Maria Realf

‘One of the best things about studying at CBC was meeting other aspiring authors who were so supportive. That’s not to say everything went smoothly: during my time on the course, I attempted to write a psychological crime thriller, despite the fact I really love reading romance novels. After about 20,000 words, I completely ran out of steam and had to make the difficult decision to scrap it and start all over again. It felt like the end of the road back then, but ultimately it was the beginning of something better – and my CBC friends were there to encourage me every step of the way.’ Debut Novel, The One was published by HarperImpulse in March 2018.