Novel Studio applications and City Writes fiction competition closing soon

It's a busy week in the City short courses calendar. City's year-long flagship Novel Studio programme, the course that inspired Hannah Begbie, Harriet Tyce, Deepa Anappara and Kiare Ladner, to name but a few, at the start of their careers, closes for 2018 applications on June 15. For more information head over here. And to read about the growing list of published alumni visit.

And City Writes, City's termly writing competiton, open to all past and present City short course students, closes its doors for submissions on 15 June. For a chance to take to the stage and read alongside short course alumna and rising star, C.G. Menon, visit and for tickets visit.

Happy submitting!

Hannah Begbie sells 'brilliant dark debut novel' to HarperFiction

So thrilled to hear that the phenomenally talented Hannah Begbie has sold her debut novel to HarperFiction. Hannah was a star student on the Novel Studio where she also won the new writing competition. Her novel, Mother, developed while on the course, is a brilliant, and brutal, exploration of motherhood in the most complicated of circumstances. Her agent, Veronique Baxter has said that Mother “is a book you don’t forget in a hurry: unflinching, dark and deeply compelling, it moved me profoundly”. Very proud of you, Hannah, and cannot wait to read the finished book! 

Greg Keen launches debut crime novel Soho Dead

Novel Studio alumnus Greg Keen has signed a two book deal with Amazon Publishing’s Crime Imprint, Thomas & Mercer. His first book, Soho Dead, came out in July and is described as a “fast-paced, darkly funny crime novel” in which the hero, PI Kenny Gabriel, finds that “the further he investigates the unnatural death of an old friend's daughter, the more he confronts his own past.” This follows hot on the heels of Greg’s CWA Debut Dagger award which helped secure his agent, Veronique Baxter at David Higham. Soho Ghosts is due out next year.

Wildfire pre-empts Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

Harriet Tyce has sold her debut thriller, Blood Orange, to Wildfire. Rights have also been sold in ten other territories. Set to be a ‘major debut launch’, Wildfire have described the novel as ‘a stunning piece of psychological suspense...’ with a ‘spectacularly dark and satisfying ending.’ 

Harriet was a criminal barrister for ten years before starting her writing career. A graduate of the Novel Studio in 2010, she is now part way through the MA in Creative Writing Crime Fiction at UEA, where she received a distinction in her first year. Blood Orange will be published in the UK in January 2019.

Launch of Emma Claire Sweeney and Emily Midorikawa's A Secret Sisterhood

Last week saw the launch of Emma Claire Sweeney and Emily Midorikawa's hotly anticipated book about female literary friendships, A Secret Sisterhood. Based on their hugely successful blog, Something Rhymed, A Secret Sisterhood delves deeper into four transformative female friendships which have been largely overlooked. Writing in the foreword, Margaret Atwood notes that 'In digging up the forgotten friendships chronicled in A Secret Sisterhood, Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney have done much service to literary history.’ We couldn't be more delighted for Emma and Emily and wish them every success with this important book.