Local writer Paula Rawsthorne shares her excitement at finding an agent for her young adult novel.

In June ’09 I submitted a 4,000 word extract from my YA novel to Undiscovered Voices 2010. This competition is run by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and un-agented members with an unpublished children’s novel could enter. Out of the blue I received a phone call in October informing me that I was one of the twelve winners. The judging panel of literary agents and publishers had decided that my extract should go into the ‘Undiscovered Voices Anthology’ which, after its launch in February, will be sent to every agent and publisher in the U.K and U.S.A.

My reaction was typically articulate and composed as I ran around the house screaming and distressing my bewildered kids. Then a couple of days later (whilst still nursing a massive hang-over) I started to receive emails and phone calls from the agents and publishers about my book. For a while I became convinced that none of this was real and I was, in fact, having a psychotic episode brought on by obsessive daydreaming about agents and publishers phoning me about my book.

I needed some guidance and I needed it quickly. I turned to our very own Damien Walter and he didn’t let me down. He hooked me up with the multi- award winning writer Graham Joyce. Graham was fantastic- demystifying the whole agent/publisher business and giving me invaluable advice.

Then I received an email from Jo Unwin at Conville and Walsh who was one of the judges. She’d just finished reading the full ms that she’d requested and she wanted to meet me!!

I bought a new top, washed my hair and went to London. Turns out she’s a great woman and seems like a fantastic agent who has now ‘taken me on’. I’m ecstatic, although it’s been hard on my family putting up with my gratingly blissed-out demeanour.

I know that I’ve got rewrites and a load of work ahead of me and I can’t take anything for granted about getting published but without Undiscovered Voices I wouldn’t have got this incredible leg-up. So, if you’ve written a children’s novel, you could do worse than bung it into the next Undiscovered Voices competition- you never know- it could be you!

Paula Rawsthorne’s tale ‘The Sermon On The Mount’ was a winner of the BBC Get Writing competition and was read by Bill Nighy on Radio 4. She has written a play for children’s theatre and performances for a Notts heritage festival. Her story ‘In Attendance’ was published in Ideas Above Our Station and ‘The Accessory’ in Bonne Route. Paula lives in Nottingham.