Writers’ Guild Celebrates First-Ever Student Book Launch
Published by St Mary's Calne on Tuesday 7th of October 2025
This week Writers’ Guild celebrated their first ever ‘Book Launch’ with an author talk, book reading, bookmark signing, a photo shoot and oodles of themed-cake - all to celebrate the first edition of UV Sophie’s fantasy epic, The Oath of Vengeance.
Sophie, who is a stalwart member of Writers’ Guild, has been working on her 70,000 fantasy tale for two years, completing it on the very last day of the summer holidays this year.
Sophie's sister bound the book into a gorgeous cloth-bound volume and, on Tuesday, Sophie’s teachers, friends and fellow writers gathered in the Lumi Library to hear her talking about the story, her inspiration and the writing process.
Sophie also read an extract, which left everyone wanting to know more, before signing special, limited-edition bookmarks (which will be worth a fortune when Sophie is a multi-award winning, best-selling novelist of the future!) There was also a wonderful selection of book themed baked goods made by members of the group - and of course, the paparazzi, in the form of the marketing department. It was a really joyous occasion to celebrate a wonderful achievement.
Sophie now plans to edit the book into a final draft and then explore options for publication. In the meantime, we hope she is already dreaming up ideas for volume two. Surely, there’s a trilogy in the making!
Sophie is a huge inspiration to the younger members of the club, many of whom are busy writing their own future best-sellers. We hope there will be many more Writer’s Guild book launches in the future.
Offering advice to aspiring writers, Sophie encouraged students to follow their passions: 'One of the best pieces of advice I can give young writers is to write what you want to write. A lot of my progress was achieved by setting myself writing challenges to reach word count goals - sometimes I succeeded and sometimes I didn't - and I learnt a lot from that process.'
Writers Guild continues to grow and grow, with nearly 30 keen writers turning up each week to find out about competitions, take part in our termly writing theme challenges, and to plot, plan, doodle, scribble or daydream. Pupils of all ages are welcome to drop in and join us.
And if you are a secret scribbler, do check out these wonderful writing opportunities:
Young Walter Scott - £500 prize for a story set in a time before you were born 800–2,000 words
Together in the UK Competition - £250 prize for a story or poem. To enter you must be an international student, second generation immigrant, asylum seeker or refugee.
Solstice Prize The Solstice Prize 2025 – poems or stories about nature
Mere Literary Festival - £50 prize for poems, stories or descriptions about animals
Stories for Schools Children's Story Competition 2025 - £100 prize for stories about courage.
BBC 500 Words Competition - 5-7 and 8-11 year-olds can win up to 500 books, attend a star-studded grand final at Windsor Castle with Her Majesty The Queen AND see their story read aloud by a superstar celebrity on The One Show!
Mrs Catherine Bruton, Writers' Guild and English Department
