The Girl Who Escaped From Zanzibar

Sophie Neville's novel 'A Girl Called Redemption'  won the 2020 Eyelands International Book Awards for an unpublished historical novel, under the working title of 'The Girl Who Got Out of Zanzibar'. The results were declared on 31st December 2021 followed by a prize-giving ceremony in Athens. "I began working on this novel in Crete, after winning a 'Three Rock Writer's Residency'. The sequel, entitled 'The Man Who Got Out of Japan' won an Eyelands Book Awards in 2019, so it is very special to be win this year." Scroll down here for details of the 2020 awards.

1. The secret of this is to make a good fish stock, boiling up the bones, skin, heads and tails of a variety of fish and crustaceans together with chopped onion, a carrot, peppercorns and three bay leaves. Simmer for a few hours. 2. Take a large frying pan and warm a little peanut oil in it, adding a pinch of chilli powder. 3. Slice an onion into small cubes and fry slowly in the warm oil. 4. Add one clove of pressed garlic. 5. Add half a pound of short-grained rice. 6. Add a glass of dry white wine if you have any. 7. Fry on a higher heat until the wine and oil has been absorbed by the rice. The alcohol will evaporate in the process. 8. Strain and pour the warm fish stock into a jug. 9. Gradually add the stock to the rice, stirring continuously. Use as much stock as you need to keep the dish creamy without becoming either too wet or too dry. The rice should take about 20 minutes to cook through but count on it taking lon...

This proved a fabulous opportunity to concentrate on writing with the only distraction being a local beach bar. It was here that I met an Austrian lady who had worked as a midwife on Zanzibar. She gave me startling insights into life on the island today. Apart from needles, all waste from the hospitals goes directly into the sea.