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Psychic novel that foresaw an award

Shaun Almond
31/ 5/2006

A GLOSSOP-born author has been shortlisted for a prestigious national book award.

Hilary Mantel, who hails from Hadfield, has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction award for her latest novel, Beyond Black.

The winning title will be announced at on Wednesday and its author will scoop a £30,000 cheque.

"It's very gratifying to be shortlisted for this important prize," Hilary said.

"It would be wonderful to win, but there are other books I would be happy to lose to."

The veteran author is not fazed by the chance of scooping the top award.

"I have been to enough prize ceremonies not to be nervous," she said.

"You never know what will happen in the final judging selection. It is all great publicity for the book and should give sales a real boost."

Beyond Black tells the story of Alison, a psychic who is haunted by a 'criminal spirit guide' who was a client of her prostitute mother.

Hilary was inspired to write the novel after seeing a medium demonstration in Oxford and she wondered what the private life of a psychic would be.

The book has already received critical acclaim and recently won the Yorkshire Post Fiction Prize two weeks ago.

"Beyond Black has just been published in paperback in America and film and TV companies have expressed an interest," she said.

The 53-year-old author grew up in Hadfield and Brosscroft and moved away from Glossop when she was 11.

She has been writing for the past 30 years and this is her 11th book to be published.

She is already busy working on her next novel called Wolf Hall.

"Its going to be an exciting couple of weeks ahead," she added.