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Ahern, Weldon, Keyes to judge Titchmarsh competition

29.09.09 | Katie Allen

Cecelia Ahern, Fay Weldon, Marian Keyes and Kate Mosse have been revealed as the judges taking part in "The People’s Author", a real-life writing competition which begins on ITV1's Alan Titchmarsh Show on Monday (5th October).

Ahern will judge the first heat; Weldon will take over on the episode of the 19th October; Keyes on 2nd November; and Mosse on the 16th November. The permanent judges each week will comprise head judge Amanda Harris, editorial director for Orion non-­fiction, and author Gervase Phinn.

The 16 finalists will go through the four heats with the judges selecting a winner for each heat. Each winner will then go on to a live final on 23rd November when an overall winner will be decided by a public vote.

The winning author will receive a £20,000 book contract with Orion plus the "usual royalties arrangements", said Harris. The winning entry "will have no hint of misery [but] nostalgia, celebration of community. . . we are looking for inspiring stories about the human spirit".

The BBC has also begun a search for "the greatest real-life stories never told", with up to 15 successful authors to appear in the TV series, "My Story", on BBC1 during spring 2010. Up to five winners will be published by HarperTrue.

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