Christie’s debut novel is a gripping crime thriller called The Raven’s Mark and will be released on 30 November. The book is set in Christie’s hometown of Preston.
It follows Detective Chief Inspector Beth Fellows as she is thrown into the biggest case of her career: a brutal murder which is linked to a cold case she investigated two years previously. The victim, fourteen-year-old Celine Wilson, survived but now languishes in a coma.
Christie said: “It is a very competitive industry but don’t let that put you off, follow your dreams. I didn’t think someone with my working class background, my poor health, my education or my ethnic origin could be an author.”
Christie, who graduated in BA Journalism in 2004, has suffered from a rare autoimmune disease which causes severe swelling and pain for most of her life.
Christie said: “I missed out on a lot of my education because I was in and out of hospital undergoing procedures, surgeries and various experimental treatments. I was pretty much bedbound for ten years.
“The pain was excruciating to the point that I was put on copious amounts of opioids and was in intensive care frequently. My family have been told to say goodbye to me on numerous occasions but somehow each time I fought on against the odds. I decided I wanted to prove to myself, my family and the world that I could be more than my illness, and more than the world expected me to be.
“The reason I chose Edge Hill was because I loved the community feel of the University. My years studying here were some of the very best of my life, particularly the social side of Edge Hill.”
Giving her advice to students wanting to get into the writing industry, Christie added: “My advice is, work hard and never give up on yourself. Observe people closely – it will give you an insight into how the world operates and how different individuals act. Listen to people’s stories, don’t just talk – truly listen – there will always be gems.
“Network, I can’t stress this enough. Follow people whose work you admire on social media. Find your place within the writing community, there will be information shared that will be invaluable to you and your writing career. Keep writing and improving. Don’t write the story you think you should– write the story you must.”
To discover more about courses at Edge Hill University, please visit ehu.ac.uk/study.
November 3, 2022
