Elin Daniels

I am a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative Novel-Writing Course, winner of the 2021 Blue Pencil Agency Pitch Prize and have been long listed for Mslexia Novel Writing competitions. The Hollow Mountain is my third novel.

I trained as a pharmacist, ultimately heading up a department supporting prescribing advice to General Practitioners. At 50, I took a leap of faith to leave my NHS career to spend more time getting lost in woods and up mountains, listening for the stories they have to tell.

I live at the foot of a castle in Wales in a household of four generations where escaping to write is a delicious pleasure. I am fascinated by places that hold onto folklore and memories – places that root and link people and their stories across the ages and love to explore these themes in my writing.

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Award Category
Writing Award 2023
This submission is private and only visible to judges.

Comments

Shirley Fedorak Thu, 03/08/2023 - 13:23

The tense opening scene kept me reading. I'm assuming the paranormal/supernatural aspects of the story will come out later. Just a few tweaks needed to tighten up the writing, such as eliminating dashes and one more proofing to catch a few missing words.

Shirley Fedorak Thu, 03/08/2023 - 13:51

The tense opening scene kept me reading. I'm assuming the paranormal/supernatural aspects of the story will come out later. Just a few tweaks needed to tighten up the writing, such as eliminating dashes and one more proofing to catch a few missing words.

Kirstie Long Mon, 14/08/2023 - 18:20

Good opening, full of tension and yet letting the facts come through. Well paced and written, leading towards where the paranormal will come in without pushing it.

I'd happily read the rest and feel this has real promise or an exciting plot.

DCorso Fri, 18/08/2023 - 03:19

This has everything the first 10 should have -- characters we care about, a hint of mystery and plenty to keep us hooked and guessing. I want to read more!

Susan Defreitas Sat, 26/08/2023 - 22:41

Excellent tension, pacing, and characterization--I'm completely sucked in by this opening, and I want more!

Samar Hammam Sun, 27/08/2023 - 08:10

An immediate sense of tension.

Samar Hammam Sun, 27/08/2023 - 08:10

An immediate sense of tension.

Paula Sheridan Thu, 31/08/2023 - 18:07

This is a comment from a publisher judge who asked us to post this comment:

The brief first movement lends quite a lot of tension to the following bulk of the chapter. Really excellent work. The story is compelling and mysterious. We’d love to see more consideration as to the prose. The frequent lineation slows the reading experience. With this much tension built up right off the bat, you have time in your pacing to craft full, rich paragraphs that dive deeply into the POV character’s internal life. A fascinating start with a clear mystery- and a reader will be very excited to see where it goes.

Kelly Lydick Fri, 01/09/2023 - 05:50

I think this is well written. I had a more difficult time connecting to these characters, but I think with a complete read, there will be much more depth to see.