ITV Anglia reporter and prize-winning short story writer Elodie Harper has been awarded the £2,000 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award for The Wolf Den (Head of Zeus) the first novel in a new trilogy re-imagining the lives of the forgotten women of Pompeii’s brothels. 

Founded in 2017 by David Headley, the co-founder and m.d. of Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell is awarded annually to a novel of any genre with "brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised". 

Harper’s novel follows Amara, a young woman sold into slavery by her mother, and sent to work at Pompeii’s famous brothel who is determined to regain her freedom. It was praised by the judging team as “rich and immersive”. 

She was announced as the winner at a party at Goldsboro Books yesterday evening (8th September). Elodie was shortlisted alongside fellow Mushens Entertainment author Jennifer Saint for her Sunday Times bestselling mythic retelling Ariadne (Wildfire), as well as We Are All Birds of Uganda by #MerkyBooks New Writer’s Prize 2019 winner Hafsa Zayyan; and Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s gripping historical mystery novel Daughters of Night (Mantle). Also shortlisted were Virginia Feito’s psychological thriller Mrs March (Fourth Estate) and Lucy Holland’s bestselling historical fantasy Sistersong (Macmillan).   

David Headley, co-founder of Goldsboro Books, and founder of the Glass Bell Award said: “This year’s all-female shortlist was particularly compelling, traversing centuries of history – from Ancient Britain to 1960s Uganda – and spotlighting the voices history has often neglected or silenced. It was a tough challenge to select our winner from such a fantastic line-up, but our team at Goldsboro Books were consistently drawn back to Elodie Harper’s mesmerising The Wolf Den. With rich and immersive historic detail, Harper brings to life the untold stories of the women enslaved in Pompeii’s most notorious brothel, powerfully exploring bonds of sisterhood as they navigate a brutal world without personal freedom. We’re thrilled to award the Glass Bell to Elodie Harper and cannot wait for the final instalment of this fantastic trilogy!”