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A prizewinning first novel

18 February 2013

'When I heard I was on the shortlist for my category I thought, "This is enough."  It surpasses anything I have ever dreamed of. To have won it is such an extraordinary feeling and I can't imagine winning overall.


The unique gift of a first novel is you write the whole thing before anyone sees it.  You have the tremendous privilege of no one watching - but with that also comes the terror.


You are also completely alone with the project and the idea it might one day have readers is the most incredibly exhilarating but terrifying concept.'


Francesca Segal, winner of the 2012 Costa First Novel Category with The Innocents in the Evening Standard