Welcome!

…to the website of British author, Helen Cross.

I am the author of novels, stories, radio plays and screenplays. My first novel, My Summer of Love, won a Betty Trask Award and became a BAFTA award winning feature film.  Mighty Atom Entertainment are currently working on a film adaptation of my novel, Spilt Milk Black Coffee. My original screenplay She Sent Me is currently in development with producer Claire Ingham and director Bryn Higgins.

Recent work includes, Clarence Dock, a story published in the Winter 2020 edition of Potshot Magazine, and  a BBC Afternoon Play The Return of Rowena The Wonderful,  broadcast  on Friday 12 June 2020 and  available now on BBC Sounds. I am currently writing  English Rose,  a new 5-part podcast drama series for BBC Radio 4 to be broadcast in 2022.

I was educated at Goldsmiths College, University of London and am a graduate of the MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia where I was awarded the Curtis Brown Scholarship. I teach creative writing at various international venues, at UK universities  and on many online and community courses.

National Writers Conference 2021

I will be appearing on a panel with writer Kit de Waal and film producer Lee Thomas at WWM’s National Writers Conference on Saturday 4 September

Presented in Partnership with University of Birmingham and supported by the Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society and Arts Council England

Summer Writing Retreat – Online August 2021

Monday 2 – Friday 6 August 2021 

This 5-day online retreat will allow writers across genres to explore craft, style and voice as they learn from and workshop their manuscripts with me and poet Casey Bailey

Over the 5 days, you will receive:

Morning, daily: a two-hour group workshop with me and/or Casey Bailey

Afternoon: a 30 minute one-to-one meeting with me or Casey

Evening: a Q&A session to explore ideas and challenges you may be facing

On two evenings in the week there will also be a 90-minute live training session on Pitching Your Work with Olivia Chapman and Public Funding for Creative Writers with Jonathan Davidson.

The week will finish with a group sharing and celebration.

In advance of the retreat the participants should send work for us to provide feedback on during the one to one sessions.

Writers in all creative genres are invited to apply. The program is designed for new, emerging and established writers. Places are limited to 20. 

You can find more details here

Hexham Book Festival

I’m delighted to be running my Radio Drama course at Hexham Book Festival from 17 March for five weeks. The course is sold out for April, so if you’ve tried to get on that course but can’t, come to this one! Booking details are at hexhambookfestival.co.uk

Writing Radio Drama short Course for WWM in April 2021

I am running my Write a Radio Drama in Five Weeks course for the third time in April 2021, after the first two courses sold out quickly. The first course, in November 2020, was a great success, and the course in January 2021 is now sold out. Details of the April 2021 course are available here.

Write a radio drama in five weeks – short course in January 2021.

Join our online classroom and write a complete audio drama over five sessions. Five live, interactive online classes will introduce you to the industry, and allow you to learn the skills necessary to write drama for BBC radio and podcasts.

This small and friendly group of up to 14 students will look at the new opportunities in this growing industry and explore how to structure audio drama, how to sustain tension in plot, how to build dramatic audio characters and how to write convincing dialogue.

We will consider the state of the market now, and what commissioners are looking for from writers.

I first ran this course in October 2020, and it sold out so quickly, and was such a success, we are running it again. There are more details on how to book on the Writing West Midlands Website here.

ONLINE Writing Course 15-18 May 2020

I will be teaching another writing course for L’atelier des ecrivians. It was due to be  in the South of France in 2020 from 15-18 May 2020, but now will be an online Masterclass from me and a sessions from Carrie Plitt, Literary Agent, and others.   It costs £49 for the weekend. More details here: https://www.latelierdesecrivains.com

Write Here writing course – October 2019

WRITING COURSE IN BIRMINGHAM’ S JEWELLERY QUARTER OCTOBER 2019

I am working with WriteHere again on a  seven-week creative writing courses.   It takes place on Wednesday evenings between 17 October and 27 November – and will feature expert tuition, one-to-one tutorials, dedicated weekly workshops that focus on students’ novels, and a visit from literary agent Carrie Plitt of Felicity Bryan Associates.  Bookings are now open.