The Mermaid of Black Conch by UEA alumna Monique Roffey has been shortlisted in the Novel category of the Costa Book Awards. It was published by Peepal Tree Press earlier this year. Monique was born in Trinidad and graduated from UEA in 1987. Her first novel Sun Dog was published in 2002. The White Woman On The Green Bicycle, published in 2009, was shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize and the 2011 Encore Prize. Archipelago, published in 2012, won the OCM BOCAS prize for Caribbean Literature in 2013, while House of Ashes was shortlisted for both the Costa Fiction Award and the OCM BOCAS prize. She is a Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Winners in the five categories of the Costa Book Awards, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on 4 January 2021. The overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year will receive £30,000 and will be announced on 26 January.