Zimbabwean Writer Wins Crime Fiction Award

Cordite Books, the new crime and spy fiction imprint of Parresia Publishers Ltd., has announced the winner its 2014 Crime Fiction Contest. The winner is Zimbabwean writer Blessing Musariri. She won with the manuscript Useful Knowledge for a World Class Detective. The $1000 money prize also comes with a Cordite Books publishing deal.
The second place winner is Demola Adeniran with Descent of the Hills and third place is David Oritogun with “The World is Your Oyster.” They will receive $250 and $200 respectively. The competition was announced in 2013 and received over 70 manuscripts from all over the continent. 
 The contest judge is Helon Habila, who is the editor of  Cordite Books. He has described  Musariri's manuscript  as “intelligent and well written. A hardcore detective story in the tradition of No 1 Ladies Detective Agency – but totally original in its own way. The protagonist is a 25 year old, plucky, ambitious, girl with an interesting back story.”

 Short Bio
Blessing Musariri has published four children’s titles, two of which have won national awards in Zimbabwe. She has also written short stories and poems published in various international anthologies and online magazines. Blessing had originally thought to be a lawyer but her prolific and overactive imagination took over after being called to the English Bar in 1997, leading her to a more varied, fulfilling life in the world of arts and culture. She holds a Masters degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster.

 To read more about the prize, visit Cordite Books. 

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