emergency - all excellent preparation, he says, for the knockabout trade of journalism.
Commended
Dr Miriam Burke The Sky is Good for Flying UK
Glynis West The Inheritance France
Peter Anderson The Music Teacher UK
Nicola Richardson Re-inventing the Landscape UK
Kate Daubney Rising Up UK
Harry Allen Ikorodu Road Singapore
Long List
Tamsin Reeves A Place of Safety UK
Colin Cross The Last Rat UK
Margaret Batteson Ricochet UK
Jai Clare The Storyhouse UK
Kate Frost The Butterfly Storm UK
Veronica Birch The Concubine's Garden UK
Michael O'Byrne A Pathless Land UK
Jenny Newman Foxton UK
Lillian C Ng The Life and Times Of Sam Poo Australia
Val Lee Voice Time UK
Jenifer Antell Exorcising Ghosts UK
B. Gleadow From Elvis with Love UK
Anne Brooke Maloney's Law UK
Tina de Silva Some Other Island UK
Dr Miriam Burke The Sky is Good for Flying UK
Glynis West The Inheritance France
Peter Anderson The Music Teacher UK
Nicola Richardson Re-inventing the Landscape UK
Kate Daubney Rising Up UK
Harry Allen Ikorodu Road Singapore
Tresham Mayhew Meanwhile Back at the Pie Factory UK
Sion Scott-Wilson Somnabuland Singapore
Linda Booth Lavender Pool UK
(Final judging by Nikki Gemmell, bestselling and acclaimed international author of Cleave and The Bride Stripped Bare, and columnist with the Mail on Sunday)
The total number of entries for this category was 153. Results are as follows:
First Prize
Joanne Riccioni These Girls of Today Australia
Nikki's comments: " A beautifully written, deeply satisfying short story. I love the voice and the rhythm of the language; it reminds me a little of Marguerite Duras' The Lover. The central female characters are brought vividly to life with great economy and skill, and the evocation of another era is wonderful. A story that shines - I do hope the writer attempts a novel at some point. "
Joanne Riccioni tells us she did a Masters in Medieval Literature at Leeds University and is still reading her way towards the 21st century. A year ago, at the age of 36, she started writing fiction to keep her brain alive in between singing Disney songs and making play dough for her two small children. After placing in a few short story competitions she has finally worked up the guts to begin a novel that has been simmering in her head for about fifteen years.
Second Prize
Bridget Adams Eve Bites First UK
Nikki's comments: "A memorable cheeky short story. It's a lovely idea well executed, (although perhaps Adam is a little too one-dimensionally thick!) But the writer's wickedly dry sense of humour had me chuckling out loud - a delightful read."
Bridget tells us. 'I'm an educational writer in psychology and communication studies. I love to write and have two novels and travel writing in progress: my short stories are purely for pleasure and to amuse friends. I'm a member of the Society of Authors and founder of the High Wycombe writers' group, 'Wyewrite'.
Third Prize
Judy Strachan The Recalcitrant Heroine UK
Nikki's comments: " Cleverly structured. I particularly enjoyed how the reader warms to Cordelia as she becomes more human - the character uncurls along with the story. It makes me hungry for more: what adventure does the non-Cordelia anti-heroine go on next? "
Judy Strachan tells us she lives in Leeds and works as a part-time lecturer. She writes a regular column for The New Writer, and has had several short stories published. Two years ago she became a student again and is on the final leg of a MA in 20th Century English Literature.
Commended
Anne Ryan The Pipe Player UK
Adrian Patrick They will stay that way UK
Long List
Ruth Hall The Oil Painting UK
Anna Thomson Carpet Burns UK
Beverley Iris The Frog and Nightgown UK
Kate Kelly The Trees UK
Sion Scott-Wilson Fruit Singapore
Joanne Riccioni All in the Head Australia
Anne Ryan The Pipe Player UK
Adrian Patrick Autumn UK
Judy Strachan The Recalcitrant Heroine UK
Bridget Adams Eve Bites First UK
Joannne Riccioni These Girls of Today Australia
(final judging by Julie Goodall, acclaimed My Weekly writer. The winner was considered for publication by My Weekly.)
The total number of entries for this category was 86. Results are as follows:
First Prize
Susan R Hartnell-Beavis Autumn UK
Julie's comments: " A beautifully written piece of work, told in the first person, with wonderful dialogue, revealing the pressures we often impose upon ourselves. A story of keeping up appearances, self-imposed limitations and the brilliant realisation that we, in fact, control our own lives. Congratulations, Susan. A deserving winner."
Susan tells us. 'My husband and I moved to Blackford, Wincanton, 21 years ago and I have continued to live there since he died. I have a married son and daughter and two grandchildren. I started to write in Scotland, but this is the first fiction I have produced for a long time.
Second Prize
Steve Leighton Doorbell Blues UK
Julie's comments: " Doorbell Blues is a very contemporary story, written in a typical, thoughtful, 'My Weekly' tone. A story of pretences, a tale of a hope-filled future and a desire for romance to which most of us can relate. Well done, Steve'. "
Steve tells us he's 52, married with two children, a former teacher of Science, now a library assistant in central Somerset. He has had three short stories published in magazines and one awarded the Canongate Prize for New Writing in 2001. He is currently working on a novel and a non-fiction book about a long-distance walk.
Third Prize
Ian Milburn New Friends UK
Julie's comments: " A lovely, gentle story that takes us on a regular trip to the park. The ending takes us by surprise, but it is only when we reread that we realise all the hints were there, subtly woven into the text."
Ian tells us: I am 67 years old and a retired science teacher. Since retiring I have written many stories for pleasure; have had one published in a book of short stories (unpaid!) and another published in the Newcastle Journal newspaper (also unpaid!).
Commended
Patricia Dent Ace UK
Steve Leighton Mr Leighton Gets it Wrong UK
Val Paxton Proposal By Post UK
Long List
Robyn Santiago Midsummer Madness UK
Chip Tolson Books for Alice UK
Patricia Dent Ace UK
Steve Leighton Mr Leighton Gets it Wrong UK
Val Paxton Proposal By Post UK
Ian Milburn New Friends UK
Steve Leighton Doorbell Blues UK
Susan R Hartnell-Beavis Autumn UK