Dr Sophie Coulombeau receives prestigious funding for her next novel

Sophie is supported by the Society of Authors' K Blundell Trust, which supports work from writers under 40 who seek to improve social awareness through their work, and by the Arts Council. The novel, Sophie's second, is a thriller about monstrosity and motherhood. It follows her debut novel Rites, published in 2012 and described by Philip Pullman as ‘terrific. A story that's intriguing, puzzling and entirely gripping.’

Sophie has published short stories in magazines including The New Writer and the Momaya Annual Review, and has written and presented critical and creative features for BBC Radio 3. She is a part-time Lecturer in the Department of English and Related Literature, where she specialises in literature of the eighteenth century.

Head of Department, Professor Helen Smith, said: 'This is great news for Sophie, and for the Department. We've extended our creative writing and creative practice provision substantially in recent years, and Sophie's novel is a tremendous example of the kind of timely and exciting creative work being produced by our staff and students'.