Debut Novel from former student
Iona Hepburn’s debut novel Bonfire comes out in October, inspired by the Lewes November Fifth bonfire festivities. An ICU doctor, she is an alumna of the Creative Writing Programme which she started in the pandemic. Here she talks about her journey to publication and her writing routine.
When do you first remember wanting to be a writer? I used to write stories for pleasure from the age of about 8, fan fic of the Secret Seven probably, but the idea of being a writer wasn’t until much later.
Why did you decide to join the Creative Writing Programme? I’d always wanted to write. I edited the med school magazine, had a year out in medical publishing and got involved with a medical TV drama, but it was always a hobby. Then life slowed down a bit and I jumped at the chance to do the course.
Who were your tutors? We started with Beth Miller online during Covid, then had Bethan Roberts both online and in person and then finished with Hannah Vincent. They were all great and I got different things from each of them.
What was the most impactful element of the course for you? I mean one of the most useful bits of feedback was very early when Beth wrote on my work “what is anyone thinking or feeling in this scene?’ A welcome to interiority I haven’t looked back from! But also, Bethan was so good on craft and Hannah absolutely nailed subtext and everyone was so encouraging. It just gave me all the building blocks and showed me how to put them together.
Bonfire is described as a gripping queer crime novel inspired by the November 5th festivities in Lewes. Tell us about it. Bonfire opens during the iconic Lewes celebrations where Bonfire Societies march through the streets with torches, throwing bangers and parading effigies. DCI Holly Hennessy is watching the show when someone throws a blazing barrel into the crowd, which smashes open to reveal a body. In the chaos, Holly comes across Kyra Ford who is making a documentary about Bonfire. Kyra has information Holly needs, but the two of them haven’t seen one another for since their school days, after Holly burned their friendship to the ground.
Did you start writing Bonfire on the course? No, I wrote a different book on the course, but a few of us formed a group after the course and I wrote it with help and support from them.
What happened after the course finished? I joined another three writers, and we met on zoom about once a month to critique one another’s work like we had on the course. Because we were all familiar with one another’s stories already it was a great way to keep the momentum going. In fact, Bonfire was conceived after a trip to York to a writing event with those very writers.
How did you finish Bonfire and get your publishing deal with Allison and Busby? I finished it during another writing course and was then able to pitch it directly to a couple of agents, one of whom was interested. I sent her the full manuscript and she loved the characters and the writing, but she wasn’t quite buying the crime. So I rewrote it and sent it out again to a few agents without success. Then I just put # mswl into X and my agent, Tilda’s post came up. Bonfire was exactly what she was looking for so, I sent her the first fifty pages and then the full manuscript. She then got the deal for me with A&B.
You’re an ICU doctor in addition to being a mother and writer. Can you tell us how that impacts your writing? The ICU shifts are quite intensely scheduled so we get to know our patients well but means that I need rest periods where I am non-clinical and can write. My daughter is older now and is off with her friends which also gives me space, but I still have to get up pretty early.
What are your top tips for someone starting out in their writing career? The writing community is a great place to be no what you want to achieve because everyone is so friendly and enthusiastic. Do the course, go to the event and meet people and then write what all brings up. It takes a long time to write a book and you need to enjoy the process so write something that excites you.
You’re a regular face at Kemptown Bookshop’s 5am Writing Club. Are you always an early morning writer? What’s your writing routine? I came to the first one! Yes, I love that feeling of just being in the bookshop and being able to write without having to steal time from anything else. My writing routine is by necessity any period of undisturbed time and yes, a lot of that is early morning.
What are you working on now? I’m just finishing book 2 in what I hope will be series of crime thriller set in Sussex. This time a paraglider is shot out of the sky and into the picnicking crowd of a certain local opera house. Again, its themes are folklore, power dynamics and historical parallels but this time the key element is air not fire.
Iona will be talking to CWP course director Cathy Hayward about Bonfire on 22 October at Kemptown Bookshop. Buy tickets here.