Alumni

Cally Taylor

Career Path: Psychological Thriller Author
Location: Bristol, UK

I've wanted to be an author since I was eight years old. I've had a number of jobs since graduating, including Web Developer and Instructional Designer but I always kept writing as a hobby. I wrote my first novel after work and finished the first draft in four months. After a lot of redrafting and several rejections from literary agents I found my agent and, a little over a year later, my first novel was published. I've just had my third novel published, a psychological thriller called 'The Accident', it's currently in the Top 25 e-books on Amazon and will be translated into seven languages.

Where are you doing now?

I'm writing my fourth novel, another psychological thriller called 'Last Girl Standing'.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals?

The course I studied, the people I met, the places I visited and things I did fed my imagination and my understanding of why people act the way they do, and the psychological reasons behind it.

What was the best thing about your course?

The variation in the different topics we studied.

Who inspired you the most, and why?

My fellow students - they were from all walks of life.

Which skills/ knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now/throughout your career?

I now have an in-depth knowledge of psychology that gives me an insight not just into real people but also the fictional characters I create. Abnormal psychology was always hugely interesting to me and I've included sociopathy, neuroticism and PTSD in my most recent novel - all of which were at least touched on in my degree.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

My fellow students, the night life, the relaxed atmosphere, the environment (wonderful to be so close to Whitley Bay and Tynemouth), the Drama Society and my course.