Chapters from novels by the two writers finished in the Top 10 of the Impress Prize for New Writers, a contest for work by students on Creative Writing programmes at British universities.

Suzanne’s ‘The Strangers’ and Gaby’s ‘The Courtesan’s Choice’ were chosen for inclusion in the Impress Prize’s annual anthology, published last month in association with the University of Exeter.

The competition was open to students in the UK who are registered on a university creative writing course. Writers had to supply a six thousand word chapter of fiction that resulted in a short-list of ten.

The two happy writers were invited to a lavish celebration in Devon, where the overall winner Carol Fenlon, a PhD student at Edge Hill University, was presented with the first prize, a £500 advance on a publishing contract with Impress.

The winning entry was chosen by a panel that included Professor of French and author Martin Sorrell (lecturer to JK Rowling), literary agent Jane Smith, author James Long, Waterstone’s fiction buyer Janine Cook and former Whitbread judge Colin Morgan.

Afterwards, a delighted Gaby said, “It was all very jolly. We started with several speeches and the announcement of the winner, then a local author read an extract from the winning chapter, and afterwards we retired for champagne and canapes!

“Suz and I both really enjoyed the evening. One delightful idea they came up with – there were several projectors on the wall, projecting a series of enormous quotes from all the various chapters.

“It was weird - you kept being in the middle of a conversation and then seeing some of your own prose on the wall, and being distracted by it, and then having to apologise to whoever you were talking to for seeming to have become entirely gormless all of a sudden!

“A number of local press people attended – local business people, the manager of Exeter’s Blackwells, all sorts. And Impress Books are planning to take the anthology to the London Book Fair to promote it there, along with any of us who wish to go along for the ride.

“A deserving winner was chosen – the submission was the opening to a beautifully written and very harrowing story about a feral child.

“It was quite funny. All the short-listed writers were asking each other – Have you won? – and I happened to ask the actual winner, who had been sworn to secrecy. She would have made a fabulous poker player. Not for a moment did I suspect her denial to be an outright porky!”

The winner, Carol Fenlon, focused her research on images of feral children in fiction. She began writing in earnest in 1993 after a motorbike accident ended her nursing career. Since then her writing has been published in mainstream magazines and received critical acclaim in national writing competitions including the Exeter Poetry prize and the Asham Award.

Ms Fenlon said, “I never dreamed that I might win. I’m still pinching myself. It’s a tremendous justification of all the work I put into the novel and so exciting to think I will soon see it in print.”

Impress Books director Dr Richard Willis described the winning entry as “haunting and beautifully crafted. Ms Fenlon has a unique voice and her writing deserves national attention.”

Chair of the Judges’ Panel, Martin Sorrell, said, “The judges were most impressed by the sustained high quality of what they read. It was no easy matter to decide on a winner, but the judges agreed on Carol Fenlon, happy in the knowledge that other entrants will have the opportunity to discuss their work with Impress and with representatives of the book trade.”

Andy Brown, Director of the Centre for Creative Writing and the Arts at Exeter University, which collaborated with Impress on the contest, said, “This competition showcases talent and enables publishers to cherry-pick the best new writers UK universities have to offer.

“Success in the competition gives the writers a great calling card for talks with national agents and editors.”

Stephanie Norgate, the coordinator of Chichester’s MA in Creative Writing said that the success of Suzanne and Gaby was a testament to their skill and hard work.

Stephanie added, “Their achievement also reflects well on the MA programme, which continues to produce successful writers who win all sorts of prizes and awards!”

Photographed at the awards ceremony are Gaby Pritchard (on the left) and Suzanne Giltinan (on the right)