The Rubery Book Award may not spring to mind as easily as the Orange, the Whitbread or the Booker Prize – but it really is a literary award for works submitted by independent publishers. And as more and more authors turn to independent publishing, the Rubery Book Award could well become the prize to aim for!

Knowing nothing about it earlier, I was astonished when Tessa Warburg of The Thorn Press said she’d submitted THE MASTER’S TALE. And amazed to hear that it had won second prize!

I received confirmation a little while ago, together with a nice cheque and a beautiful plaque commemorating the award.

It’s my very first literary prize, and I’m still thrilled to bits, even though I’ve been sitting on the news for a while. My husband was away at sea at the time – and I’ve been awaiting an opportunity to have my photo taken holding the plaque. Can’t wait any longer – so I’m posting a picture of the plaque for everyone to admire!