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Creative Writing graduate’s thriller acquired by HarperCollins imprint HQ

Publishing imprint HQ, a division of HarperCollins, has acquired the UK and Commonwealth* rights to MA Creative Writing graduate Melanie Golding’s debut novel Little Darlings within 48 hours of submission of her manuscript.

Melanie, who graduated from Bath Spa University with distinction, hopes to offer readers a new perspective on modern motherhood and postnatal depression with Little Darlings which will be published in hardback, e-book and audio book in spring 2019.

Set in present-day Sheffield, the work of fiction centres on the first five weeks following a traumatic childbirth. Readers are taken on a journey as the novel covers protagonist Lauren’s stark loneliness upon returning home after giving birth, to the limits of a psychiatric unit.

Melanie said: “I've always been fascinated by the spaces where stories and lives intersect, where imagination tips over into reality. I hope that together with the talented people at HQ I'll be able to explore these further, perhaps taking the reader to some unexpected, yet strangely familiar places.”

Earlier this year Melanie won the short story prize at the Mid Somerset Festival, as well as the Evelyn Sanford trophy for highest mark in the prose class. Her short stories have been featured at many popular literature festivals including Story City in Leicester, Stroud Short Stories and the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Bath Spa University delivers one of the most successful Creative Writing courses in the UK. Bath Spa graduates have won prestigious awards and secured multiple international publishing deals. Many graduates often come back to the University to teach and share their successes with aspiring novelists.

Visit the course page to find out more.

*(excluding Canada)