CLIO GRAY
MENTORSHIPS
Encouraging New Writers
Clio is a strong believer in encouraging new writers; through her work with HISSAC she has mentored many people who have later gone on to be published. Several of the works she has mentored have been shortlisted in debut novel competitions and in 2013 Alex Barnes with Tandem won the Hookline First Novel Competition, and was shortlisted for the 2014 Guardian Debut Novel Award. In 2015 Lyn Farrell won the Luke Bitmead Bursary for The Wacky Man.
Another of her mentees, Joyce Mackenzie, had her first novel The Golden Mohur Tree published at the grand young age of 84 years old, so hope for all!
‘It's so important to get a completely unbiased view of your work,’ Clio says, ‘especially when it's your first novel. If I'd had that opportunity when I first started I would have been a much better writer in a shorter space of time. Learning from your mistakes is key to the process of becoming an author, and in order to do that you need someone to point out those mistakes.’
Typical of the responses from doing a mentorship with Clio is this, from Lyn, author of Award winning The Wacky Man:
‘You've really given the most comprehensive and objective editing/writing advice I've ever had. I'm really grateful and very fortunate to have found you!’
Further details can be found on www.hissac.co.uk/Mentorships