Women's prize at 25: what it is like to win by Zadie Smith, Naomi Alderman and more | Books | The Guardian

Kamila Shamsie, Home Fire, 2018

When news of the shortlist came I was driving along an American highway. My phone was on the dashboard giving me directions and I saw a call come in from my editor. I had to keep driving for another 15 minutes before there was somewhere to pull over. I've been shortlisted twice before - I know that's the point when you really should just enjoy it, because winning a prize is always a far more unlikely than likely event. Still, I won't pretend the winning didn't feel really wonderful.

It still feels profoundly moving. But these days I'm in the early stages of writing the next novel, and when you're at your desk, it really doesn't matter what happened with the last book. You are, as always, that writer looking at the blank page, wondering how to fill it.