The Advanced Class

Diana Evans is a journalist, poet, and the award-winning bestselling author of four novels and selected non-fiction. Her debut, 26a, won the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers, the Betty Trask Award, and the British Book Awards deciBel Writer of the Year prize. It was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, Guardian First Book Award, Commonwealth Best First Book Award, and the Times/South Bank Show Breakthrough Award. Ordinary People was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Rathbones Folio Prize, and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature. A House for Alice was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Diana’s work has appeared in Vogue, Granta, the Guardian, TIME, and her non-fiction collection I Want to Talk to You: And Other Conversations. Diana studied Media Studies at the University of Sussex and Creative Writing (MA) at the University of East Anglia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Andrea Stewart is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Drowning Empire trilogy. Her second trilogy, the Hollow Covenant, sold to Orbit in a six-figure deal and the first installment, The Gods Below, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller in Fall 2024. Andrea’s debut, The Bone Shard Daughter, was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fantasy and for Debut Novel, the Locus Award for Best First Novel, the British Fantasy Award Best Novel, the BookNest Award for Best Traditionally Published Novel, and the Compton Crook Award. It garnered praise from authors such as Sarah J. Maas, Alix E. Harrow, Hafsah Faizal, and Kevin Hearne, and was followed by two more series titles, The Bone Shard Emperor and The Bone Shard War. Andrea’s short stories have appeared in Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, and Galaxy’s Edge. Andrea majored in Economics at UC Davis.

Piers Torday is the bestselling author of eight books for children, including Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize winner The Dark Wild. He has been dubbed ‘the new master of children’s fiction’ by The Times. His books have been recognized with nominations for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the People’s Book Award, the Teach Primary Book Award, and The Times Children’s Book of the Year. After graduating from the University of Oxford, Piers produced and wrote in theater, film and TV (Argumental, Dave; Boom Town, BBC; Almost Royal, Channel 4). He is a trustee of British youth theater initiative The Unicorn, and has staged plays of children’s classics such as The Box of Delights and The Wind in the Willows. Piers co-founded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for Debut Novelists over 60 and has judged for the Costa Book Awards and the British Book Awards.

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of seven Sunday Times bestselling novels, including the New York Times bestseller I Let You Go, which won Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, Best International Novel at the Cognac Festival Prix du Polar Awards, and was the fastest-selling debut crime novel in its release year. Her other novels—including I See You, Let Me Lie, After the End, and Hostage—have received nominations for the British Book Awards and Richard and Judy Book Club selections. Translated into 40 languages and optioned for screen, they have all been Sunday Times bestsellers (spending 67 weeks in the Top Ten) and have collectively sold more than two million copies worldwide. Clare’s memoir, I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This, explores her experiences of grief. A former police inspector, Clare has extensive experience of mentoring. She has run workshops at literary festivals, in schools, universities and prisons, and has been a judge for the Costa Book Awards. She has a degree in French and Management from Royal Holloway University.

Bea Fitzgerald is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose debut novel, Girl, Goddess, Queen, was the bestselling YA hardback debut of 2023. It won the RNA Romance Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Young Adult Book Prize, and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards. Her second YA title, The End Crowns All, was an instant bestseller. Bea graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) in English Literature and Ancient History at the University of Reading. She worked in the marketing and editorial departments of publishers Mills & Boon, Scholastic, and Hachette Children’s, and as a literary agent for The Blair Partnership.

Anissa Gray’s debut novel, The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, was one of the most anticipated reads of 2019 from Vogue, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, Bustle, and Cosmo. It was a top pick for Indie Next, Library Reads, and Barnes & Noble Discover and was selected for the Marie Claire book club. It has been optioned for TV by Gabrielle Union for Sony Pictures Television. Her second novel, Life and Other Love Songs, was named a most anticipated book by TIME, Essence, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and was praised by the New York Times. Anissa is a DuPont and Emmy award-winning journalist. After receiving a master’s degree in English and American Literature at New York University, she began her career at Reuters before working in various roles at CNN Worldwide. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Cut and on Shondaland.

Evie Wyld is the award-winning author of five novels and a graphic memoir. She is the only author to have won both the Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize for Fiction. Her debut, After the Fire, a Still Small Voice, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Betty Trask Award. It was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers, the Commonwealth Prize, and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. All the Birds, Singing won the Miles Franklin Award, Encore Award, and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize, was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize, James Tait Black Prize, and the Sky Arts/Times Breakthrough Award, and longlisted for the Stella Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Bass Rock was shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and the Barbara Jefferis Award and won the Stella Prize. Evie’s books have been translated into over 20 languages, with options for film and television. She has written for BBC Radio 4. Evie runs Review, an independent bookshop in Peckham, south London, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She studied Creative Writing (BA) at Bath Spa University and as an MA at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Heather Webb is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of historical novels. Heather’s debut title, Becoming Josephine, studied the life of Josephine Bonaparte. Her later novels include Rodin’s Lover (a Goodreads Top Pick), Last Christmas in Paris (Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award winner, Globe & Mail bestseller), Meet Me in Monaco (Goldsboro RNA Award finalist, Digital Book World Fiction Prize winner), and Three Words for Goodbye (Prima magazine Book of the Year). Her novels have been translated into 17 languages for publication across the world. Heather has a BA in French and Education and an MA in Cultural Geography. She has over 23 years of teaching experience, including in world languages, and is an adjunct for the MFA in Creative Writing program at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Heather is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Libby Page is the Sunday Times bestselling author of five novels. Her debut, The Lido (published in the U.S.A. as Mornings with Rosemary), became a Sunday Times bestseller within three days of publication. It won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and has been published in more than 25 territories worldwide. It is one of the leading books to be associated with the term Up Lit, coined by the publishing industry the year The Lido was released. Libby was named a Guardian New Face of Fiction and has been praised by The Times, the Observer, and the Sunday Express for her feelgood fiction. The Island Home was chosen by Red magazine as one of its top books of the year, and Libby’s latest book, The Lifeline, is a sequel to The Lido. Libby graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA in Fashion Journalism before going on to work in marketing and as a journalist for the Guardian.

Tasha Suri is the award-winning author of the Books of Ambha duology (Empire of Sand, Realm of Ash) and the epic Burning Kingdoms fantasy trilogy (The Jasmine Throne, The Oleander Sword, The Lotus Empire). Her debut novel, Empire of Sand, won rave reviews from fellow fantasy authors S.A. Chakraborty, N.K. Jemisin, George R.R. Martin, and R.F. Kuang. It was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the best fantasy novels of all time. Nominated for the Locus Awards Best Fantasy Novel, it won the British Fantasy Society’s Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, the Jaipur Literature Festival RA Award for Debut Writing, and Starburst magazine’s Brave New Words Award. The Jasmine Throne was nominated for a Locus Award and a British Fantasy Award, winning the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. It was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Tasha’s other novels include What Souls Are Made Of  (a YA retelling of Wuthering Heights) and media tie-in Doctor Who: The Cradle. Tasha studied English and Creative Writing at Warwick University.

Melanie Conklin is the author of five middle-grade books for children. Her debut, Counting Thyme, won the Nerdy Book Award, Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award. She is a regular speaker at conventions including the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, the ALA Midwinter Conference, BookExpo America, the Princeton Book Festival, and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Melanie won the prestigious Park Scholarship at North Carolina State University in its founding year, studying Product Design and English Literature. She co-directed the Everywhere Book Festival and was named an honoree by the Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2020.

El (L.R.) Lam is the Sunday Times bestseller and award-winning author of two trilogies, cyberpunk near-future thrillers, and space opera novels. El’s ground-breaking debut Pantomime won the Bi Writers Association Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction and was a Top Ten Title for ALA’s Rainbow List. It was nominated for the UKYA Book Award in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, the British Fantasy Society Best Newcomer Award, the ALA Popular Paperbacks GLBTQ category, the Cybils Award, and the NE Teen Book Award. Dragonfall was a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller, Barnes & Noble Speculative Monthly Pick, and was longlisted for the British Science Fiction Best Novel Award. Accolades for El’s other novels include BBC Radio 2 Book Club Selection, Romantic Times Top Pick, Summer Reads picks for Wired and Marie Claire, and Amazon Editor’s Best SFF Pick. El studied English and Creative Writing at California State University, moving to postgraduate at the University of Aberdeen before teaching Creative Writing (MA) at Edinburgh Napier University.

Kate Riordan is the bestselling author of seven novels, including The Heatwave, a Richard and Judy Book Club thriller pick and Apple Fiction Chart No.1. Her historical novel The Girl in the Photograph was a Sunday Times bestseller described as a must-read for fans of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. It was Penguin’s bestselling ebook the summer of its release. Kate’s two other historical novels—The Shadow Hour and The Stranger, a Red magazine Top Ten choice of that year—are also published by Penguin. Together they have sold in excess of 150,000 copies. Kate wrote the novelization of Sanditon, ITV’s historical drama series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript. She also writes thrillers as Katherine Fleet; her latest, The Liars, has garnered praise from Sarah Pearse, Daisy Buchanan and Lucy Clarke. Kate has worked as a journalist for the Guardian and as deputy editor for Time Out. She has written for Red, Stella, British Airways’s High Life, the Guardian, Grazia, Living etc., and the Sunday Times. She has an MA in English from Exeter University.

Katie Khan is the author of two speculative fiction novels, Hold Back the Stars and The Light Between Us, published by Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster and in 22 languages across the world. Her debut, Hold Back the Stars, was a finalist for the Romantic Novel Awards and shortlisted for the Brave New Words Award. It is being adapted for film at Lionsgate. Katie worked as Head of Digital at Paramount Pictures and in production at Warner Bros on the Fantastic Beasts and DC Comics film franchises. Her experience includes the BBC, Channel 4, Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Lionsgate, Picturehouse Cinemas, BAFTA, Ben & Jerry’s, and Coca-Cola. Katie was named in the 40 under 40 working in European cinema at CineEurope, in the Drum’s Social Buzz Top 50 most influential people in social media marketing, and as a rising star by the Media Eye. Katie has a MusB (Hons) in Classical Music from the University of Manchester.

Gina Sorell is the author of The Wise Women, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Good Morning America Buzz Book and People Magazine Best New Book Pick that was also selected for Read with Jenna, Parade Magazine’s Most Anticipated, the Washington Post Summer Selection, Elin Hilderbrand’s summer reading list, and the Eva Chen Book Club. Gina’s debut, Mothers and Other Strangers, was a Refinery29 and Self Magazine Best Book Pick, a Great Group Read, and an Indigo Best for Book Clubs selection. Her writing has appeared in Dame magazine, LitHub, Good Housekeeping, Refinery29 and the Globe and Mail. Gina graduated with distinction from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, and worked as an actor on stage, screen and television in productions for Disney, the BBC, Paramount Pictures and Discovery.

Alexis Henderson is the author of three novels: The Year of the Witching, House of Hunger, and An Academy for Liars. Writing in the horror, gothic and fantasy genres, the New York Times likened Alexis to ‘a modern-day Anne Rice.’ Alexis’s debut novel, The Year of the Witching, was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for both Readers’ Favorite Horror and Readers’ Favorite Debut Novel. Her second book, House of Hunger, was another Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Readers’ Favorite Horror, and her third novel is An Academy for Liars. Alexis has also been published in The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power. She has received glowing endorsements from authors Tamora Pierce, Alix E. Harrow, Dhonielle Clayton, Olivia Atwater, and Hannah Whitten, as well as from the New York Times, O: the Oprah magazine, and Publishers Weekly.

Mahsuda Snaith’s debut novel, The Things We Thought We Knew, was published in 2017. She was named an Observer New Face of Fiction and the book was later selected as a World Book Night title. Her second novel, How to Find Home, was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. Mahsuda won the SI Leeds Literary Prize and the Bristol Short Story Prize and was a finalist for the Mslexia Novel Competition. She has performed at literary festivals and featured in anthologies by The Asian Writer, Words with Jam and Closure: Contemporary Black British Stories. Mahsuda’s short story ‘The Panther’s Tale’ was published in the Virago Press anthology Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold. Mahsuda has been a judge for the Costa Book Awards and led creative writing workshops in hospitals, homeless hostels, and at De Montfort University.

Tara Conklin is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been selected by the Today Show  Book Club, Barnes & Noble Book Club, Target Book Club, and as a No.1 Indie Next Pick and Amazon Best Book of the Month. Tara’s debut novel, The House Girl, was a New York Times bestseller, translated into eight languages. Her second novel, The Last Romantics, also became an instant New York Times bestseller and was selected by Jenna Bush Hager as the inaugural read for the first-ever Today Show Book Club. Her latest novel, Community Board, is a recommended read of Vanity Fair, Barnes & Noble, and Kirkus Reviews. Tara was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Short Story Prize. Her writing has appeared in This is the Place: Women Writing About Home, as well as in Vogue, National Geographic, Entertainment Weekly and LitHub. She has a decade of experience in coaching, ghostwriting and in-person teaching, and holds a BA in History from Yale University, a Juris Doctor degree from NYU School of Law, and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University.

Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of five novels translated into more than 21 languages and optioned for film. Colleen was awarded Georgia Author of the Year in 2021. Her debut, Before I Go, was a People magazine Best New Book, Us Weekly Must Pick, Library Journal Big Fiction Debut, and an Indie Next Pick. Her second novel, Close Enough to Touch, won the French Reader’s Prize. Accolades for Colleen’s other novels include being twice longlisted for the Southern Book Prize, picks for Good Morning America, Marie Claire Book Club, Reader’s Digest Book Club, O magazine’s Top Romance Books, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated, Today’s Most Anticipated, and the Emily Giffin Book Club. Colleen’s writing has featured in the New York Times, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Woman’s Day, Marie Claire, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Colleen graduated from the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism and worked across many publications, becoming senior editor of Marie Claire.

Amanda Reynolds is the bestselling author of six psychological suspense novels. Close To Me, her No.1 ebook bestseller, was adapted into a major six-part TV series starring Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston, airing on Sundance AMC in the U.S. and Channel 4 in the U.K. Her latest thriller, Her Husband’s Lie, was an Amazon Kindle Bestseller, entering the Top 100 across all genres. Amanda’s twisty thrillers have earned high praise from Karen Hamilton, Nikki Smith, Harriet Tyce, the New York Journal of Books, Woman magazine, and Culturefly. Amanda has spoken at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and has taught creative writing for many years.

Emylia Hall is the award-winning author of four women’s fiction novels and a cozy crime series. Her debut, The Book of Summers, was one of the bestselling debuts of the year and a Richard and Judy Book Club selection. The Thousand Lights Hotel was selected for Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Book Club. The Shell House Detectives, the first in Emylia’s cozy crime series set in Cornwall, was a Kindle Top 10 bestseller and has been optioned for television by Playground Entertainment. Emylia’s work has appeared in the Guardian, Country Living, the Observer, Elle, and on BBC Radio 6 Music. Emylia has taught creative writing workshops in Kigali, Zurich, Switzerland, and for Arvon and Mothership Writers. She studied English Literature at the University of York and in Lausanne, and was a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.

Urban Waite’s novels have been published in over 40 countries, translated into 12 languages, and optioned for film. Their accolades include Indie Next Picks, Amazon Editors’ Picks, nominations for the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award, and Kirkus Review Hit List selections. His debut, The Terror of Living, was lauded as a Best Book of the Year by Esquire, the Boston Globe, and Booklist, and catapulted him to international acclaim with praise from Stephen King. Urban has placed in numerous Best Book of the Year lists. He has adapted projects for brands including Disney, Ubisoft, and Fox Entertainment, and is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Urban studied Math and Science at the University of Washington before going on to study Writing at Western Washington University and Emerson College.

Ella McLeod’s debut YA novel, Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair, was nominated for the prestigious Branford Boase Award and received rave reviews in Kirkus, the Irish Times, and the Guardian. Her second YA novel, The Map That Led To You, was a Guardian Best Books Pick. Her next book is Andromeda, her adult romantasy debut. Ella received a first-class BA (Hons) in English Literature at Warwick University. In 2017, she won the Shoot From The Lip spoken word poetry competition, and in 2019 she performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in the award-winning Bible John. Ella has produced and researched podcasts for Somethin’ Else, part of Sony Music Entertainment, and for BBC Sounds. She also hosts the podcast Comfort Creatures.

Alice Kuipers is the bestselling, award-winning author of YA novels, books for younger readers, and several ghostwritten adult memoirs. Her debut, Life on the Refrigerator Door, was a New York Times Book for the Teen Age and Carnegie Medal nominee. It won the Grand Prix de Viarmes, the Livrentête Prize, the Redbridge Teenage Book Award and the Saskatchewan First Book Award and has been adapted for the stage. Alice’s other accolades include wins or nominations for the Arthur Ellis Award, the White Pine Award, the Saskatchewan Book Award for YA Literature, the Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and Amazon’s Best Book of the Month. Her essays have been published in the Huffington Post, the Sunday Telegraph, Easy Living, and Today’s Parent. Alice has a BSc in Psychology from Manchester University and an MA in Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University. She has spoken at the Brisbane Festival of Literature, Wordfest Calgary, Vancouver Writers Fest, and the Saskatchewan Festival of Words.

Kate Dylan is the Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction novels across the YA and adult crossover space. Her debut YA sci-fi novel, Mindwalker, was named one of Kirkus’s best YA books of 2023 and nominated for a British Science Fiction Association Award. Her debut YA fantasy novel, Until We Shatter, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Kate’s novels have earned praise from Samantha Shannon, Hannah Kaner, Saara El-Arifi, the Irish Times and the Guardian among others. Her work has been featured in SFX magazine, i newspaper, the Guardian, and Culturefly. Kate graduated from the University of the Arts London.

David Solomons is the author of eight acclaimed middle-grade children’s novels and several screenplays. His debut title, My Brother is a Superhero, won the Waterstones Children’s Prize, the British Book Industry Awards Children’s Book of the Year, and was Branford Boase shortlisted. The sequel, My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord, won a Laugh Out Loud Award. As a screenwriter, his first script, The Fabulous Bagel Boys, was shortlisted for a BAFTA New Writer Award. David served as screenwriter for the 2004 feature adaptation of Five Children and It, starring Kenneth Branagh. He co-wrote the Pinocchio miniseries, starring Bob Hoskins (2008), and The Great Ghost Rescue, starring Jason Isaacs (2011). Not Another Happy Ending, written by David, was the closing film of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2013. He studied English Literature at Glasgow University.

Lesley Kara is a Sunday Times Top Ten and Amazon No.1 internationally bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, The Rumor, was the highest-selling print crime fiction debut of 2019, the bestselling ebook of that year, and was shortlisted for the East Anglian Fiction Award, the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Best Debut Novel, and the Dead Good Books Cat and Mouse Award. It has been optioned for TV by Cuba Pictures and sold in over 18 territories. Who Did You Tell? was also a Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have earned high praise from Paula Hawkins, Lee Child, the Sunday Times, the Financial Times, Literary Review, and Booklist among others. Lesley regularly speaks at literary festivals across the U.K., including Bristol CrimeFest, Capital Crime, and Granite Noir, and co-hosts the crime fiction podcast, In Suspense. Lesley studied English and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Greenwich University and worked as a lecturer before writing.