Emily Paull

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash T his past Tuesday night, I was ecstatic to learn that my historical fiction novel, The Good Daughter , was one of 5 highly commended entries in the 2021 Fogarty Literary Awards, run by Fremantle Press.  The judges said of the book;  "This gently drawn historical fiction follows the fortunes of Margaret, who believes she will never be loved, then thinks her luck has changed when a handsome widower and bookshop owner moves in next door. But Luke is not the man she thought he was and, with war set to change everything, Margaret finds that she has much to learn about literature, life and love."  Fingers crossed the book will find a home soon and I'll be able to share it with you all.  Congratulations to the three shortlisted writers, Brooke Dunnell, Patrick Marlborough and Georgia Tree, and the rest of the writers on the highly commended list, Alex Dook, Daniel Juckes, Luke Winter and Alice Woodland.  You can read more about the...

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash Yesterday, I had a catch up with a writer friend of mine, and we spent a bit of time talking about rejection.  Getting rejections is par for the course for a writer. You would be hard pressed to find a writer who has never received one. I think one of the most valuable skills I have gained in the decade I have been a professional writer is learning to cope when a publisher or a competition or an agent says 'Thanks, but no thanks.' Writer and illustrator Mari Andrew posted a series of sketches on her Instagram account which showcased the range of different rejections she has received for her work (including one where they don't even bother to get her name right). You can look at those HERE.   It's nice to know that with enough time, even the harshest rejections can become something to laugh about, right? This made me think about my own best and worst rejections that I've received as a writer. The best are easy to pinpoint-- the kin...