Writer's success in story writing competition

The 12 beat more than 800 writers from all over the country for a place in the final. The Asham Award is the only short story competition of its kind for women writers.

It was launched 11 years ago in Lewes and is named after the house at Beddingham where Virginia Woolf lived before moving to Rodmell. The results of the competition were announced in London on Wednesday last week at an event hosted by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Miriam, who was a runner-up in the competition, was praised by the chairman of judges, novelist Patricia Duncker, for her story '“ Looking In '“ which examines the chilling nature of obsession.

Miriam has written more than 70 books for children, but this is her first story for adults. She is married with three teenage children, and writes in a converted potting shed in the garden.

Winner of the top prize was Marian Garvey from Brighton for her story All That's Left. She has an MA in creative writing from Sussex University, has taught drama in schools and is a trained counsellor.

This is the first time that two Sussex writers have been in the finals. Writers competed for a total of nearly 4,000 in prize money.

The competition was sponsored this year by the Cohen Foundation and East Sussex County Council. The 2008 Asham Award will be sponsored by the award-winning Alfriston bookshop, Much Ado Books and will be launched this winter.

For more information: www.ashamaward.com