Having recently submitted her MA Creative writing dissertation, Southampton student Bridget Blankley is now looking forward to the publication of her first book, due to be released in February 2018 by HopeRoad Publishing.
The Ghosts & Jamal is a children’s story which focuses on a 14-year-old orphan’s heroic journey across Nigeria during a time of violence and upheaval.
Having originally studied Engineering, Bridget worked in the field for a number of years before she came to writing.
Commenting on her time at the University, Bridget said:
“The Creative Writing course was brilliant – I enjoyed it very much and would love to continue my studies here at Southampton – I’ve even been discussing ideas for a PhD Thesis with some of the tutors.”
As an individual with Asperger’s syndrome, Bridget faced a number of challenges on the road to publication. Presented with unfamiliar situations and requirements, specifically, making the move from a science discipline to humanities, there was a time when the pressure almost proved too much.
“Understanding the rules of a humanities dissertation (very different from the one I wrote for my first degree) and getting my manuscript publishing ready was almost too much,” she said.
“I almost gave up in June, but Rebecca Smith (my supervisor) talked me round. She was brilliant. She’s been through the process a number of times publishing her own works, and she was very encouraging.”
You can read an excerpt from Bridget’s book by clicking here.
