Ambrose wins Royal Palm Literary Award
The Florida Writers Association has awarded local historical fiction writer with the annual Royal Palm Literary Award for her book, “A Shadowed Fate,” the second book in her historical mystery trilogy based on the Lord Byron/Mary Shelley circle.
Ambrose entered the contest two years in a row where she placed as a finalist and semifinalist, she said, before winning the Gold Award for published historical fiction.
According to Ambrose, the Florida Writers Association has offered a vast array of support through writers groups, feedback, connections and newsletters.
Winning the award came as a great surprise, as Ambrose said she had no inclination whatsoever that she would win this year. The ceremony took place, via Zoom, on Oct. 16, with Ambrose eagerly awaiting the announcement in her living room.
This annual competition, which received 577 submissions, was RPLA’s 20th. In all, the competition covered 27 adult genres and five youth genres, with published and unpublished entries considered separately.
The Florida Writers Association, which has 1,600 members strong and growing, is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that supports Florida’s established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public. The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in its members’ published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants.
“This book got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly, but the negative side is that the book came out two weeks before the country shut down, so it’s nice that it got this push a year later. It was a huge validation,” Ambrose said.
The series centers around Mary Shelley’s step-sister, Claire Clairmont and the mystery of the daughter she had with Lord Byron. Shelley wrote the classic “Frankenstein,” which was published in 1818.
Set in 19th century Italy, the focus of Ambrose’ series is on Shelly’s quest for her daughter. Although the third book in the series will be the end of the road for Claire Clairmont, Ambrose will still be hard at work writing historical fiction.
“I’ve always wanted to do something on the research of the Italian fashion industry after World War II. I’m so intrigued with that era,” Ambrose said, adding her advice for writers, to stick with it and persevere.
“History is a great place for fiction. It’s a niche audience, but they’re loyal,” Ambrose said.