UNDISCOVERED VOICES INTERVIEWS Dale Hannah

In this week's Undiscovered Voices writer interview, we're delighted to introduce Dale Hannah.

Tell us what you write.

Funny MG for the 8–12 market.

Why did you enter Undiscovered Voices?

I always enter competitions with my new works in progress as a way of testing the waters. Any form of positive feedback or acknowledgement makes me feel as if I'm getting somewhere and making progress with my stories. I also know that the UV competition is highly regarded in the industry and so any form of success is something to celebrate.

Tell us about the book you submitted.

The book I submitted was my first foray into fantasy. The Curse of the Weird Wolf tells the story of nine-year-old Stanley Wilde, a boy who dreams about being a werewolf like the rest of his family. But unable to transform he spends his full moons alone, hiding in a cage, avoiding parents with one thing on their mind ... EATING HIM!

How did you feel about winning Undiscovered Voices?

It was a massive surprise, I found out soon after I won SCBWI's Hook Competition so I was totally gobsmacked, it took a while to sink in.

In what ways was the feedback from Undiscovered Voices useful?

It provided great insight into what publishers/agents are looking for. It was also interesting to see the different perspectives and interpretations others have on your work as a writer.

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

There was lots of agent interest, it was so nice to be contacted out of the blue and asked to submit my full ms - a refreshing change! One of my favourite agents gave me an R&R which was very satisfying, but in the end I decided to focus on my new WIP rather than rework The Curse of the Weird Wolf.

Tell us about yourself

A recent promotion at my school to Head of English is currently keeping me VERY busy, but when I have the time I thoroughly enjoy tweaking my new WIP which I hope to have complete by Christmas. Fingers crossed.

@dale__hannah
www.dalehannah.co.uk

You can download the Undiscovered Voices 2018 anthology here to read an extract from Dale Hannah's book.

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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, Waterstones 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. Submissions will open for the next anthology between 1st June to 15th July 2019 via an online submissions process. There is no
submission fee, but only unagented and unpublished members of SCBWI living in the UK
and Europe (writing in the English language) are eligible.
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