UNDISCOVERED VOICES INTERVIEWS Annie Walmsley

In the second of our Undiscovered Voices writer interviews, we're delighted to introduce Annie Walmsley.

Tell us what you write

I have reams of writing - from poetry to memoir to fiction. I’m always chasing words, lassoing them, juggling… It’s an exquisite and exacting art, writing. We live in strange worlds, us writers, sometimes mining our own souls for the secrets therein.

Why did you enter Undiscovered Voices?

SCBWI offers so much - and the UV competition is a major chance to be visible, to pass your words by serious professionals who KNOW. It’s an anthology seen by all the agents and publishers, it’s a BIG thing. It’s treasure. I entered UV to be heard because I knew I had a story I needed to tell.

Tell us about the book you submitted

Jedediah wouldn’t leave me alone, he came in the night whispering about his story: a murder mystery and a cross-cultural love story, set on the Oregon Trail in 1830. It’s about being outside, it’s about struggle and redemption and awe, it’s about the naming of things and it’s about poetry.

How did you feel about winning Undiscovered Voices?

I’d just returned from the SCBWI conference; for which I won the scholarship - and thank you again for that! The phone rang and a voice said, ‘Hi Annie it’s Sara Grant.’ (I’d met Sara on the fabulous Book Bound weekend in 2014) It took a minute for the impact of the next words to settle. ‘You’ve been shortlisted for UV.’ In fact, I think they’re still settling, even now!

In what ways was the feedback from Undiscovered Voices useful?

All of it has been the stuff of dreams; the workshops and launch in London, meeting everyone involved, watching all our journeys, (some great successes already!) and making firm and sustaining friendships… Listening to and reading feedback from top notch editors and agents, clear pointers as to market and potential… I can climb into those mountains with less trepidation now. It IS all possible and it DOES happen.

Have you had any success with your book as a result of Undiscovered Voices?

Many doors have opened. I’m currently doing a final edit (ahem!) and have been advised to place Jedediah Dreaming Ransome in the American arena.

I really can’t thank everyone involved in the UV process enough; what a generous and fantastic thing it is. And Frances Hardinge, too!!! Just saying. 

You can download the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology here to read Annie's piece.

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Undiscovered Voices is an anthology published every other year by the British SCBWI and aims to help fresh, new voices in children’s literature – both writers and illustrators – find agents, publishers and ultimately readers. Undiscovered Voices has launched the careers of writers and illustrators, who have gone on to publish more than 200 books. These authors have been nominated for and won an amazing array of literary prizes: including the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, Branford Boase Award, Blue Peter Award, the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and nearly 30 regional awards. Visit www.undiscoveredvoices.com for all the details and news when submissions will open for the next anthology.