Witty writer Rachel Sambrooks heading to Herts after comedy novel success

Rachel has been awarded a fully funded place on the University’s Master of Arts (MA by Research) in Creative Writing, or a programme of mentoring with one of its academic experts.

Her novel, The Way of Nellie May, tells the story of a young recluse who breaks her grandmother out of a care home. The book has been praised for its witty and moving exploration of intergenerational relationships and the role of older women in contemporary society.

Rachel Sambrooks said:

“I'm so grateful to CWIP, Helen Lederer and University of Hertfordshire for the opportunity and brilliant runner-up prize! It's been a long, long-term ambition to become a novelist and this life-changing prize is like a dream come true!”

The CWIP Prize was founded in 2018 by comedian, actress and author Helen Lederer, a University of Hertfordshire alumna. It aims to celebrate women writers who use humour to reflect on modern life, and offers prizes including mentoring, publishing support and educational opportunities.

Herts has a long-standing commitment to nurturing creative talent through its academic programmes and industry partnerships.

Rachel joins a growing list of writers supported through the CWIP Prize and Herts collaboration, showcasing the impact of combining academic mentorship with real-world creative opportunities.

Herts success stories include Zahra Barri, the first unpublished comedy novel runner-up in 2020, who has now completed her PhD at Herts and published her acclaimed debut, Daughters of the Nile, in 2024 with Unbound Publishers. Christina Carty, whose debut While He Looked at the Moon was last year’s CWIP runner-up and winner of the 2023 IWC Novel Fair Award, has successfully completed her MA by Research while editing her first BBC-commissioned feature film script and starting her second novel.

Dr Penny Pritchard, Principal Lecturer and Head of English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts, said:

“The Creative Writing team at the University of Hertfordshire are thrilled to learn that Rachel Sambrooks' work, The Way of Nellie May, has won the CWIP Unpublished Novel Runner-Up prize for 2025. Herts has supported several CWIP prize winners with places on our Creative Writing MA programme since the awards first launched.

“Zahra and Christina have both since achieved even greater recognition in their literary careers and we're looking forward to working with Rachel on her next literary project.”

Study creative writing at the University of Hertfordshire.