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I could probably write a list of why I thoroughly enjoyed this book: I'm from Yorkshire (not far from Dewsbury), I was around the same age as Miv when the Ripper terrorised the streets, I too had a pretty friend who boys were attracted but she wasn't as nice as Sharon so there the similarity ends. However the main reasons are the plot, the characters and the dialogue of this great first novel.If Sutcliffe played an outsized role in Jennie’s life, so did books. She was once dragged to the doctors by a mother worried she wasn’t sleeping because she spent so much time reading under the covers. The only character who won’t be suspicious is your main character. And you should follow the same steps you would for character creation for any other protagonist. Your protagonist must have:

As a child of the 80s and a born and bred Yorkshire lass, as soon as I read the first line of this book, I knew I was going to love it. It invoked childhood memories of growing up in Yorkshire - the dialect, the accents and growing up in a small community. The deep, reverberating wounds caused by The Yorkshire Ripper were relayed in Miv’s story, with victims’ real names interwoven with the main work of fiction. It was believable and suitably honoured the memories of those who died, with Sharon’s emotionally mature outlook (which saw the victims as women) complimenting Miv’s more determined and factual perspective as she sought to catch The Ripper. It was a wonderful example of how two different outlooks and personalities can both create friction, but still manage to work together, with the bonds of friendship ultimately winning out. Jennie drew heavily on her own experiences growing up in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury, where the ‘Ripper Squad’– the team investigating the spate of murders – was based. As well as getting The List of Suspicious Things ready for publication (eeek!) I am writing another novel as part of my Creative Writing PhD. I also have aspirations to write a true-crime/memoir hybrid (after loving The Fact of a Body by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich). Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.Your debut novel The List of Suspicious Things follows 12-year-old Miv in 1970s Yorkshire as she launches her own investigation into the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper.It will be published by Hutchinson Heinemann in 2024. Can you tell us more about the novel and the inspiration behind it? Think about your book as a whole and consider the aspects identified earlier in this blogpost. Some useful prompts to think about are: In short, you must have a reason for why the victim is killed and how they’re killed, when and where. Kind of like writing Clue. You note all of this down, and intertwine the information into your story by dropping clues to your protagonist. Actionable steps: The list doesn’t have to be exhaustive, but it must make sense and tie into your murder and sub-plots.

Give each of them a flaw. Her flaw is she’s duplicitous. She’s a lovely woman, but she’s got a sordid history–including a rap sheet for theft. She’s lived a hard life and wants to follow her true passion for baking. Write up a list of external conflicts you want to use in your story and how they connect to each character. I thought this was such such a clever premise and it really is brilliantly executed. Through Miv & Sharons investigation, we meet the characters that make up the local community and learn of their troubles and secrets. I'd heard a lot about The List of Suspicious Things on social media and so was thrilled to get the opportunity to read it. It's set in Yorkshire in 1979, Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister and women are living in fear of the Yorkshire Ripper. When 12 year old Miv's family begin to talk of moving down south, Miv, with the help of her best friend Sharon, is determined to find the Yorkshire Ripper so her family can remain in Yorkshire. There is a strong sense of place and time in the book and although I grew up a few years later than the setting, much of it was nostalgic - the games of Bulldog, the excitement of a new lip gloss and the anti Thatcher sentiment definitely very familiar. Also a time of innocence when children played freely in the streets but also an era where adults didn’t quite want to grasp just how dangerous characters like ‘Uncle’ Derek were.Carr, formerly part of the London Library Emerging Author scheme, revealed how a chance discovery about a time in Mary Stuart’s life led her to explore the friendships and loves of the fated monarch. The Tower, a feminist historical debut set during Mary Queen of Scots’ imprisonment in Lochleven Castle, is out in February 2024. And if your best comp title doesn’t fit into the guidelines (e.g., A Kestrel for a Knave would be too old) use your judgement. I decided that the agents I was querying would definitely have heard of, if not read A Kestrel for a Knave and that in combination with The Trouble with Goats and Sheep it was the most accurate and best way to represent my work. Here, you get to write down all the clues that pertain both to your subplot and your main plot. You’ll do this by identifying the crime scene and the clues that are already present there. Since you have the inside edge–you know why your victim was killed and by whom–you can plant evidence over the course of the story that will redirect your protagonist.

The theft and the murder can be unrelated, or they can be part of the same motivation for the death of the victim. That’s up to you to decide. You can include several sub-plots for characters who Jessica is friends with too. Note down why they were killed, and connect them with several suspicious characters with reasons why those characters may have wanted to kill the victim. Jennie Godfrey has studied on several of our online courses, including our popular How to Write Your Novel series and our three-month Writing Your Novel course. Now Hutchinson Heinemann have acquired Jennie's debut novel The List of Suspicious Things in an exciting overnight deal. Yes. It would be to create your own little writing bubble, where you very much manage/limit how much you take on in terms of views on publishing as an industry/what sells/how difficult it is to get an agent etc. These are all things that any writer who wants to be traditionally published will have to face, but if you take on too much of that while you are writing, it can really demotivate you. Save that for later, focus on the writing first. Although this book dealt with tragedy and grave topics, Godfrey managed to blend enough moments of warmth and intimacy to prompt more emotions than sadness in the reader. Friendship was a key theme and consistently precipitated reflection as to how Miv's relationships would unfold. The final conclusion is memorable, heartfelt and marvellous.

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The main character, Miv, is a very strong willed not quite teenager, who gets it in her mind that she can solve the case of the Yorkshire Ripper. She begins to make a list of suspicious characters and places in her town, roping in her not-so-keen-on-getting-involved friend, Sharon. Along the way, we meet the other residents of their small town, with many giggles and traumas along the way. A passion for books led her to a degree in English and Politics at De Montford University in Leicester. Three decades on, she is a student again, this time studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol.