Marion Husband

I loved writing as a child and teenager but stopped when I was about 18. Then about 1992, I began to write furtively in front of the TV when my children had gone to bed. I dared myself to attend an evening class called 'Writing for Pleasure & Profit' and “came out” as a writer, even giving family and friends stuff to read.

In 1998, Teesside small press Mudfog published my first collection of short stories, entitled Three Little Deaths. A year later I was invited to submit a story to a small press in Newcastle, Diamond Twig, and that story was published in their first collection of prose. I've also been asked to submit work to various writing projects initiated by bodies such as Cleveland Arts and the Durham Literary Festival and have been published in anthologies they've produced. I am often asked to read my work in venues throughout the North East.

In 2001 I was accepted on to the MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University, a 2 year, part time course that covered both poetry and prose, and in 2003 I graduated with a distinction and won the Blackwell Prize for Best Writing. Whilst I was on the course I finished my 1st novel, which has now been published. I also wrote a series of poems about my father and childhood and Mudfog published these in 2003. Currently I'm working on my second novel. I also teach writing at Adult Education colleges.

I suppose that this is the bare bones of what I've achieved as a writer. But I'd also like to say that I'm passionate about writing and have learnt from the mistakes and successes of my 12 years not only writing but also thinking, talking and teaching writing too. I know what it's like to struggle with the creative, thoughtful process of putting the best words in the best order, but this process is immensely satisfying and can give a great sense of achievement regardless of being published or not.