Graduate success story

Name: Carys Jones

Course: BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing and Film Studies

Year of Graduation: 2007

The saying goes that everyone has a book inside them, and just two years after graduating, Carys Jones was delighted to see her first novel published.

Not All Stars Sparkle is a crime thriller published through Pegasus Publications and is now available to Kindle readers due to its success.

Writing from a young age, Carys was excited to have produced her first full length novel, which has received impressive reviews.

“Ever since I read my first book I was captivated and knew that I wanted to tell stories of my own,” the BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing and Film Studies graduate says.

“I wanted to write a story with a female antihero at the centre who is in a life threatening predicament but ultimately seeks redemption. Not All Stars Sparkle grew from that original concept.”

The story features Aiden Connelly, a young Chicago based lawyer who relocates to a small Southern town.

Whilst tackling his first case, that of a fallen beauty queen accused of murdering her husband, Aiden quickly begins to uncover some dark secrets about the supposedly idyllic town and soon realises it is far from what it appears to be.

Carys is proud of how her time at the University shaped her and gave her the valuable skills she needed to succeed as a writer.

“My studies helped me prepare for what was ahead. In terms of my writing, my course helped me develop skills and techniques to fine tune my craft and it always taught me different ways to approach writing a story and creating characters, which I continue to practise.

“University was a big change in that a lot of learning is independent, but I loved that. I felt that in lectures I was exposed to new, exciting ways of thinking and it helped broaden my horizons and also confirm what I eventually wanted to do with my life – which was to be a writer.”

Her favourite part of the course was the learning environment, with film lectures taking place in the Chubb Building in Wolverhampton as part of the University’s link with the Light House Media Centre.

“It was amazing to be having lectures within a cinema and when we had to watch films for our course, we got to watch them on the huge screens which was wonderful and really enhanced the experience of the entire course.”

She has some wise words of advice for students following in her footsteps.

“Work hard, write as often as you can to help strengthen your abilities and be prepared for the inevitable knocks along the way. You need a tough skin, but ultimately, as long as you are writing for yourself because it is what you love, then you will be fine.”

Carys’ book is available for purchase at Waterstones, Amazon and Tesco.