26 June 2009

2009 Dundee International Book Prize Winner Announced

A gritty crime novel has been unveiled as the winner of this year’s Dundee International Book Prize, a collaboration between the University of Dundee, Polygon and the newly unveiled ‘One City, Many Discoveries’ campaign.

Local writer Chris Longmuir has secured a publishing deal and will be awarded the £10,000 prize, the highest in the UK for an unpublished writer, for her fiction novel Dead Wood which is set in Dundee and uncovers the terrifying truth behind a serial killer who seems to take his fatal inspiration from the Templeton Woods murders of 1980.

The presentation of her award will be made by journalist and writer Magnus Linklater at a gala dinner tonight (Friday 26th June) in front of an audience of industry experts, shortlisted writers and sponsors of the prize.

Winning writer, Chris Longmuir, is an unpublished crime novelist as well as a published short story and article writer. Born in Wiltshire, Chris has lived in Scotland since the age of two and resides in Angus. She formed a lifelong addiction to the written word in early childhood and has long dreamt of seeing her own book published. Her short stories have appeared in ‘My Weekly’, ‘People’s Friend’, ‘Dark Horizons’ and small press anthologies, and she has had articles and reviews published widely.

Chris left school without any qualifications when she was fifteen, but obtained an Open University Degree at the age of forty and a postgraduate qualification in Social Work two years later. She has recently acquired a qualification in criminology.

Dead Wood ’s main protagonist, Kara, has a debt to pay and turns to prostitution. On a job, she encounters murder victims - a grizzly find that leads her deep into a world of violence, gangland retribution and far away from her beloved children.

Dead Wood is now published by Edinburgh-based Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd) and is on sale from today (see http://www.birlinn.co.uk/ for details).

More than 130 writers from across the globe submitted manuscripts for consideration by the judges. From this year, the Prize will be held annually and the winner announced each year at the Dundee Literary Festival in June. Authors will have until November to submit work with the chance of securing a publishing deal and the cash prize.

Anna Day, University of Dundee and Director of the Dundee Literary Festival, said: 'We had entries from America, Canada, Spain and South Africa. It’s just bizarre that the winner comes from Angus, near Dundee. The book will definitely appeal to Dundonians, but its gritty edge and fast paced story will attract crime readers from everywhere.'

As part of the new ‘One City, Many Discoveries’ campaign, Dundonians or anyone with something to say about the city are being invited to submit their own personal stories or ‘discoveries’ at www.dundee.com.

Councillor Will Dawson, Convenor of City Development for Dundee City Council added: '’Dead Wood is a great, gritty read and a worthy winner of this year’s book prize. As we celebrate Chris’ creativity and story-telling ability, we also want to make a plea as part of our new ‘One City, Many Discoveries’ campaign. We’d like to hear from local residents - or anyone with something to say about Dundee - about what they think has made the city what it is today. We’ll use these tales to ‘illuminate’ all that Dundee has to offer.'

Notes to editors:

• The Dundee International Book Prize 2009 winner will be available for interviews and photography on Friday 26th June at 11.45am for 12noon.
• Press are asked to meet at the entrance to Camperdown House - the house is closed for refurbishment, but please meet here and you'll be directed to the location of the press call.
• More information on the Dundee International Book Prize, and how to enter, contact literarydundee@gmail.com.
• More information about the new ‘One City, Many Discoveries’ campaign can be found on www.dundee.com.

For more information, please contact:

Jan Rutherford, Publicity & Marketing Director, Birlinn Ltd
Publicity & The Printed Word
0131 337 9724/ 07710 474308
jan.ppw@blueyonder.co.uk

Jackie Shuttleworth or Emily Moyes,
‘One City, Many Discoveries’ campaign.
Stripe Communications
0131 561 8628/07876 240135
Dundee@stripecom.co.uk

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk