Nuala Ellwood, writer of nine novels from phycological thrillers to historic fiction, will begin her role as ‘Lee Child Professor of Crime Writing’ at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in January.
The MA Crime Fiction course, which was set up over a decade ago, received a
significant contribution to the new professorship from the creator of Jack Reacher, Lee Child.
“I’m absolutely delighted and enormously grateful to Lee for his generous support in making this new role possible,” said Nuala, who also writes under the pseudonym Iris Costello.
She added: “I’m really looking forward to working with the students and team at UEA and to being part of the next chapter of this exceptional course.”
My Sister’s Bones, Nuala’s debut thriller, was recently adapted into a feature film starring Anna Friel, Olga Kurylenko and David Bradley.
Child said that the appointment had exceeded his expectations.
UEA has a history of encouraging literature and the arts. It founded the first UK Masters Degree in Creative Writing in 1970.
Founder of the Crime Fiction MA, Professor Henry Sutton, said that he was thrilled to welcome Nuala to “such a prestigious and important role.”
He said: “We believe she is the ideal person to help steer the course and the genre forward. She will inspire and enable a new generation of crime writers.”
Image credit: Betina La Plant
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