Congratulations, Christine Evans!

This year's contest entries were, if possible, even stronger than last year's. It was difficult to choose just one, and I agonized for several days over the four finalists' writing. What finally captured me was an excerpt of NADIA, Christine Evans' novel-in-progress.

NADIA is a novel of love, terror and redemption set in 1990s London. Nadia is a young refugee from Sarajevo who thinks she’s escaped her war-torn past—until a suspected former enemy, Ignatius, starts work at her London office. They start a love-hate affair, fueled by obsessive mutual surveillance. However, when Nadia learns of Iggy’s role in the death of her dearest friend back in Sarajevo, their break-up spins both of them into a spiraling disaster that only Nadia can avert.  

Christine was born in London and grew up in New Zealand and Australia, where she worked as a musician in Balkan, jazz and rock bands before turning to writing. Her plays have received multiple awards and more than twenty productions in Australia, England, Wales, Canada and the US. Trojan Barbie is published by Samuel French (US and UK, 2010); Cloudless, a novel-in-verse, is published by UWA Publishing (2015) in Australia. She holds an MFA and Ph.D. from Brown and is an Associate Professor in Georgetown University's Department of Performing Arts. 

Here's Christine in her own words:

I'm delighted and honored to receive the opportunity to work with Sarah. Firstly, it's a wonderful vote of confidence in my work--something all writers can appreciate! Secondly, I'm convinced of the value of working with a talented editor who knows the field. I worked closely with an Australian editor on my debut novel-in-verse, Cloudless, and believe the journey to publication would have been far thornier without an expert outside eye. Thirdly--the true secret of writing productivity? Deadlines! Accountability! Knowing Sarah will read and critically respond to my work by a specific date is a huge incentive to get it done, and done on schedule. 

I'm looking forward to working with Christine's completed draft late next year. Thank you to all those who applied for this year's award, and stay tuned for next year's contest details.