Dr Gill James
Gill James is the Creator/Founder of Bridge House, well known children's author, with a huge string of successful novels. She is now the Senior lecturer in Creative Writing at Salford University and the Chief Editor of the Bridge House anthologies. Although she does a whole lot more than that! Gill oversees the books from selection, editing, book jacket design and collation of the finished proof until she has the first book in her hand!
So with her own writing success and over 40 publications in print from a number of publishers, before she became a publisher herself, what advice does she have for new writers?
"Don't give up. Write and write and write and submit and take advice and write some more. You will get published if your really want to be."
Find out more about her here: www.gilljames.co.uk
Debz Hobbs-Wyatt
Debz is the Marketing Manager (fancy title for someone who loves to talk about books!) She writes adult short stories and novels, has had over 20 short stories published, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2013, was short listed in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2013, inaugural winner of the Bath Short Story Award and her debut novel While No One Was Watching was published by Parthian Books in 2013. She met Gill when she asked her to critique her first novel and Gill also introduced her to Bangor Cellar Writing Group in North Wales that she later ran. She now works as a professional editor from her home in Essex offering critique and copy edits to private clients as well as publisher www.debzhobbs-wyatt.co.uk
Debz knew when she was a little girl she wanted to be a writer but making that into a reality isn't easy and she thanks Gill for accepting her first story last year for publication.
So what's her advice?
"Live the Dream! All I talk about is writing, writing and writing (oh and Barry Manilow -- the other love of my life!) But on a serious note I believe you have to work really hard to make your dreams come true and that means reading everything you can find, writing, writing, writing and more writing. It's all about the editing!
My motto is DREAM BIG.
