Ros Barber, former computer programmer turned writer was announced the recipient of this year's Desmond Elliott Prize for her debut fiction "The Marlowe Papers."

Ros Barber, a former computer programmer abandoned her profession and mortgaged her house so she could start writing a novel about Christopher Marlowe. Her big sacrifice seems to have paid off as she was announced the recipient of this year's Desmond Elliott Prize for her debut fiction "The Marlowe Papers."

The book draws inspiration from comments of Jonathan Bate, a Shakespeare academic who dismissed the theory that Shakespeare's fictional plays were inspired by Marlowe's work and the latter would make a great novelist. Barber took Bate at his word, and went on to write an entire novel in verse, imagining that instead of being killed in a tavern brawl in 1593, Marlowe fled England and went on to write celebrated plays under the name of William Shakespeare.

The author took four years to complete the book which has now won her the $15,000 prize. Other authors competing for the prize this year included Jenni Fagan for her book "The Panopticon" and Gavin Extence' for his work "The Universe Versus Alex Woods."

Chairman of the judging panel, Novelist Joanne Harris described Barber's novel as "technically accomplished and hugely impressive in both style and scope", and called it "an ambitious undertaking for a new novelist".

"Barber's novel stood out from the shortlist because it is a unique historical conspiracy story that engages all the senses," she said. "It is as enticing as a top-flight thriller, with the welcome addition of gorgeous, evocative language as visual and concise as a screenplay."