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Fancy yourself as the next Candice Carty-Williams? Do you have notepads stuffed with ideas for that bestseller you’ll write ‘one day’? We hear you! That’s why we’re inviting Muddy readers to be inspired by our new book club, and get the inside story on writing your own bestseller straight from your favourite authors.

Launched by the UK’s most dynamic creative writing school, Curtis Brown Creative (alumni includes author of The Miniaturist Jessie Burton – I know, right?!) Inside Story is a new series of ridiculously exciting online courses, offering budding authors the chance to learn from the very best in the literary business.

Go on an epic journey into the imaginations and writing process of bestselling authors, including Marian Keyes, David Nicholls and Tessa Hadley. Each of the five-week courses will provide training videos, writing tasks and huge dollops of inspiration to start you off on your own writing journey. Frankly, what are you waiting for?

Inside Story by Curtis Brown Creative kicks off on 13 Oct with a masterclass in prose from the brilliant David Nicholls, yes, he of One Day fame. Spilling his secrets to crafting a bestselling novel, Nicholls will kick off with discussions on marrying humour and sadness (at which he is, of course, the master) and how to sketch out your own story.

Sign up now to avoid disappointment and do remember to mention Muddy in the dedication of your first bestseller!

Your homework? Add one of these hot new reads to your autumn book list.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

If her previous heart-stoppers, The Distance Between Us and The Hand That First Held Mine had you gripped, then prepare yourself for O’Farrell’s new historical saga set in Renaissance Italy. The story starts at the end, when Lucrezia is encouraged by her father to marry a duke, who her older sister was prepped to marry before she unexpectedly dies before the wedding. Thrust into a life of finery and expectation, is her husband who he really seems? Evocative and captivating, it’s a must for fans of O’Farrell’s Hamnet and cracking good stories in general.

The Two Lives of Sara, by Catherine Adel West

Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster, as young mother Sara King flees her secretive past in Chicago for new beginnings. Pregnant and penniless, she is welcomed into Mama Sugar’s boarding house where she finds love and safety against the backdrop of a deeply segregated America. That is until she is forced to make a decision that threatens to reshape her future entirely. Gobble it up in one helping, then pass it to all your best friends.

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks

He had us at The Notebook, tbf. But if romantic dramas are your thing (and let’s face it, they should be), then bookmark the bestselling author’s fabulous return. This one focuses on Colby Mills, whose aspirations of musical superstardom grind to halt when tragedy strikes and he becomes destined for a life of domesticity. Things change when he meets first love, Beverly, who has her own rollercoaster to ride. The ultimate test of love’s resilience, just make sure to have the tissues handy.

Shrines of Gaiety, by Kate Atkinson

Remember the thudding page-turner Life is Life? Well, prepare to go on another wondrous journey courtesy of bestselling author Kate Atkinson. This time, she takes us to London in the wake of the Great War, where glamour and corruption coexist with seduction and betrayal. Queen of the roaring clubs of Soho, Nellie Coker is trying to reconcile the dark underbelly of the night with her hopes for her family, as it threatens to take her under. Packed with a cast of colourful characters, twists and turns, it’s utterly unforgettable.

The Butcher and The Wren by Alaina Urquhart

Fancy something a little darker? Scratch that true crime itch with this debut thriller from the co-host of gripping podcast, Morbid. In Louisiana, forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller gets drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation. Told from their dual perspectives, it is as addictive as it is terrifying. Not one for faint hearts.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

The master returns to form (when is he ever not on form?) with this spellbinding tale of a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil fight it out and there’s only one winner: their world, or ours. You’ll lose yourself in the pages of this one, and then go back to the start to dive in all over again. A true genius at work, though I’m sure you’d expect no less.

Ready to write your own masterpiece now? To book Inside Story with David Nicholls creative writing course, visit Curtis Brown Creative or explore the full range of Inside Story courses on offer here