Christie J. Newport, an ex-pupil of Archbishop Temple Church of England High School and published crime fiction author, came into school last week to speak to our Year 10 pupils about her work, challenges she has faced, and how to become an author.

It was fascinating to hear about Christie’s journey toward publishing her own novels and the adversity she has faced. This included bullying and health problems, but how to face these challenges and use something you love, such as writing, as an aid. Similarly, Christie talked about how much time it can take to reach your goals and how hard you have to work to get there. An inspiration to our pupils – reminding them to never give up on their own dreams and goals.

It was fascinating to hear about how to actually get a book published and how to get into an industry like this. We then heard about the awards Christie had won and the different opportunities, such as working with her heroes, travelling abroad for work, and judging competitions. It was really interesting to hear how Christie’s books were inspired by places locally too.

After the talk, pupils had a creative writing workshop with Christie and produced some fantastic pieces of writing. This was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to ask questions and get feedback on their writing from a published author. The stories will be judged, and the winning pupil will meet with Christie again to have their work edited. What a brilliant opportunity for budding authors! 

Thank you to Christie for delivering such an engaging talk and workshop. It was really appreciated by the pupils and has hopefully inspired pupils to think about what they would like to study in the future.

Miss O'Malley

Second in English