Diamonds at the Lost and Found

Diamonds at the Lost and Found

Gold Dust is thrilled to announce another success story for a writer as a result of being mentored by one of our team.  Sarah Aspinall, mentored by novelist Jane Rogers, has published her memoir of life with her mother, Diamonds at the Lost and Found ( Harper Collins ) and already garnered some terrific  endorsements from the writer Marian Keyes … read more...

Sarah Hegarty

Sarah Hegarty

'Liz’s [Jensen's] input was invaluable. As well as providing endless encouragement, she asked tough questions, and picked up on things I’d been hoping to get away with (painful, but so necessary). We set a tight deadline for polishing the novel – and met it. When I wobbled about sending out – always more to fix! – Liz said, do it. 
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Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott

Gold Dust is thrilled to announce another book deal for a Gold Dust graduate. Stephanie Scott, mentored by Louise Doughty, who’s novel What’s Left Of Me Is Yours will be published in the spring of 2020.

‘On Louise Doughty – words simply fail me. She is the most wonderful mentor I could ever have hoped to have. She is my … read more...

Jacqueline Haskell

Jacqueline Haskell

Jacqueline Haskell (mentored by Jill Dawson and Tim Pears) has just had her first poetry collection – Stroking Cerberus: Poems from the Afterlife – published by Myriad Editions (29th January 2020), as part of the Spotlight Books series.

Spotlight Books is a collaboration between Creative Future, New Writing South and Myriad to discover, guide and support writers who are … read more...

Charles Petrie

Charles Petrie

Charles Petrie, mentored by Gold Dust’s Michelle Spring, has a new book coming out later this year. The Triumph of Evil, written with Spike Zepheniah Stephenson, is the story of two UN officials and 100 days of horror in Rwanda.

'A project that would never has seen the light of day without the professional and personal support of Michelle 
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Ruby Speechley

Ruby Speechley

'Jill helped me take my writing more seriously and find the courage to believe in myself as a writer. Her encouragement and belief has bolstered and sustained me.'
– Ruby Speechley, whose book Someone Else's Baby, A gripping, twisty psychological thriller, will be out on 25th July 2019.

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November 2017

November 2017

Gold Dust is thrilled to announce another book deal for a Gold Dust graduate. Alicia Drake, mentored by Tim Pears, has sold her novel I Love You Too Much to Picador in the UK and to Little Brown in New York. We wish her many congratulations. Alicia wrote to thank us for the mentoring and described the experience:

‘Tim said: … read more...

October 2017

October 2017

We are thrilled to report another success story for one of Jill Dawson’s mentees, Harriet Tyce, who is about to have her first novel Blood Orange published by Wildfire in January 2019. Harriet wrote to thank her Gold Dust mentor, saying:
‘I just wanted to email to thank you for doing the UEA reference and for your mentoring with my read more...

April 2017

April 2017

Gold Dust and me

When I look back on my journey to novel publication choosing to embark on the Gold Dust mentoring scheme was an important milestone.

Up to that point I’d had several ideas for novels, some of which I had started but abandoned (I have drawers and boxes full of opening chapters, character profiles, passages of dialogue, roughly … read more...

Spring 2014

Spring 2014

Gold Dust student on Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize shortlist.

For the second year in a row, a Gold Dust writer being mentored by Jill Dawson is on the shortlist for the Lucy Cavendish Prize.  Annette Gordon has been invited to an event at the Cambridge college on May 22nd to meet the judges and agents and editors who are seeking … read more...