Gumshoe Frankenstein Wins Speculative Literature Foundation Grant
My unpublished novel -- Gumshoe Frankenstein -- has received the annual Older Writers Grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation.
From the SLF site:
Since 2004, the Older Writers Grant has been awarded annually to writers who are at least fifty years of age at the time of application to assist such writers who are just beginning their careers as speculative fiction writers.
This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature from all over the world. Speculative literature spans the breadth of fantastic writing, encompassing literature ranging from hard science fiction to epic fantasy, including ghost stories, horror, folk and fairy tales, slipstream, magical realism, and more. Any piece of literature containing a fabulist or speculative element would fall under our aegis.
This grant is awarded on the basis of merit.
Gumshoe Frankenstein is a 68K-word hardboiled 1950's detective noir, where the detective might be the Frankenstein monster.
cover image for Gumshoe Frankenstein — under working title B.K.P.I. — by Farzad Varahramyan
I'm delighted to receive this honor not just because of the grant, but because it represents an unbiased endorsement of my work. I've had some success as a short story writer, but I aspire to be a novelist, and that is a long and lonely road. I've been working on Gumshoe Frankenstein since 2017. Having the SLF read my work and decide it's completion warranted award of their annual grant gives me a real boost.
My thanks go to the Speculative Literature Foundation for this recognition. I also wish to acknowledge the many runners-up who applied for this grant, in a year where I am told the Foundation received an “incredibly high volume of applications.” The ball rolled into the slot for me this time, but it could as easily have been someone else. Keep writing!
Gumshoe Frankenstein is now in query with agents and publishers. If it's sitting in your inbox, I hope you'll take a look. And if you'd like to discuss publishing or representing my (now) award-winning novel, get in touch!