The Novel Studio’s year-long course taught by professional writers and editors provides essential techniques and guidance to enable its students to draft their own novels, and gain interest from agents within the industry. Many have successfully gone on to have their work published after the course. Read on for their inspiring stories.
Anna Mazzola
Orion have pre-empted two legal thrillers by Anna Mazzola, in a departure for the author. Anna's third novel, The Clockwork Girl, described as 'truly spellbinding' by Ian Rankin, was published last year, and her fourth, The House of Whispers, will come out in hardback in April. Her debut historical novel, The Unseeing, was published by Tinder Press in July 2016, while her second novel, The Story Keeper, also Tinder Press, was published in 2018, all to great acclaim.
Janet Phillips
Janet has published her debut book, Great Literary Friendships, with Bodleian Library. Described by Publishers Weekly as a 'fun spin on literary analysis'.
Harriet Tyce
Harriet Tyce published her third novel, It Ends at Midnight, with Wildfire Books in April 2022.
All three of her novels have now become Sunday Times bestsellers; her third has been described by Sarah Pinborough as a 'blisteringly brilliant read'.
Generously funded our Novel Studio scholarship for the past four years.
Laurence Kershook
In April 2022 Laurence Kershook published his debut novel, The Broygus, a story set in the Jewish East End which follows a family torn apart by events spanning three-quarters of the twentieth century.
Available for on Amazon.
Emma Howarth
Emma Howarth published her debut book A Year of Mystical Thinking with Hay House in 2021. Written with humour and curiosity, Emma shows us that we don't need to fly to Italy, India or Bali to have an adventure and find inner peace - there's plenty of magic right on our doorstep.
Simon Culleton
Simon Culleton published his debut novel, Shadows of Fathers, with Stairwell Books in October 2021. Available for on Amazon, Google books, Stairwell Books and many more.
Elizabeth Chakrabarty
Elizabeth published her debut novel, Lessons in Love and Other Crimes, with The Indigo Press in April 2021. The novel has since been longlisted for The Desmond Elliot Prize and shortlisted for the Polari Prize.
Attiya Khan
Attiya Khan will publish her debut Young Adult novel, Ten Steps To Us, with Hashtagblak publishers in 2021.
A GP and mother of three, Attiya was selected for David Higham's Underrepresented Writers day and longlisted for Undiscovered Voices 2020.
Ali Thurm
Ali Thurm published her debut novel One Scheme of Happiness, with Retreat West Books in 2020. Set on the isolated Yorkshire coast, it's a dark tale of delusion, dressing-up and Jane Austen.
Deepa Anappara
Deepa Anappara (2010/11) has sold her debut novel, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, to Chatto & Windus in a nine strong auction for UK and Commonwealth Rights. The book has now been translated into 16 languages.
Deepa won the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award for the same novel, a “completely assured” tale set in the slums of an Indian city, as well as the Lucy Cavendish College prize 2018 and the Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award.
Before turning her hand to fiction., Deepa was an award-winning journalist in India for eleven years. Her short fiction has also won prizes, including the Asham Award and the Asian Writer Short Story Prize. She has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA, where she is currently studying for a Creative-Critical Writing PhD on a CHASE doctoral fellowship. Published in early 2020, Deepa’s novel had brilliant reviews, with Ian McEwan calling it ‘a brilliant debut.’
Kiare Ladner
Kiare Ladner (2010/11) has sold her debut novel, Nightshift, to Picador in a pre-emptive bid. Associate Publisher, Ravi Mirchandani, has called the novel “an immensely exciting debut.” Kiare is now teaching on the Novel Studio. Her novel will be published in February 2021.
Hannah Begbie
Hannah Begbie (2015/16) published her debut novel, Mother, with HarperFiction in 2018. In the same year she won The Romantic Novelists' Association's (RNA) Joan Hessayon Award for new writers.
In 2015 she joined the board of The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, to raise awareness and advocate for the CF community. She also enrolled in The Novel Studio course at City, winning that year’s new writing prize, and developing what was to become her debut novel.
TV rights for her debut have now been sold to Clerkenwell Films following a four-way auction, with The Crown screenwriter, Tom Edge (Begbie’s husband) attached.
TV rights for her debut have now been sold to Clerkenwell Films following a four-way auction, with The Crown screenwriter, Tom Edge (Begbie’s husband) attached.
Hannah published her second novel, Blurred Lines, in July 2020 with HarperFiction.
Shakrukh Husain
Shahrukh Husain’s (2004/5) The Virago Book of Witches has been reissu
ed for 2019 with a new preface written by Shah. This follows hot on the heels of the ITV screening of her six-part series ‘Beecham House’ set in India in the late 18th century.
Shahrukh has also published her novel, A Restless Wind, with Picador India. Shah is a prolific writer for adults and children, fiction and non-fiction, stage and screen.
Jennifer Gray
Jennifer Gray (2009/10) has published the latest in her Ermine Adventure series, The Big London Treasure Hunt (Usbourne, 2019). Jennifer combines writing award-winning children’s fiction with her work as a practising barrister.
Jennifer Gray's Atticus Claw Breaks the Law, was the winner of the 2014 Red House Children’s Book Award Younger Readers category. She and has also written:
Atticus Claw Settles a Score, Atticus Claw Lends a Paw, (Faber 2013), Atticus Claw Goes Ashore, Atticus Claw Learns to Draw (Faber, 2014), The Fabulous Chicken Sisters, Guinea Pigs Online Series (written with former City tutor Amanda Swift) (Quercus, 2012-14).
Mike Clarke
Mike Clarke (2009/10) has published a short story collection, Gluten Tolerant, which brings together seven stories all of which were selected and performed by Liars’ League, the award-winning live fiction evening run by City tutor Katy Darby.
Mike Clarke published an ebook in 2015 of four short stories read at Liars’ League, called: Do you dare me to cross the line?
Remy Salters
Remy Salters (2005/6) debut novel Butterfly Ranch, with Matador Press in 2018.
Developed while on The Novel Studio, the novel is set in a remote jungle lodge in Southern Belize, where a local policeman investigates the mysterious disappearance of a world-famous reclusive author.
In 2018 the book won an International Rubery Book Award for fiction, the People’s Book Prize and a Chill with a Book Reader’s prize.
Greg Keen
Greg Keen (2014/15) has published three novels with Amazon Publishing’s Crime Imprint, Thomas & Mercer: Soho dead (2017), developed while he was on the Novel Studio, Soho Ghost (2018) and Soho Angel. Greg won the CWA Debut Dagger award for Soho Dead.
Nicole Dutu
Nicole Dutu (2009/10) published her debut novel, How I Defeated Dracula (Libris Editorial, 2017).
Rachel Mann
Rachel Mann (2008/9) has published her debut novel, developed while on the Novel Studio, On Blackberry Hill.
Described by novelist Clare Jacob as a “very well written and sensitive novel which brings the adolescent life of a young Jewish girl in New York and in summer camp to poignant life.”
Rachel’s play, Class Mother, has also been nominated for best play at the Venus/ Adonis Theater Festival NYC 2016.
Neil Griffiths
Neil Griffiths (2006/7) published his first novel, Isabella’s Heiress, in February 2015.
Kit Habianic
Kit Habianic's (2014) debut novel, Until Our Blood is Dry, was published spring 2014 with Parthian Books.
The story of a South Wales mining community ripped apart by the miners' strike of 1984-1985, an earlier draft of her novel was shortlisted for the Daily Mail/Transworld debut novel prize.
Kit is the first Novel Studio student to publish her novel while on the course!
Ruth Rudherham
Ruth Rudherham's (2011) debut novel, Enemy of the Earth, was published by Pig Hog Press in Autumn 2014.
Alexandra Cameron
Alexandra Cameron's (2006/7) debut novel Rachael's Gift was published by ANZ Picador in September 2014.
Her agent describes it as 'a detective story of the heart, about a mother's uncompromising love for her daughter and how far she will go to protect her.'
Rachel Zadok
Rachel Zadok's second novel, Sister Sister, was published by Kwela Books in 2013.
Her first novel, Gem Squash Tokoloshe (Pan Macmillan, 2005), was shortlisted for The Whitbread First Novel Award (2005) and The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize (2005).
Lawrence Patchett
Lawrence Patchett's (2005/6) collection of short stories, I Got his Blood on Me, was published by Victoria University Press, 2012.
Campaspe Lloyd-Jacob
Campaspe Lloyd-Jacob, pen name Clare Jacob (2008/9) had her novel, Ophelia in Pieces, published by Short Books in 2011 (paperback 2012).
Kirstan Hawkins
Kirstan Hawkins' (2006/7), debut novel, Dona Nicanora's Hat-Shop was published by Random House in 2010.
Penny Rudge
Penny Rudge's (2005/6) Foolish Lessons in Life and Love was published by Little Brown in 2010 and the Film & TV rights have been optioned to producer Diana Napper.
Penny is currently working on her second novel, Ellie, about a girl with Usher’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder from which she herself suffers.