Hooray! I've learned this morning that my (as-yet unpublished) novel Oleanna is on the short-list for this year's Faulkner-Wisdom writing competition in the Novel category.

Oleanna is the story of a woman's quest for freedom set against the backdrop of Norway's independence from Sweden during the summer of 1905. Based loosely on the lives of my great-great-aunts, it's historical fiction with a literary touch, a story of finding one's path and persevering in the face of change and loss.

But, even happier, a dear friend's novel is a finalist in the Novel-in-Progress category. I'm so thrilled for him.

Happy day!