Kathryn Clark
Kathryn’s fiction has won and been placed in various competitions, and published in anthologies.
Her debut YA novel, Things I Learned While I Was Dead, was published by Faber in 2025.
Since 2018, she has mentored fiction writers, from newbies to published authors, helping build confidence and improve craft.
Kathryn loves to read in all kinds of genres from picture books to non-fiction, romantasy to literary.
She lives in Gloucestershire with her family and two dogs.
Qualifications:
BA(Hons) English Studies: 2:1 – Literature, Linguistics and Creative Writing
Postgraduate Certificate in Marketing
Masters in Writing for Young People: Distinction
I continue to develop my knowledge through workshops and courses, including recently, ‘The Ethics of Representation’, and The Psychology of Character for Writers.
Writing Credentials:
Things I Learned While I Was Dead was published by Faber Children’s in the UK, July 2025 ,after coming second in their Imagined Futures Prize. It published in the US in May 2026. It has since been shortlisted in the People’s Book Prize and the Redbridge Book Awards. My short stories and flash fiction have been published online, in writing magazines and anthologies, after being placed or listed in competitions.
Subsequent (as yet unpublished) Young Adult novels have been shortlisted in the Searchlight Children’s Novel Opening Award, he Bath Children’s Novel Award and the Sustainable Story Award.
I have a Masters in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, an exceedingly practical qualification which is taught by published children’s and YA authors. My two years on the course gave me lots of experience of writing in different genres for a variety of age groups, as well as critical reading of published children’s fiction, editing, and giving and receiving feedback/critique. I was one of three co-editors of the 2016 course anthology Paper Worlds.
Editing, Mentoring, and Feedback
Working with my lecturers and fellow students during the MA was revelatory for me in developing my fiction, and this motivated me to help other authors-in-waiting by becoming a mentor.
I began as a voluntary writing mentor for #WriteMentor in 2018. Now, I work with writers, from novices to published authors, covering all age groups and most genres.
My aim is to support writers, giving encouragement, and helping them move their writing on to the next stage.
I’m also a reader for a number of fiction competitions.
More details about my mentoring, editing, and reading services can be found here.
teaching
I teach creative writing online through Inkpots Creative.
I am available for in person creative writing courses, one off workshops, author visits etc. For details please see my author website.
Publishing Industry Experience
My debut novel was published in the UK by Faber Children’s in July 2025, and in the US in May 2026.
During my MA in Writing for Young People, I learned a lot about the UK children’s publishing industry and met a number of agents and editors. I was one of a team of three editors for our cohort’s anthology of work, managing all elements of producing the book and organising its launch.
I signed with a literary agent in 2017 and we parted company amicably in 2019 due to a change in circumstance. (This is a fairly common experience nowadays.)
I am an early round reader for a couple of writing contests and am practised in submitting to agents and competitions, as well as helping other writers with their submissions.
I’m connected to, and keep up to date with, the children’s literature world through the MA community, Write Mentor, The Bookseller, and social media. I’ve also been privileged to work with a self-published author Ben Housden, so have some knowledge of what it takes to achieve success via this route too.