A huge congratulations to our London Writers Awards alumni Chris Bridges, on the publication of his debut novel, thriller Sick To Death, which went on sale on 27 March 2025.
Avon Books acquired the rights to the debut thriller in September 2024.
The Guardian included Sick To Death in a round up of crime and thriller novels in February 20025, writing; “Bridges, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2020, writes in an author note that he had had enough of the “tired tropes” around sickness in fiction, from the “sickly sweet ill woman”, to the unwell person who is shown to be a fraud. Sick to Death turns these tropes on their head: Emma is a force to be reckoned with, and although the plot does become increasingly tangled, this is deliciously dark and twisted, and a lot of fun.”
Chris Bridges took part in the 2022 London Writers Awards. Of his experience, Chris said; “The London Writers Award was invaluable to me as a debut writer. I was able to hone my craft and identify areas that needed attention and work. I’ve also become part of a community of writers, which has increased my confidence and almost, but not entirely, vanquished my new writer imposter syndrome.”
The London Writers Awards aim to increase the number of writers from under-represented communities being taken up by agents and publishers. It has supported 120 writers and has become the most successful writer development scheme in the UK with 50 writers agented and over 35 book deals.