Richard and Judy choose 'bestseller' winner

A novel set in the 19th century has won the Richard and Judy "Search for a Bestseller" competition.

Tracy Rees, 42, from Swansea, came top of a shortlist of seven with her title Amy Snow after entering the competition launched by television stars Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan in August 2013 in association with WH Smith and Quercus.

Rees  will now receive a publishing contract with Quercus, with a value put at £50,000, and the book will be stocked in WH Smith stores across the country.

Her novel is set in the 19th century and follows Amy, an orphan searching for clues to solve the puzzle of an unexpected and secret inheritance with only the letters of a beloved friend to guide her.

Quercus has continued to back the Search for a Bestseller Competition despite being sold to Hodder shortly after their involvement was announced. Quercus managing director David North said: “We are thrilled to be working with Tracy and to have Richard and Judy, Britain’s best-loved book advocates, team up with us to discover exciting new talent.”

Rees, a Cambridge graduate with a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages, said: “I am absolutely over the moon. This is a dream-come-true for me. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember and over the last eight months focusing on writing the novel has been a joy - and proved to me that this is my true vocation. I’ve absolutely loved every minute of it and I'm phenomenally grateful that my book has been chosen as the winner of this amazing competition.”

Meanwhile Finnigan said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to Tracy. Her writing was exceptional, the story compelling and we couldn’t help but fall in love with Amy Snow. We are very proud to be helping Tracy launch what will be, I’m sure, a very successful career as a novelist. We wish her the very best of luck.”