Welcome to the RPLA Showcase
Each year at the Royal Palm Literary Award Banquet, authors experience the joy of earning accolades for all the hard work that is often done in the privacy of the home with little to no recognition. Our goal is to showcase the best of the best at the 2015 Royal Palm Literary Awards and provide First Place winners with a well-deserved spotlight. Not only are we recognizing extraordinary talent, but we’re giving readers an opportunity to sample excerpts from the winning stories.
2015 Unpublished Thriller/Suspense
We All Fall Down by Kim Hackett
Kim Hackett won First Place in the Unpublished Thriller/Suspense category. In We All Fall Down, a young woman trying to win over her fiancé’s mother discovers she’s a criminal. Instead of gaining her approval, she makes an enemy and becomes a target.
Click the link to read a sample:
Q & A with Kim Hackett
Q: Where do you get your story ideas?
A: I usually start with a true life event. Something that leaves me wondering what the rest of the story is, or what lead up to the event. If I’m curious about the details, or want to know more about the people involved in the situation, I make it up.
Q: Anything in particular about your award-winning RPLA entry that you’d like to share?
A: This was my first novel. I didn’t know a darn thing about crafting a novel when I began. I learned along the way. I read how-to books, I read and studied novels, I attended writing conferences and I relied heavily on the generosity of fellow writers who were willing to read my work and give me honest feedback.
Q: Who do you credit with inspiring your writing?
A: There’s a long list. The first three to come to mind are Anne Rice, Lisa Unger, and David Sedaris. Rice, because she made me sympathize (and empathize) with startlingly frightening characters. It made me want to have that kind of influence on readers. Unger, because she makes me swoon over her beautiful language at the same time I’m biting my nails. Sedaris, because he could make me cry with laughter if he wrote out a grocery list.
Q: Any tips for new writers?
A: Find the right people to stand behind you. You need a group of readers who are not afraid to be honest, but who honestly want you to succeed and won’t tear you down. You also need a cheerleader somewhere in your corner. Someone who encourages you and believes in you and is willing to discuss plot points with you ad nauseam, or prowl pawn shops and seedy bars with you—all in the name of research. (Thanks, Dee.)
