A Q&A WITH T.L. HASEEB - A JOFFE BOOKS PRIZE WINNER!

How did it feel winning the prize?

I was flabbergasted! I had entered but was not expecting anything at all. Being shortlisted was amazing, but winning was a lovely, thrilling, wonderful surprise. 

Where were you when it happened?

I was informed on a video call. I actually burst out laughing because I had worked myself up for a thorough interview about literature and writing and had lots of notes about my favourite authors when I was informed I'd actually won! I called my family and I celebrated with a box of my favourite chocolates. I love chocolate with a passion that is truly obscene.

 What are you most excited about Framed for Murder being in readers’ hands?

 I hope readers will be introduced to Detective Inspector Amber Kash and enjoy a novel that is a rip-roaring mystery.  It’s a book that is unafraid to tackle the issues of the day such as true crime, gendered violence and the obsession with celebrity. But above all, I hope readers enjoy a gripping whodunit with plenty of twists.

 Describe Framed for Murder.

 A woman walks into a police station and claims she’s witnessed a murder committed by a person who died seven years ago. A brilliant but jaded police officer has to investigate and is thrown into a world of true crime, power and ghostly visions.

 What advice would you give to other writers entering the prize this year?

Go for it! It’s a prize that actually results in your work being published, so unlike other prizes where you might get an agent introduction or a pretty trophy, Joffe actually publishes your novel, so you will see your actual book in the hands of readers. What could be better than that?