Jean Fullerton's winning
book, now entitled No Cure For Love, is published by
Orion, 2008
If someone had told me ten years ago that not only would I have won a literary Prize but would now be a published author I would have asked them what they’d been drinking. But here I am.
I started writing six years ago after attending a NHS stress management course then joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. After four years of learning my craft and grappling with the technicalities I had moved from receiving photocopied rejection letters which started ‘dear author’ to ones that said ‘Dear Jean, I liked your story but…’, so when my friend and fellow author Elizabeth Hawksley brought the Harry Bowling Prize to my attention, I decided to enter.
As an East Ender I had read a few of Harry’s books and enjoyed
the way he brought the rich character of the East End to life. By great
good fortune the novel I was working on was set in poor streets of
Victorian East London, so I decided to complete it and enter it in the
2006 contest.
I sent the required 1st chapter and synopsis and didn’t give it much thought. I knew there were a great number of talented authors struggling to get published so I wasn’t hopeful of getting shortlisted let alone winning. I went on holiday and returned to find a letter on my mat telling me that I had been shortlisted.
I could hardly believe it but then I saw the date of the award party, four days into our family holiday in Florida. My heart sank. What should I do? My husband and number one supporter told me he and the rest of the family would go out as planned and book me a flight to join them on the day after the award.
I arrived at the party and met Laura Longrigg, Harry’s agent, his lovely family and the other shortlisted authors. Laura read out a few lines about the books then she announced the runners up. I thought, ‘well I’ve done pretty well to be shortlisted even thought I won’t win’. Imagine my total surprise when she read out my name. For one of the very few occasions in my life I was actually speechless. Everyone congratulated me and despite my new shoes pinching like the devil, I walked home on a cloud.
Laura asked to see the whole book and became my agent. She then, being the incisive and experienced woman that she is, guided me though the process of editing and polishing the novel. In October 2007 she secured a two book deal for me with Orion Publishing.
No Cure for Love, the book that won the 2006 Harry Bowling Prize, has just been published in paperback and the second one, which is a follow on from the first, is with Orion and due out in December 2009. I am happy to add that I will be starting the third book in my East London Dockland series in a few weeks.
I cannot begin to tell you the incredible difference winning the 2006 Harry Bowling Prize has made to me. I would encourage anyone, anyone, who is considering entering their book for the 2010 Harry Bowling Prize to do so.
I am very grateful to all who have helped me to be where I am now but especially to Harry himself who sadly is no longer with us but leaves us not only the legacy of his wonderful books but a prize especially designed to give that vital break that every new author needs.
Jean Fullerton
