She won the 2005 James White Award, a science fiction short story contest open to non-professional writers, decided by an international panel of judges of professional authors and editors. ‘I got to go to the Hugo Awards in Glasgow to receive it and the most exciting part, for me, was sitting behind Lord of the Rings illustrator Alan Lee.’ Elizabeth says she not a confident person by nature, and gets discouraged quite easily, but the successes, along with a burning desire to go further, are what keep her going. 

She keeps the award on top of her computer cupboard along with a reply to fan mail she sent to Juliet Marillier, ‘whose work I totally admire’, and a signed photo of her favourite film star pinned to the doors. ‘I look at them when I am working and they give me confidence that I can succeed.’ Another boost came when her website, with links to several of her stories, www.hiddengrove.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk came up on Google.