The Winner of the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award announced.

ITV Anglia reporter and prize-winning short story writer, Elodie Harper has been awarded the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2022 for
The Wolf Den,

the first novel in a new trilogy re-imagining the lives of the forgotten women of Pompeii’s brothels, published by Head of Zeus. It follows Amara - a young woman sold into slavery and sent to work at Pompeii’s famous brothel - who is determined to regain her freedom. Elodie Harper won praise from the judging team for her ‘rich and immersive’ novel, which they called ‘mesmerising’

The Wolf Den was announced as the winner at Goldsboro Books
on Thursday 8th September,
beating We Are All Birds of Uganda by #MerkyBooks New Writer’s Prize 2019 winner Hafsa Zayyan; Jennifer Saint’s Sunday Times bestselling mythic retelling 'Ariadne'; and Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s gripping historical mystery novel, Daughters of Night.
Also shortlisted were Virginia Feito’s smash hit psychological thriller,
Mrs March, and Lucy Holland’s bestselling historical fantasy Sistersong.

Harper was awarded £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade glass bell.

David Headley, co-founder of Goldsboro Books, and founder of the Glass Bell Award said:
“This year’s all female shortlist was particularly compelling, traversing centuries of history – from Ancient Britain to 1960s Uganda – and spotlighting the voices history has often neglected or silenced. It was a tough challenge to select our winner from such a fantastic line-up, but our team at Goldsboro Books were consistently drawn back to Elodie Harper’s mesmerising The Wolf Den. With rich and immersive historic detail, Harper brings to life the untold stories of the women enslaved in Pompeii’s most notorious brothel, powerfully exploring bonds of sisterhood as they navigate a brutal world without personal freedom. We’re thrilled to award the Glass Bell to Elodie Harper and cannot wait for the final instalment of this fantastic trilogy!”

Founded in 2017, the Glass Bell is awarded to a compelling novel, of any genre - from romance and thrillers, to historical, and speculative fiction - with brilliant characterisation and a distinctive voice that is confoidently writtenand assutedly realised.

 
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