Local author and illustrator Joan Aspinall didn’t earn the top prize in a recent 21st Annual Writer’s Digest Self Published Book Awards Competition, but that isn’t stopping her from walking away a winner.

That’s because her popular Bermudian Christmas Story ‘The Tree Frog and the Poinsettia’ was handed a glowing review from the competition’s international literary judges.

They described the story as “beautifully designed ... lovely and well-told” and handed the book top marks for being ‘outstanding’ in four out of five categories, including plot, character development, structure and organisation, as well as product quality and cover design.

Ms Aspinall said: “I didn’t win the competition which is no surprise considering there were 2,800 submission from all over the world, but the judges did send me back a critique of my books and scored me in different areas.

“For one of my books they wrote me a beautiful review, which I can use going forward to promote the book.

“So while I would have been over the moon to think I could have won something I really wasn’t expecting that; and with this feedback it feels like I did win, as far as having my confidence reinforced that there’s someone out in this wide world that recognises my talent.”

This wasn’t the first time Ms Aspinall’s story has won praise. The tale was picked as the winner of The Royal Gazette’s Annual Short Story Christmas Competition when

it was entered in 1975.

The author said many of the details of the heartwarming holiday story came to her in a dream. In fact many of the themes and characters in her fictional stories — of which 12 or 13 have been published — come to her while she sleeps.

“Sometimes if I am writing something like a novel and having a difficult time developing the plot I will dream about the continuing solution and then know exactly where I need to take the story,” she said. “It’s really amazing and I will even have the artwork planned out in my dreams.”

Ms Aspinall said she entered the competition to get international feedback on two of her stories — ‘Cedars of Winter Haven’ and ‘The Tree Frog and the Poinsettia’.

One of the Writer’s Digest judges said although the latter book was not widely known, it was a “unique and refreshing” holiday story in a market saturated with cliché Christmas books.

“The cover is stunning, and the back cover text does a nice job of summarising the story,” the judge wrote. “The message of the book — that love given from the heart is the greatest gift of all — is one that every child should hear always, not just at Christmas.”

The prolific writer has received lots of other praise from fans over the years, but said not everyone has appreciated her writing abilities.

That’s another reason why this official recognition was so important to Ms Aspinall.

She said: “Since we are in the creative field of writing and where we are all independently published in Bermuda, I have found it’s hard to get recognition here for what we do. This applies to everything and covers many fields where the Bermuda populace think if it’s done by a Bermudian it can’t be any good.

“But I just know from the tourist and overseas people who have bought the book the comments have always been ‘This is one of the most beautiful Christmas books’.

“Now I have an esteemed institution recognising it as well. And if those [score of] fives that I was handed meant that the story was very good or excellent it wouldn’t be as powerful as the word ‘outstanding’, so for me their feedback has been just wonderful.”

‘The Tree Frog and the Poinsettia’ is available at Bookmart at Brown & Company; as well as the Bermuda Craft Market, Bermuda Arts Centre and Hand Made Bermuda, all located in Dockyard. Ms Aspinall will also be on hand for a book signing at Brown & Co on Friday from 6pm until 9pm.