Grazia loves fresh writing, which is why we're perfectly paired with the Baileys Prize First Chapter competition, which we launched last week. So if you're an aspiring author, then the Baileys Women’s Prize and Grazia Writer Clinics should some inspiration (whether you're entering the First Chapter competition or not). We've enlisted three leading experts in publishing to take part in a series of Twitter Q&As - where you can live tweet your questions and get some of the best advice in the industry - over on @Grazia_Live.
First up for a Twitter Q&A on all things 'getting noticed' is Curtis Brown literary agent Felicity Blunt. She'll be taking your questions from 1.15 next Tuesday 28th of April.
Felicity will be followed by bestselling novelist Kate Mosse and Chair of the BWPFF Board who should be on hand to give you tips on finding your voice and life of an author, on Tuesday 12th May. Then comes Joanna Prior, the General MD of Penguin, who will talk you through that all-important 'getting published' phase.
And if you can't be on Twitter on the day, all is not lost. Fire your questions over to @Grazia_Live with #BaileysPrizeWritersClinic and we'll make sure your mentors try to answer as best they can.
**The lunchtime literary dates for your diary... **
****Tuesday 28th April - Felicity Blunt
Felicity Blunt is a literary agent at Curtis Brown specializing in crime, thrillers and literary/commercial crossovers. She previously trained as a barrister and has been with the agency for 7 years. She represents authors including Tom Rob Smith, Rosamund Lupton and the Estate of Daphne du Maurier. She is very interested in finding debut authors to work with and place in both the UK and US into which she sells direct.
Tuesday 12th May - Kate Mosse, novelist
Kate Mosse, OBE Co-Founder – and now Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction – Kate is the author of six novels, three works of non-fiction, three plays and a collection of short stories. Her No 1 bestselling Languedoc Trilogy – Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel – has sold millions of copies throughout the world and Labyrinth was named by Waterstones as one of the top 25 books of the past 25 years. Her Gothic fiction includes The Winter Ghosts and The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales and her latest novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter, comes out in the UK in September 2014. Adaptations include Scott Freeman’s television film of Labyrinth – starring John Hurt and Jessica Brown Findlay – and Ruby Films forthcoming film of The Winter Ghosts. Her own adaptation of stories from The Mistletoe Bride was broadcast on Radio 4 Extra.
**Wednesday 20th May - Joanna Prior, Penguin **
Joanna Prior is Managing Director of Penguin General Books, one of seven adult publishing divisions at Penguin Random House. Joanna joined Penguin in 1998, working until 2009 as Marketing and Publicity Director. Previously, Joanna was at Fourth Estate (then a small, independent publisher) for several years and was briefly editor of the Sunday Telegraph magazine. She was Chair of World Book Day 2012 and is currently Chair of the Publishers’ Association Trade Publisher’s Council.