Novels Judge’s Report 2018
Judge’s Report from Steph Patterson senior editor at Crooked Cat Books
I’m delighted to be judging this year’s Flash 500 Novel Openings Competition. I always enjoy discovering the variety and quality of the novels submitted, and this year did not disappoint at all.
Without exception, I found all submissions interesting in their own way. These included historical fiction, Young Adult, fantasy, contemporary fiction, and crime – both cozy and dark. It was fascinating to see how participating authors have designed whole worlds, made characters come alive, displayed in-depth research (historical and geographical), and created complex, intriguing plots. My compliments go to all shortlisted contestants.
It was yet another hard task to find the winner and runner-up, but my congratulations go to:
Fishermen’s Court: With its wry sense of humour, the beginning hooks you straight away. Daily chores are followed by fast-paced action, as the protagonist finds his life in danger, quite unexpectedly.
Behind Me Lies the Desert: The introductory scene is well-portrayed, and the author’s knowledge of the subject area – life in the Middle East – is apparent. We accompany the protagonist on her journey to the Lebanon.
I wish to thank Lorraine Mace for allowing me to judge the Flash 500 Novel Openings Competition again.
Stephanie Patterson
Senior Editor
December 2018
Short list in alphabetical order
A Little Bit Broken by Caroline Day
A Train on a Beach by Jamie D Stacey
Agency by Stephanie Hutton
Behind Me Lies the Desert by Kevin Gerard Neill
Beyond the Black Gate by Mark Hudson
Fishermen’s Court by Andrew Wolfendon
French Connections by Beth Wellington
How Brave You Must Be by Catherine Browne
Kiss/Kill a Monster by Helen Reynolds
Locusts by Lorna Riley
My Name Is Ten by Colleen MacMahon
The Nameless by Stuart White
The Princess Murders by Alyssa Mackay
The Roses of March by Donna Brown
The Trauma Pool by John Kennedy
Long list in alphabetical order
30 Days by Claire Martin
A Charm to Mend Lost Causes by Margaret Davies
A Little Bit Broken by Caroline Day
A River Is Not Enough by Donna L Greenwood
A Thousand Days of Red Sun by Elena Croitoru
A Train on a Beach by Jamie D Stacey
Agency by Stephanie Hutton
And the Sea Darkened by V S Lloyd
Behind Me Lies the Desert by Kevin Gerard Neill
Beyond the Black Gate by Mark Hudson
Catch the Wind by Anna Holmes
Do Not Exceed Sixty by Lindsay Bamfield
Dog by Elspeth Latimer
Fishermen’s Court by Andrew Wolfendon
French Connections by Beth Wellington
Ghosts of Mars by Stuart White
How Brave You Must Be by Catherine Browne
I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore by Gill Darling
If Books Could Kill by April Kopp
Junk Folk by Sharon Boyle
Kiss/Kill a Monster by Helen Reynolds
Locusts by Lorna Riley
Lottie and Koosha by E. J. Pepper
Metamorphosis by Andrew Bell
My Name Is Ten by Colleen MacMahon
Riding the High Road by Penny Frances
Saint Michael by Angelita Bradney
Separation by Jeremy Timmins
Seven at Odds by John Greville
The Baby in the Box by Anne Hamilton
The Blades of Winter by Kinnier Wilson
The Bundig by Geoff Aird
The Dream Circle by Maire Malone
The Hedonistic Imperative by Andrew Bell
The House at Knockmarran by E. J. Pepper
The Inside Passage Through Time by Nicole McMurray
The Killing Streets by David Hough
The Knight’s Curse by Kristin Meachem
The Last Library by Freya Sampson
The Nameless by Stuart White
The Princess Murders by Alyssa Mackay
The Rending by David Pearson
The Roses of March by Donna Brown
The Shadow Keepers by Marisa Noelle
The Shadow Puppet by David Griffiths
The Shift by Laura Kuhlmann
The Trauma Pool by John Kennedy
The Turkish Citizen by Patricia Donovan
The Uniter Chronicles – Ascendant by Laurence Paul
There Is Always Some Beauty Left by Corie Adjmi
Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty
Too Close to the Wind by Richard Attree
We Must Give Battle in the End by Sally Craythorne
Where Earth and Sky Meet by Tracey Blezard
Winterland by Amanda J Evans
Wolf Breath by Beverley Harvey
