Patti Larsen wins international book competition
Stratford-based author would like to see movie of book made on P.E.I.
P.E.I. author Patti Larsen has beat out more than 1,000 other writers in the international World's Best Story contest.
The competition is run by a Montreal-based media agency and rewards top writers with a book deal and tour. On Saturday, its founders announced Larsen's book Family Magic had won the grand prize. The story revolves around a teenage girl, whose mother is a witch and whose father is a demon.
On top of a fully-sponsored North American book tour, company FastPencil will distribute Larsen's books to retailers like Barnes & Noble and Indigo in Canada and the U.S.
"This gives me opportunities that most independent authors don't get," said Larsen.
"Doing a major book tour that I don't have to fund myself, that's incredible. I have these marketers and PR people and they're going to be contacting the book stores, they're going to be building up the hype."
Larsen will also work with the contest's founders to develop her book series into a major motion picture.
"What's the possibility of getting a giant budget and making it right here on P.E.I.," she said.
"Why not? Why couldn't we?"
Larsen is a self-published author who's written more than 50 books. She sells most of her novels online.
"I'm distributed to large book stores but only if readers request the books in. In this instance, my books are going to be in bookstores. It's very cool," she said.