Local author Ruth Foster has been shortlisted for the national Comedy Women in Print Award (CWIP ) 2025.
Her debut novel, A Perfect Year? is one of six finalists. A Perfect Year? charts the unpredictable adventures of three neighbouring families entirely through their annual round robin letters.
Set in 1990s and 2000s England, it chronicles 21 heady years in this country: everything from Britpop and the Poll Tax riots to the death of the Princess of Wales and the Iraq War protests. But we hear about these through the perspective of the letter writers, alongside the arrival of the pet hamster or the latest in the school PTA wars.
CWIP is the brainchild of well-known comedian, author, actress Helen Lederer. Founded in 2018, its aim is to recognise, celebrate and encourage witty women authors. The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London in November. To learn more about the awards visit www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk
Author of The Perfect Year? Ruth Foster lives in Membury, East Devon. She said: ‘I am thrilled to be shortlisted for this CWIP award. I had the original idea for A Perfect Year? back in the 1990s, when round robin letters would thud through the letterbox and onto the mat along with Christmas cards every year. We’d sit round the kitchen table as a family reading them out, laughing at the funny bits and reflecting on the sad bits. I found myself wondering if I could construct a novel out of them—and A Perfect Year? was born. It’s wonderful that the book has made the judges laugh enough to get onto the shortlist: there is nothing more rewarding than being able to bring a smile to people’s faces.’
For further information about Ruth visit www.ruthfosterauthor.com.
A Perfect Year? is available from the Archway Bookshop in Axminster and other bookshops; and from online retailers as a paperback or ebook nationwide.
ISBN: 978-1-0687773-0-1 Paperback 978-1-0687773-1-8 ebook.
