Halima scoops patron Prize and is highly commended at Page Turner Awards

The Page Turner Awards which are supported by ProWritingAid gives published authors and unpublished writers, of fiction and non-fiction from all genres, the chance to have their writing discovered by judges from the literary world.

'The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage' is based in Manchester, while Halima's hometown of Wrexham provides a lot of inspiration for the early elements of the book.  Khatun said the novel is about an ambitious British-Bengali girl who hopes to find her dream man via the arranged marriage process and takes inspiration from true events. 

Early reviewers have dubbed the novel ‘the Brown Bridget Jones,’ and its narrative is in sharp contrast with current BAME-focused literature. Khatun details the parallels between arranged marriages and the likes of Tinder and Match.com.

Khatun said, “I really hope that The Secret Diary of an Arranged Marriage is shortlisted. Readers have said that it's an important story that simply needs to be heard. Not only does it provide humour at a precarious time, it brings society closer together by breaking down barriers.” 

Founder of Page Turner Awards and award-winning novelist, Paula Wynne said: “There are writers from all walks of life, from manual laborers to academics. All with stories to tell, most of them heart-warming and moving. We’re proud that our Awards celebrates excellent writing and helps writers and authors to get their stories discovered.”

Success stories from this year’s awards include three writers winning literary representation, six writers winning a writing mentorship, five writers winning a publishing contract and thirteen independent authors winning an audiobook production.

Readers can vote for Halima's book and add any constructive feedback to her story, thus helping her improve her chances of getting noticed by the judges. You can vote and comment here