Glad tidings

I’m happy to relate that The Arsenic Labyrinth has been short-listed for the Lakeland Book of the Year award. This is an award conceived by the celebrated Cumbrian author Hunter Davies, whose The Good Guide to the Lakes is one of my key reference books. I’ve never met Hunter Davies, but I’ve read his books and journalism for many years. The award is open to books of all manner of descriptions, and last year the winner was a major biography of Beatrix Potter.

This means that I’m in the (for me) unprecedented position of being in the running for two prizes to be announced in July. The first rule in these situations is, no doubt, to manage one’s own expectations so that it doesn’t come as a psychological blow if and when one does not win. This isn’t a problem: I mentioned in an earlier post that being among the runners-up is a familiar experience.

My mood, though, has definitely been lifted by the two short-listings. It is good to be in contention, because the nature of writing is such that one can so easily persuade oneself that there are very few people out there taking an interest in one’s work. This is all the more so in the current climate, when newspapers are much more reluctant to review mid-list titles than was the case ten or twenty years ago, and I see with dismay that a number of very good writers whom I much admire are currently without a publishing deal. The Arsenic Labyrinth was widely and warmly reviewed in the US, but attracted less attention on publication in the UK, so it's good for it to have this recognition.

Part of the appeal of doing this blog has, indeed, been the chance to make contact with people whom I didn’t know before. It’s been a wholly positive experience as far as I’m concerned. In fact, it seems to me that a number of good things have happened since I started blogging – so my thanks to everyone who has encouraged me. Your helpful feedback has been more beneficial than you might imagine.