Nothing beats the feeling when a reader tells you your words have connected with them

How and when did you get into writing?

I’d always wanted to be a writer, and always written for my own enjoyment but didn’t know how to go about making a career of it. It felt like an unachievable pipe dream, something that ordinary people didn’t do. I didn’t know any writers, or anything about the publishing industry. At the age of 41 I’d been working in the events industry for around twenty years when I decided it was now or never. I knew I wanted to write psychological thrillers, as they were always the books I loved to read, and I’d had what I thought was a good idea for a story. But I needed help, so I applied for a creative writing course at Curtis Brown Creative, the writing school arm of a London literary agency. It was there that I got to grips with the story that would become my debut novel, Friend Request, and met the woman who would become my literary agent.

What inspires you to write?

I love creating new worlds and characters, getting lost in the story to the point where it feels more real to me than my actual friends and family! Nothing beats the feeling when a reader tells you your words have connected with them, or moved them, or that they have recognised something of themselves in your characters.

Has being involved with the Fiction Prize helped your writing career?    

Being shortlisted for the Fiction Prize in 2016 had a huge impact on my career. When I entered FRIEND REQUEST for the prize, I had no thought or hope of even being longlisted. I’d never showed my writing to anyone apart from very recently on the Curtis Brown Creative course. When I was longlisted, and then shortlisted, it was the first time I’d had any indication that perhaps my writing was good, that maybe I had a shot at making a go of it. It was an enormous confidence boost. It also had a very tangible and direct impact on me getting a literary agent. Although I’d met my agent through the course, I hadn’t signed with her when I was shortlisted for the prize. Getting that shortlisting meant that she looked at my novel much earlier than she otherwise would have done, and it undoubtedly played a big part in her signing me.

Please tell us about your journey since the prize (including published books and editing and mentoring services) 

FRIEND REQUEST was published by Sphere (Little, Brown) in summer 2017. It was a Sunday Times top ten and Kindle no.1 bestseller, sold over half a million copies in the UK alone and was translated into twenty-five languages. I went on to have a further three novels published by Sphere, and my fifth, A GOOD PLACE TO HIDE A BODY, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in July this year (with a further book to come in 2025).

I also offer editorial and mentoring services to emerging writers, which is very rewarding. I love helping aspiring writers to shape their manuscripts and passing on the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in the eight years since I was first published. Laura is kindly offering 10% discount to members of the College community, by quoting "Lucy Cavendish".

What advice would you give other aspiring writers about their writing careers and then more specifically about entering the Fiction Prize?

Don’t be intimidated – just sit down and start to write. It doesn’t matter if it’s not good, anything is better than a blank page! Read widely – especially in the genre in which you are writing. Deconstruct your favourite books and think about how the authors have achieved the effects they have.

As regards the Fiction Prize, I would strongly encourage emerging writers to enter. It’s such a great prize which is hugely respected in the publishing industry. Agents and editors genuinely look to it for new clients – you can see from looking at previous winners and shortlistees what a high proportion of them go on to be signed by agents and then published. It’s also a wonderful community – I’m still in touch with writers I’ve met through the prize. Lucy Cavendish is a very special place and going back for the prize dinner every May is one of my favourite nights of the year.