Congratulations to the 3 overall winners of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2007 novel writing competition!

A train journey fraught with memories, a copywriter about to be sacked, and a father's mysterious death set the scenes for the three winning entries in the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2007 novel writing competition.

The winners (in no particular order) are:

Jude Cook - Byron Easy

This is the story of Byron Easy - poet and failed womaniser; an anti-Byron, in effect, whom we meet on the final Christmas Eve of the last century. As his British Rail train journeys from London to Leeds, he reviews his childhood, glitzy marriage and metropolitan friendships; a process which allows him to ponder betrayal, love and the nature of memory. More importantly, we discover the series of calamities that led him to his tartan train seat… Click here to read the full synopsis

Click here to read an extract from Byron Easy
Click here to find out more about Jude Cook

TLC say
A literary, first-person narrative, was unexpected and original. Its subject, a would-be poet and debaucher', sounds potentially pretentious. However, the ingenious way in which the writer makes the pompously philosophical character funny despite himself, and the sheer quality of the prose, excited us all hugely and reminded us of some classic first-person narratives in literature such as is found in Nabakov's' Lolita'.

Aileen Izett - Eveline

Eveline is a young, beautiful, black woman who is found lying abandoned at the gates of a chateau. She doesn't speak. She's clutching a silver bullet. The narrator takes the girl in and calls her Eveline after a character in one of her late father's novels. She is sure that the girl is searching for someone or something… Click here to read the full synopsis

Click here to read an extract from Eveline
Click here to find out more about Aileen Izett

TLC say
A totally different kind of narrative: a family drama, which reminded us of Dodie Smith's 'I Capture the Castle'. The prose is simple, winning, gentle, literary - and yet deals with a theme which is from the outset violent. We are intrigued by the bold opening line, and want to read on: 'My brother killed our father. 'A tragic accident the papers said ...'

Andy Jones - Endline

Mike Johnston is having one hell of a summer.

He's been at war with his neighbour, at odds with his friends, and was very nearly killed by a terrorist bomb. He's lost his income, his girlfriend, and his handle on the situation… Click here to read the full synopsis

Click here to read an extract from Endline
Click here to find out more about Andy Jones

TLC say
Powerfully different again and represents by far the most contemporaneous voice amongst the winners. This reminded us a little of the work of Nick Taussig, whose novels have made their way in to the Waterstones 3 for 2, via TLC and a small press called Revolver. We see a good deal of 'lad's lit' coming in, and much of it feels derivative and not sufficiently sharp and original to make an impact. 'Endline' however, has particular wit, punch and zest - and we felt it stood out from the crowd.

TLC would like also to commend a close runner up, 'Learning to Swim' by Kate McEwan, whose first person narrative set in South Africa shows real literary promise. Her TLC reader was passionate about it.

The winners were selected from the shortlist of 100 (see below) - all of whom received a prize of a critique of their manuscript from The Literary Consultancy, worth £150 each.

Becky Swift, Director of TLC says ‘TLC has very much enjoyed working with the Writers & Artists Yearbook on their 100th Birthday Anniversary edition and was delighted to be asked to provide short reports for the one hundred top entries. Congratulations to the 'century' that were selected, and good luck to those who weren't. Deciding to 'become' a writer is to decide to undertake a long and often painfully difficult journey. Perseverance is not for the faint-hearted. All this said, writing can of course brings great pleasure also.’ .

The three winning entries will now be passed on to a top literary agent so fingers crossed our story doesn't end here!

'Join a writers group! It keeps you focussed and gives you a weekly deadline - and the feedback from fellow writers is absolutely invaluable.' Aileen Izett

'Use correct formatting from the get go. Changing it retrospectively is a bugger. Don't shy away from difficult scenes; they're full of hidden treasure. Solicit criticism from honest, intelligent, supremely patient people. (About four is perfect). Milk the hell out of the first draft, and trim the fat in subsequent passes. Oh, and watch out for clichés and mixed metaphors.

But more than any of this; don't give up.' Andy Jones

'My only advice to aspiring writers is to read everything - fiction, poetry, plays, screenplays - the best creative writing course you can have.' Jude Cook

Visit us here in September when our new, improved website will be available, including details of our Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2008 blog writing competition. The winner will receive £500 and become the official Writers' & Artists' blogger!

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2008 will be published on 24th July.

Our manuscript assessment service provides developing writers with first-class critical feedback and can help increase chances of publication within the United Kingdom. http://www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk/

Shortlisted entries are listed here in alphabetical order:

Juliette Adair Bog Angel
Erica Adams The Sea with Diamonds
Letitia Adu-Ampoma Minor to Major
Heidi Amsinck Cooking for Arabel
Carol Anderson The Other Shore
Alison Bacon Love Me Tender
Lynne Taylor and Howard Baker A Stranger and Afraid
Anne Baness North Rook
David Bausor Consideration
James Baynham Making Good
Halina Boniszewska There's no 'f' in 'Phonics'
E.L. Bradshaw Dead Pit
Jean Burnett Flowering Judas
David Caldo Florentine Masque
Peter Canning The Ninjabread Man
Amy Carmichael Genghis Khan
Martyn Chapman Hormones & Crumble
Calluym Church The Processing Plant
Ian Coates Eavesdrop
Tim Connery Reality TV: The Harry Crowley Affair
Rachel Connor Small Acts of Love
Jude Cook Byron Easy
Julie Corbin Everybody has a Secret
Bernie Crosthwaite Body Language
Claudia Cruttwell Poisonous Ejaculations
Paul Curd An Honorable Man
Malcolm Dancy Surveillance
Lee David and Francis Dixon The Fossil of Trionyx
Andrew Dowding Dudley's Lot
Oliver Eade Moon Rabbit
S.G. Eldin Hurt Snowflakes
Jacqueline Escolme The Perfect Remedy
Penny Feeny Flight Patterns
Ruth Figgest Poking Phil
Nathan Filer that seduction of madness
Steve Freeman Going Places
Rachel Green An Ungodly Child
Susanna Harding Between Stones
Kathy Harvey Dickey The Executive Sex Clause
June Hendon Past Imperfect
Clare Hill Cupid's Therapy
Hazel Howe An Imperfect Reflection
Susan Humphreys Dr Midas and the Pirates
Aileen Izett Eveline
Robin Jarossi Cheetah
Hazel Jeffers You Can't Hide a Fish Supper
Andy Jones Endline
Pia Jones Rain Master
Ann Kelley Ko Tabu
Dave Kendrick Unleashed
Kulwant Lall The other side of midnight
Christopher Linforth The Last Writer
Elizabeth Lister Remand Redressed
Eion Llewelwyn-Jones Laurence
Andreas Loizou The Stealing
Caroline Lomas Vanilla Scintilla
Penelope Loveday The Light Thief
Chris Maddocks Money Walks
Andrew May The Beauty of Their Names
Jane McCoy Bureaucracide
Kate McEwan Learning to Swim
Jon McGowan Lost and Found
Teresa McTernan A Case for the Defence
William Meehan The Finisterre Mobile Wireless Section
Angela Meredith Rome Alone
Simon Micthell Pablo's Egg
Jon Moore Cooper's Drift
James Morrison The Dwarf on the Scaffodiling
Tom Nolan Run Ran Run
Lawrie O'Connor Daughters of Chana
Jenni O'Connor Desperate Measures
K.Ogden A Dying Art
Helen Ogden Of Scarlet
Lynda Osborne Status: Presumed Extinct
Jacqueline Paizis Bread & Philosophy
John Parrington Interference Zone
Darren Paterson Depot 573
Diana Peasey Borderlines
Andrew Phillips (Untitled)
Robert Pickles Lucky Country My Arse: Memoirs of a Whinging Pom
Pam Richards Alchemy of the Yew
Robert Ronsson The Donovan Twins: Olympic Mind Games
Sion Scott-Wilson Somnambulant
Salman Shaheen Casting Shade on the Sun
Paul Smith Necropolis
William Stanton Invisible Writing
Jim Staton The Man Who Wouldn't Melt
Deborah M. Stead Scriptorium - 'The Academy'
Jane Stemp Double Bind
J.E.Strugnell Shoes
Sarah Tanburn The Melkjeven Commitment
Eleanor Taylor I Won't Tell You
Alison Theaker The Greatest Treason
Jennifer Tuckett I am a Superhero
Judy Upton Out of the Frying Pan
Charles Wartnaby Factor
Rita Wheeler More to Life Than This
Mary Whitsell Foreigners
Oscar Windsor-Smith Tamar
John Worrall A Good Little Mixer