MA Creative Writing alumna to publish her debut novel

MA Creative Writing: Innovation and Experiment graduate Jo Somerset's debut novel Mission: Find Mum will be published on September 15. First written during her days as a Salford student, the children's-teen novel follows the adventures of Lac and Isla who set off on a 500-mile journey from home in a bid to find their missing mum during the school holidays.

Jo graduated from Salford in 2020 after three years of part-time study on the course and was the first winner of the Leanne Bridgewater Award for Innovation and Experiment for her highly engaging creative work at Salford.

The novel was developed further by Jo after graduation and she then pitched it to York-based Stairwell Books after discovering one of their books. 

After further support and learning from being a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she got the green light for her manuscript and was told that she would be a published novelist.

She said: "I started writing this book when I was a student so to get to this point now where it is going to be published makes me really proud.

"I initially put it to one side as I didn't want to be a novelist, since my my main focus was writing a memoir but when I found Stairwell Books, I just knew straight away that this story was going to work for them.

"I got their feedback, worked on it for another nine months and then they said they would take it on and publish it."

As a student, Jo's interest was primarily in non-fiction writing and she harboured a dream of publishing a book in this field.

She added: "I thought of myself as more of a non-fiction writer and definitely wanted to get to the stage of publishing my work. That was definitely my goal. 

"As a student, I did a lot of experimental writing to try lots of different things. I wanted to see what I liked and the ways in which I wanted to write and publish. I came to Salford to find myself as a writer.

"I had an absolute ball on the course. I was able to try out so many different things. By doing it part-time, I felt that I could concentrate on the different modules and really go for it."

Jo said that coming to Salford was her 'becoming serious' about wanting to be a published writer.

"In life, I had always written stuff, I'd had the occasional poem published, had a short story in a book. I'd also done a bit of article writing.

"But I came to Salford because I felt that the course would give me the structure to say to myself that I am taking it seriously now and this is what I want to do. 

"I was able to get the lecturers' advice and feedback, I was exposed to other writers, ideas and books that I had never heard of. I really enjoyed coming into the academic spaces and spending time studying. It was a much wider and broader set of thinking that I had experience of previously."

Looking beyond her debut release, Jo continues to work on a memoir piece and is also seeking to create an adult picture book that was started during her time as a student. 

She added that she would recommend Salford as a place to study Creative Writing due to the support network that the University provides for those seeking to find their voice.

"I will always advocate Salford for people who want to be supported to find their voice or voices. The course allows you to be able to apply an experimental focus or prism to your writing within a supportive context. It's not like other master's courses where the focus is all on the final project."

Scott Thurston, Professor of Poetry and Innovative Creative Practice at the University of Salford, said: "It is always wonderful to hear about our graduate writers publishing their work. 

"Jo turned in a brilliant performance during her Master's and was the first ever recipient of the Leanne Bridgewater Award for Innovation and Experiment. It's great to see how Jo has continued to work in that spirit to the point of publishing her new and adventurous foray into the world of children's literature."

Find out more information about our MA Creative Writing programme.