They've done the Creative Writing course. They know how to show-not-tell and kill those darlings. Now they meet every two weeks to discuss and fine tune their novels before they set out on the obstacle course to publication. But their fictional problems are beginning to escape the page and morph into their own lives. Not least in the effect that the enigmatic Shelley is having on Peter's marriage. While Virginia can't help but treat the others as surrogate family. Meanwhile Ben is two-timing with another group. And should they accept a new member - Kath's boyfriend who writes in Spanish? Then there's new technology, which threatens to make the whole publishing scene redundant before they even get going. Satirical in tone, irreverent towards the agents who stand in their path, follows eight aspiring authors as they attempt to gate-crash their way into the literary world. But as they head off to France for a writers' retreat, where it all goes ecstatically right and catastrophically wrong, they are forced to re-evaluate the need of every one of us to speak out and let our voices be heard. And to rediscover the power of storytelling to help shape and make sense of the world around us. "I love the London setting, the distinctive characters, and the literary premise ... The writing is very clever and engaging ..." "There's solid character development for 6+ individuals in the first two chapters, which is remarkable in and of itself. " "... the voices within this book are wonderful: The characters are thoroughly thought through and developed ..."