Entering into competition is one of the rites of passage of every debut author. For my novel, MIRO, the BookLife Prize For Fiction (an offshoot of Publishers Weekly) was the second trial by fire following a review by a distinguished reader. Either I could squirrel myself away and make believe that I had no interest in comparisons, or I could allow my labour of nine long years to be judged among my indie peers. To say I breathed a sigh of relief over the initial critique is an understatement.M...