The UKA Press and PABD have announced the winner of their global 'Search for a Great Read' Competition is Liquidambar by New Zealand writer Chris Bell selected from a large number of high-quality entrants to take the prize. Liquidambar is a fascinating tale set in a world of Edward Hopper's paintings.

Image: Liquidambar gets the publish and be damned treatment

The Rise of the DIY NovelThe UKA Press and PABD have announced the winner of their global 'Search for a Great Read' Competition is Liquidambar by New Zealand writer Chris Bell selected from a large number of high-quality entrants to take the prize. Liquidambar is a fascinating tale set in a world of Edward Hopper's paintings.

Image: Liquidambar gets the publish and be damned treatment

The Rise of the DIY NovelChris' book is being prepared by the UKA Press, a UK publisher, to become available by early December. Part of his prize is independent publication by print-on-demand specialist, PABD, at www.pabd.com, and the book will be available through Amazon, and UK book shops.

About Liquidambar
New Zealand-based Bell has been working on Liquidambar for over seven years. "It's the story of a struggling freelance journalist who meets a mysterious stranger on public transport and falls into the  world of Edward Hopper's paintings," says Bell. "In Fulcrum, a city woven out of landscapes and characters  from 12 of Hopper's best-known works, the journalist, Typo Blod, finds he has become a clueless private investigator and €” more by accident than art €” is driven to track down the beautiful woman subject of the painting Summertime - who has disappeared. Liquidambar is 'art deco magic surrealism' €” suitably laced with the absurd."

The judging panel commented:
"The style is clearly outstanding."
"I began reading this one shortly after I got up, was instantly captivated, and knew at once it was a potential winner. This is a compulsive read."
"Quite brilliant and completely original."

About the 'Search for a Great' competition:
This joint UKA Press/PABD competition invited writers from around the world to submit completed novels, and the judges were "surprised by the breadth and quality of the entries". Liquidambar was finally selected from the following shortlist:

Darts, Drew Gummerson
Liquidambar, Chris Bell
A Necessary Killing, Hilary Loyd
All My Own Work, Richard Cooper
Lane's Exceptional Book-Case, William W Clinckenbeard
Goodbye Sleepy House, Ewan Jones

About the Author
Liquidambar is Chris Bell's first novel. However, he has already published the Bumper Book of Lies, an anthology of 20 short stories, which received widespread critical acclaim. In 1997, one of his short stories, The Cruel Countess, was selected for publication in the Year's Best Fantasy & Horror (10th Annual Edition). It appeared alongside stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Tanith Lee. He is currently working on a screenplay adaptation of Liquidambar and a new novel, Saccade. To see more of his work, visit: www.chrisbell.co.nz

About The UKA Press
The UKA Press, a traditional  publisher (part of the Boho and Bluechrome Group), was created for writers and readers, and  is closely associated with UKAuthors.com, Europe's best-known writers' community. It  publishes high-quality  fiction, nonfiction and poetry  by UK  writers and has been expanding to include exciting  work from  around the world. Their authors include Kevin Brownlow, the internationally famed film-maker and writer, and Tom Saunders, author of Brother, What Strange Place Is This? as well as Theron Montgomery, Simon Leigh and  other acclaimed writers.

About PABD

Publish And Be Damned www.pabd.com