Success Stories

I wrote the first draft of The Ballad of Mary Kearney in 2016 and invested in a TLC report the following year with Lesley McDowell, a report I go back and read even now. Lesley really got what I was trying to do, encouraged me in what was unique about my writing but showed me ways in which I could make my novel, structurally and as regards voice, advising me also on comparative reading. I didn’t get an agent with this book, though I got some very encouraging feedback, but I did with the next one. Since then I have had five of my five historical novels published plus three novellas (under my own name and pseudonyms) and twenty short stories, but in that time I periodically revised Mary Kearney as I continued to believe in the book, and it will be published by Histria Fiction in the US in January 2025. I am now proud to work for TLC, providing feedback to other writers, as a TLC Editor.

A friend recommended I contact Stephanie Cross, writer and editor who edits for The Literary Consultancy. And what brilliant insightful editor she is, getting to the heart of the book, what’s it about, its themes, pointing out scenes that really worked, made her laugh, moved her, suggestions for pieces that need more work or could be cut. When I read her final edit it was flawless. I will be eternally grateful to Stephanie Cross and The Literary Consultancy. If you are at the beginning of your writing career or an established writer looking for expert advice on that final draft of your book, I strongly recommend you contact The Literary Consultancy.

“I had finished my book before I sent it to The Literary Consultancy. It was a difficult book to categorize, linking memoir with history, medicine and travel . It covers seven different countries from 1797 through to the 1960s. I was concerned about listing the different chapters with their countries and dates in the right order, which was not chronological. I needn’t have worried. Frankie Bailey understood completely what I was trying to do. She both encouraged me and cautioned me and suggested a stronger ending. I have used The Literary Consultancy before with my novel about the Aztecs. Then I had two different readers – it was a difficult novel to write. Both readers set me onto a better path and the book was eventually published. I would always use The Literary Consultancy before publishing a book – it results in a more professional work.”

After several rewrites, near-misses with publishers, frustration and a sense of just giving up on the whole project, I was guided to TLC’s door and the rest I’m very happy to say is now history! Being paired with my Editor, Gill Farrer-Halls, was the greatest single stroke of good fortune. Her guidance was crystal clear and quite brutally honest at times – exactly what was needed to bring Being with Cows into shape. Without her support bringing structural order to the chaos, the script would have remained in so many fragmented pieces. It is safe to say that without this highly professional level of editorial service, I would not be sat here typing this words today. A huge and everlasting thanks to Gill, Joe and all the team at TLC. 

Being paired with my TLC Mentor was the turning point. Thalia combined practical advice with challenging my processes, and by fully engaging I found the impetus to not only push through to the end, but also to go back and edit, pulling all my strands together and coming out with a novel. A second read by Angela Clarke brought a new and invaluable perspective and I am deeply grateful for the care and attention I have received. I would not have found my way out of the woods without my TLC Mentor showing me the path.

“I’ll be forever grateful to Joe and the TLC team for their support in bringing Life & Death Decisions into the world. Thanks to the Chapter & Verse programme and the expert advice from my mentor, Dr Stephen Carver, I was able to hew this book from the marble of my tropical-disease-addled mind!”