St Albans author’s debut novel hits shelves after book deal win
Kate Griffin - Credit: Archant
TODAY is a proud day for up-and-coming author Kate Griffin whose debut crime fiction novel hits bookshops after she won a life-changing publishing contract.
It all started when the 50 year old, of Albert Street, St Albans, sent a 6,000-word manuscript to women’s magazine Stylist which was on the hunt for Britain’s hottest new literary talent.
Just a few months later the former journalist discovered she had landed the prestigious book deal and since then has worked furiously to finish her gothic-inspired tale.
Describing the heart-pounding moment she will first see Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders on the shelves, Kate said: “I think my heart will beat so loudly that everyone in the shop will probably turn around and look at me.
“It will be an amazing feeling and I just hope people like it.”
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The book is set in Victorian London and follows 17-year-old music hall worker Kitty, who is taken around some of the capital’s most iconic buildings as she becomes drawn into a web of mystery, blackmail and depravity.
Kate has been juggling her part-time work at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings while trying to pen the remaining 85,000 words of her first novel.
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She joked there was not even time to suffer from writer’s block, adding: “It was a mad scramble and I spent the winter in my basement eating too much cheese from the fridge and staring at the wall for inspiration.
“I have always wanted to write a book but I am a bit lazy so the competition was a good kick up the bum.”
Publisher’s Faber and Faber have been so impressed with the wordsmith’s work that they have signed her up for two further titles and are in discussions with a production company about turning Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders into a TV series.
She also has a children’s book coming out in September called The Jade Boy, which has been snapped up by another publishing company.
Kate said: “It has turned out far better than I could have possibly imagined. I keep thinking it is happening to someone else.
“It is like a whole new chapter in my life has opened up.”
