Success Stories

“Finding TLC was a turning point for my writing. Until then, I had started many writing projects but had run out of confidence in my writing long before finishing any of them. In writing my second novel, the TLC reading service was invaluable. Like many writers I find it very hard to cut out pieces of prose I’ve carefully nurtured and become attached to. My TLC readers convinced me that a few painful changes to the text would make the portrait of the protagonist stronger and the plot tighter. The confidence I developed through my contact with TLC led me to decide to take the next step and self-publish in order to put my work out there in front of a real audience.”

“An early critique from TLC in March 2014 was very helpful in pushing me to work out what I wanted The Unseeing to be. Lesley McDowell’s insightful report pointed out that I had not yet left the realms of fact; I had not yet figured out what kind of story I wanted to tell. Looking back, I realise that I had mistakenly thought that the history was the story, when of course the story has to be the characters’ arcs – it has to be about what changes. Two years on, The Unseeing has become something else altogether. Something better. But it was hard for me to let go of the ‘facts’, and that is part of the reason that one of the key themes of The Unseeing is truth and deception – how we interpret other people’s stories and how we narrate our own. I’m grateful to both Lesley McDowell and Aki Schilz for their help on my journey to publication.”

“I’m delighted to say that my second novel, The Jasmine Sari, is to be published by Matador on 28th January 2017 and is available for pre-order now. I couldn’t have managed this without the help of TLC. Writing can be an isolating and lonely business and sometimes a writer needs a bit of TLC. I sent them my first complete draft and received from my reader an objective, detailed report on my manuscript that pointed out the weaknesses and the strengths of my work and suggested changes. Though a few critical friends had previously reviewed my book, it was the TLC report that made the real impact on me, the one that led to me making significant changes. I absorbed the advice, followed most of it (not all of it – it’s still my work) and the result is The Jasmine Sari! Thanks TLC.”

“The advice I received in my TLC Free Read report through Writing East Midlands was invaluable in identifying weak areas in my writing. Addressing the points identified in my critique really allowed me to tighten my manuscript and move forwards with confidence.”

“In 2005 I was living in New York when I sent my manuscript to TLC. It was assessed by Daniel Jeffreys who, in his nine-page appraisal, opened my eyes. It was the first in depth creative writing advice I had ever received, but it was enough to make everything click in to place for me. The road to publication was long, as it so often is, and littered with heart-wrenching rejections, but eventually the manuscript was picked up by Transworld in 2007. RAVEN: Blood Eye made the bestseller lists in 2009. I’m now working on my 10th novel, having written about Vikings, the English Civil War, and having even co-written a novel with Wilbur Smith. It has been a wonderful journey. But Daniel’s appraisal still sits in the front of my writing folder, marking the start of it all. I am still so grateful to Daniel and TLC, and so glad that I took the plunge and sent my script in.”

“Winning the TLC Pen Factor Writing Competition [2014] gave me a tremendous boost, as I knew I was up against some very tough competition on the shortlist. The experience was a good one, and tremendously affirming. I had complete strangers come up to me afterwards and tell me how much they enjoyed the reading. The competition was worth entering just for that.”