Killing It Competition Winners Revealed

 

HarperFiction has revealed the three winners of its Killing It Competition for Undiscovered Writers, launched in January this year.

The competition is designed to find unpublished writers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and this year was judged by editorial director Phoebe Morgan, commissioning editor Kathryn Cheshire, assistant editor Sophie Churcher and guest judge Ayo Onatade.

Each winner will receive a comprehensive editorial report from a HarperFiction editor covering pace, characterisation, pitch and more, as well as three mentoring sessions.

Onatade said there was a large number of submissions which were "varied, amazing and certainly gave us food for thought".

"They were all a great joy and fascinating to read. Deciding the winning three was a tough choice and I am delighted to have been part of the decision-making. It is clear from the submissions that the genre is in good hands and will continue to grow and evolve. Congratulations to you all!"

The winners include IT consultant Rama Varma, for "The Banana Leaf Murder" which tells the tale of Mami, a retired maths teacher, who is invited to the grand birthday celebration of her family friend, aristocrat Sredharan Nair in Kerala. Before the party, he is found dead in his room and his nurse has disappeared with a large sum of money. 

Stacey Thomas' "The Revels" was also announced as a winner. It is a tale of an aspiring playwright who is apprenticed to a former witch hunter in 17th-century England. Thomas is a full-time civil servant and staff reviewer at Bad Form Review. In February, she won the Clare Mackintosh Scholarship for Black Writers for "The Revels" and was awarded a sponsored place on the Curtis Brown six-month Writing Your Novel course. She is currently being mentored by Clare Mackintosh.

The third winner is Shabnam Grewal's "Secrets and Shame", about a radio reporter struggling for direction until a chance encounter leads her to question the truth about her uncle Raj’s murder 40 years earlier. Grewal is an award-winning radio and TV producer at the BBC.

Harper Collins Launches Killing It

 

HARPERFICTION LAUNCHES KILLING IT: THE KILLER READS COMPETITION FOR UNDISCOVERED WRITERS

7th January 2021

HarperFiction is proud to announce Killing It: The Killer Reads Competition for Undiscovered Writers. Launching today, the competition aims to open doors to crime writers who need a way into the publishing industry, and encourages submissions from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic writers in particular.

Entrants are being asked to send the first 10,000 words of their fiction crime, thriller or suspense novel (the book needs to be complete or near-complete by April to enter, as full scripts may be called in), a short synopsis (max. 500 words), and a short paragraph about themselves, to: crimesubmissions@harpercollins.co.uk by 7th April 2021. An optional opening sentence is also provided for those who might be just getting started: ‘The body was lying in the snow, covered in a smattering of dead leaves.’ 

Three winners will be chosen to receive editorial reports from HarperFiction crime editors on their full manuscripts, covering pace, characterisation, pitch, and more, plus editorial mentoring (up to three one-hour sessions).

The judging panel will be comprised of HarperFiction Editorial Director Phoebe Morgan, Commissioning Editor Kathryn Cheshire, Assistant Editor Sophie Churcher, and crime reviewer and journalist Ayo Onatade. 

During the submission period, HarperFiction will be offering prospective entrants a host of virtual events, providing tips and guidance on writing a crime/thriller novel, kicking off with a virtual masterclass with Crime and Thriller Publisher Julia Wisdom and literary agent Felicity Blunt, on 20th January. 

Phoebe Morgan, Editorial Director, HarperFiction said: ‘The publishing industry continues to at times appear impenetrable, and we want to take steps to change that, starting with hearing from a new raft of talented voices who may not yet have been heard. I’m thrilled to launch the Killing It competition and we are so looking forward to reading the submissions. If you think you’ve got a crime, thriller or suspense book in you, send it our way, and look out for virtual events over the coming weeks that might help answer any questions and provide further guidance. At HarperFiction we are dedicated to seeking out and amplifying talent from all writers but this competition will focus on those who are currently sorely underrepresented in our industry. I can’t wait to read your stories.’ 

Ayo Onatade said: ‘I am delighted to be part of this judging panel. Crime fiction is read by so many and encouraging a broader range of submissions is a splendid way of ensuring that the genre continues to grow and evolve. I look forward to reading the submissions which I am sure will be of the highest quality and will amaze all the judges.’

For more information visit:- http://www.killerreads.com/killing-it/