Club news
Written by: DanielL
We’re delighted to announce the winner of the fifth annual Rooker Prize – encouraging new voices in writing.
Primary school teacher Claire Lincoln Gordon, originally from Eastbourne and now based in Cheltenham, takes this year’s prize with her engaging 400-word opening to middle-grade fantasy novel, ‘The Drift’.
The Mum of three’s entry captivated judges with its pace, depth and multi-layered storytelling.
An unpublished writer of children’s and young adult fiction, Claire entered the Rooker Prize as part of her ongoing mission to secure a publishing deal.
The competition, designed to open doors for emerging talent, proved perfectly timed.
Her writing journey began at bedtime, inspired by a question from her young son:
“He asked me one night, ‘How are books made?’
I said, ‘Someone has to write them.’
To which he replied, ‘Well, can’t you make one?’”
Claire laughed it off at first, saying, “it’s a bit more complicated than that” but the moment stayed with her.
“And I thought, if I try and fail, I’ll still have shown my children something. That was six or seven years ago.”
Since then, she has documented her path to publication on Instagram, building a following whilst working towards a published book.
“This couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said, on receiving the news. “I’m so grateful. I’ve never won a trophy before – I feel completely overwhelmed.”
As the winner, Claire receives a one-to-one session with an expert editor at Hachette UK, a prize designed to help launch her publishing career, as well as £250 to give to a charity of her choice.
Claire has chosen to donate her this part of the prize to Winston’s Wish, which supports children and young people experiencing grief.
Industry Support
Maura Wilding, Group Communications Director at Hachette UK, said:
“We’re proud to support the Rooker Prize.
“We love to open doors, spotlight new voices, and prove that great stories can come from.
“Claire’s work is a brilliant example of that, and we’re excited to support her next steps.
“Congratulations to Claire and all the entrants.”
Highly Commended Writers
The judges also recognised two outstanding entries:
Diana Wilkins’ ‘Terra Nova’, was praised for its confident and assured voice
Jo McClean’s ‘The Debenture Holder’, left the panel intrigued and wanting more.
Judges on the Prize
Author Georgia Byng said:
“Judging the Rooker is a joy. It’s a privilege to see new writers bring characters and worlds to life on the page.”
Writer and journalist Paul Hayward added:
“Respect to everyone who followed the urge to write. The Rooker Prize is a beacon of creative effort.”
The prize is chaired by Baroness Lola Young, with a judging panel that also includes journalist and author Suzy Wrack, Emad Akhtar (Publishing Director at Orion Fiction), and author Mark Crick.
Growing Reach
Prize convener and founder Karen Dobres noted the competition’s continued growth:
“With 82 entries this year, the Rooker Prize is going from strength to strength.
“It was inspired by Lewes FC’s spirit of creativity and inclusion, and we’re delighted to offer every entrant a complimentary ticket to a Lewes FC match next season – men’s or women’s.
“We’re very grateful to our sponsors Hachette UK, and also for support from independent book shop Much Ado Books in Alfriston.”
The Drift
Genre: Fantasy Middle Grade Novel
Chapter One
By Alora’s second birthday, her mother had died. By her third, her father’s piano had grown a thick layer of dust, by her fourth, every door in the house creaked, and by her fifth, the night terrors had begun. But the night before her twelfth birthday? Well, that was the night that nothing and everything changed. The night she promised she would never forget and by the morning had almost entirely forgotten. And it was the only time she ever followed her dream into her worst nightmare.
This was that night.
The branches of the overgrown alder tree scratched at her open window as her father’s footsteps shuffled away across the worn carpet. Alora pulled the covers to her chin.
‘Twinkle, twinkle little star…’ she sang out across her dimly lit attic room.
What else should she try tonight?
‘How I wonder what you are…’
What did the new therapist with the coffee-coloured shirt say?
‘Up above the world so high…’
Think of puppies, or flowers or ice-cream or some rubbish like that.
‘Like a diamond –‘
Urgh, why was she even bothering? Singing was a stupid idea, along with all the others. Nothing ever worked.
Picking up the photograph propped up on her bedside table, she traced her mother’s kind face. If only she could dream of her at night. But she never did, she never had. And if she couldn’t dream of her mother, then she didn’t care what she dreamt of. The night terrors may as well come for her.
One would be here soon.
They came every night.
‘They’re not real,’ she said out loud, quoting every therapist she had ever been shoved in a room with. ‘They can’t hurt me. They are like a dream that drifts into the real world. It’s just my imagination.’
The truth didn’t stop her heart from galloping as a blurry, twisting shape grew in the corner of the room. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even close her eyes. That’s what night terrors did. You were stuck watching the scariest movie of your life with nothing to hide behind.
As the blur grew, filling every space in her room, the weight of the night terror crushed down on her chest. She couldn’t take it for a moment longer.
‘Gor blimey, Alora! That’s a big one tonight, even by your standards,’ said the boy, climbing through her bedroom window.