Grandmother wins book deal with debut novel
29 Jun 10
An 82-year-old grandmother is celebrating after landing a book deal for her debut novel.
Teacher and theatre director Myrrha Stanford-Smith said she was "gobsmacked" to be handed the three-book agreement, which saw her first work The Great Lie start appearing on shelves last week.
The trained actress, who lives in Holyhead, North Wales, has always held a passion for creative writing.
She decided to see if her talent could really take off after receiving positive feedback on a short children's story she sent in to BBC Radio Wales last summer.
The Brighton-born writer secured herself a deal with publisher Honno, for a trilogy based around her swashbuckling Elizabethan hero Nick Talbot.
The adventure reignites, in fictional form, the rivalry between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.
Ms Stanford-Smith said of the deal: "I was gobsmacked.
"I had to put the phone down and ring them back as I was so taken aback by the whole thing.
"I had to pull myself together before I could even pick up the phone to call back.
"It was out of the blue. I'd been waiting for the manuscript to be sent back really, rejected. It was such a wonderful surprise."
The Great Lie sees 16-year-old Nick, the son of the late first Earl of Rokesby, run away with a troupe of travelling players who take him to London - where he soon comes to Marlowe's attention.
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