When we read Amy Twigg’s submission to the Pitch Prize in 2021, we knew it was something special, and we’re delighted that Spoilt Creatures will be published by Headline’s Tinder Press as their lead fiction title for 2024. After the competition closed Emma Haynes introduced Amy to several agents who BPA work with as the manuscript had strong potential and Amy had a great premise.

‘I decided to enter the Pitch Prize after a particularly bad writing slump. My hope was that by entering, it would give me the nudge I needed to work on my elevator pitch and synopsis, and perhaps drag me out of my writer’s block. I never expected to win! I look back on the process now with such fondness. The prize judges and BPA team were incredibly enthusiastic and encouraging every step of the way.’ 

‘Winning the Pitch Prize gave me the confidence I needed to finish writing my novel and submit to agents – it really was the first big step towards publication.’

Ellie Freedman secured rights to the novel from Charlotte Seymour at Johnson & Alcock, who Amy signed with shortly after winning the Pitch Prize. ‘Winning the Pitch Prize gave me the confidence I needed to finish writing my novel and submit to agents – it really was the first big step towards publication. After receiving multiple offers of representation, I signed with Charlotte Seymour at Johnson & Alcock, who’d originally read my Pitch Prize entry, and shortly afterwards I went on submission and signed with Tinder Press. This past year has been a whirlwind – it still feels like a strange, wonderful dream.’

Amy’s advice for anyone thinking about entering this year: ‘What they say is true: you may as well enter because you never know what might happen. I’m incredibly grateful for everything this competition has given me, and encourage anyone who has the beginnings of a novel to throw their lot in!’ 

‘It’s a story about transgression and women’s rage which, in this current climate, feels worryingly apt. I hope fans of cult novels or anyone wanting a bit of a fright will enjoy it.’

The novel will be published in June 2024. ‘Spoilt Creatures takes place in a women’s commune, nestled in the Kent Downs, over the course of a sweltering summer. When a group of men infiltrate the commune, it sows discord among the women, culminating in an act of devastating violence. It’s a story about transgression and women’s rage which, in this current climate, feels worryingly apt. I hope fans of cult novels or anyone wanting a bit of a fright will enjoy it.’   

Amy Twigg was born and raised in Kent. After studying Creative Writing at university, she moved to Surrey where she works as a freelance copywriter. Her debut novel, Spoilt Creatures, won the BPA Pitch Prize and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition and Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award. She is also an alumnus of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course.