A writer and publisher have scored a double triumph by making two shortlists.
Neil Astley, of Northumberland, has been shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award for his book, The End of My Tether.
His publishing company, Bloodaxe, has been shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award, with David Constantine's Something for the Ghosts.
There is a further local link as Hexham firm Flambard is the publisher of The End of My Tether. Two other Flambard authors have also been shortlisted for top awards recently.
Ann Cleeves' short story, The Plater, was shortlisted for the Crime Writer Association's Macallan Short Story Dagger; and John Murray's John Dory was shortlisted for the Lakeland Book of the Year in 2001.
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