FORMER Miss Nottingham winner Kim Slater may soon be adding another gong to her collection - this time for her first novel.
The 48-year-old, of Waterside Way, Colwick, was over the moon to be nominated in the Best Book for Teens category of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2015 - just days after finding out she was longlisted for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal.
"It's been a pretty amazing year so far, and it's only February", says Miss Slater, who graduated with a First Class Honours from Nottingham Trent University's Creative Writing course at the age of 43.
She wrote Smart - the story of a 14-year-old boy called Kieran, who is convinced he's stumbled upon a murder after finding the body of a homeless man in the River Trent - as part of her Masters, which she completed part time over two years following her undergraduate degree.
When she submitted it to publishers in London she ended up with five fighting over the book - but she eventually went with Macmillan.
Kim, who is mum to Francesca, 25, said: "Kieran's voice came first, I could hear him very clearly in my head.
"I don't explicitly say in the book that he has aspergers or autism but he is definitely on the spectrum.
"I wanted him to high functioning so that he saw things differently - so he could hold a mirror up to the world and show how silly and strange we are sometimes."
A full time freelance bursar, Kim writes what she calls her "new words" between 6am and 8am every day, at the moment she is currently working on her second novel which she can't say too much about.
"It will set in Nottingham again. I was so pleased to find a publisher who was so supportive of my wishes to do that. I love Nottingham, I'm Nottingham born and bred and I think it's an amazing place that has a character all of its own."
As well as writing and running her own business Kim has also scored a job as writer in resident at Nottingham's L.E.A.D Academy Trust, which means she will be going into school's in St Ann's and The Meadows talking to kids about writing.
And if that wasn't enough Kim is also tying the knot to partner Mac Woodhams, 59, in June.
"I wish I could have dedicated the book to everyone, I've had so much support, but Mac, Francesca and my mum have all been my rock, I'm very lucky.
"I really hope people look at me, and I know it's a cliche, but realise it's never too late to follow your dreams."
Senior lecturer of creative writing at Nottingham Trent University David Belbin called Kim "a very capable writer".
He said: "We've had quite a few success stories come out of the university but her two nominations is really quite something."
Mr Belbin, who is chairman of Nottingham's bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature, added: "People like Kim really help to shine a light on how creative Nottingham is and the fact we are continuing to grow and develop creatively."
Head of Children's Buying at Waterstones, Melissa Cox, said: "Our booksellers thought that Smart was an exceptionally clever and sensitively written take on the detective story.
"It's always lovely to read a debut that is so accomplished and has a great voice.
"Slater's protagonist Kieran is a character who really warms the heart, reminiscent in some ways of Christopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time."
