Blood and Water – Alumni Stories, Beth Daley

Graduating with my Masters in Literature Studies and Creative Writing from YSJ in 2006 was just the  beginning of the story. In more ways than one. My final fiction piece for the course was a story about two sisters and the sea. It was about jealousy, loss and new lives. And after graduation, the story just wasn’t done, and neither was I. The communications job I was doing just wasn’t cutting it – I wanted to do more. I managed to get a place on a PhD course at Manchester University and the sisters got to live a while longer. My fellow PhD students and my tutors supported me as I wrangled the original short story into a novel called ‘Blood and Water’. It built on the original, developing it in darker (and more mermaid-y) ways than I had ever envisaged. Eventually, with wobbly legs and shaky voice, I passed my terrifying PhD viva and became a doctor of creative writing.

And still the story continued. At a conference about female werewolves (yes, that did actually happen), I met an independent publisher who decided she liked the book and would add it to her portfolio. So, a few more edits, and some gorgeous artwork later, ‘Blood and Water’ is now available to buy! It’s such an achievement, and it’s taken a long time. I’m inordinately proud. Thank you to YSJ for setting me off on this journey.

Beth

‘Blood and Water’ is available on Amazon or at Hic Dragones: http://www.hic-dragones.co.uk/blood-and-water/