Wigan author in the running for national award after changing genres during lockdown

Audrey Harrison has self-published 25 books over the last 10 years featuring regency romance.

But she decided to try something different last year and penned The Reluctant Witch, a paranormal cosy mystery albeit still with a dose of romance.

Audrey used Amelia Hopegood as her pen-name and was thrilled when the book was shortlisted for the fantasy romantic novel prize in the Romantic Novel Awards.

She said: “It was a complete surprise. Because you write regency romance, you are not necessarily taken seriously as an author. People think you just write a bit of romance.

“The way you get shortlisted is the book is sent out to readers completely anonymously and they do an extensive questionnaire about each book that they read. It’s voted on by readers in the first instance, so it’s a real honour because they have said it’s a good story.”

The Orrell 53-year-old has always loved writing and turned it into a career after taking voluntary redundancy from her job in crime prevention for a local authority.

Despite catching the attention of three publishers, she prefers to publish her own books and work on her own terms.

Audrey, who has two children and a granddaughter, decided to try something different when the pandemic broke out and she had to spend more time at home.

“It was lockdown that caused me to write something different,” she said. “I had fancied doing paranormal mysteries with a romantic element to it, but I have never had the time.

“Last March we all went into lockdown and I have got an underlying health condition, so my husband and I decided until there was a vaccine we weren’t going to come back out of lockdown. It meant that as well as my day job of the regency stuff, I had the time, so I didn’t have any excuse not to do it.

“I would say it’s kept me sane. I have friends who have said they don’t know how I have stayed away from my friends and family, but being able to write every single day has made a difference.”

The Reluctant Witch features a witch in denial, an interfering family, a murder, a vampire who may or may not be a good guy and a dog who is more intelligent than the average person.

Audrey’s books are available in paperback, e-book and audiobook from Amazon.

Award winners will be announced by actor Larry Lamb in an online ceremony held on March 8.

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