From UEA to bestseller list: Ruth Dugdall signs fresh six‑book crime deal
By: Communications
A University of East Anglia graduate has signed a new six-book deal with HQ Harper Collins for an award-winning crime series inspired by her studies in Norwich.
The Cate Austin series won Ruth Dugdall the Crime Writers Association Debut Dager award for The Woman Before Me, the first in chronicles.
Ruth completed an MA in Social Work & Probation Studies at UEA, and the protagonist, Cate Austin herself, is a probation officer- the role Ruth trained for while studying.
After two decades as a full‑time writer, Ruth still draws heavily on her earlier career, a profession she describes as one she loved deeply.
“Probation officers are the unsung heroes of the criminal justice system,” she said. “But after I won the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger, I knew I had to make a decision, so I resigned from the service and put my all into making it as a writer.
“If my novels show readers anything, I hope it’s how important social work - and probation work - truly is. Too often, the stories about these professions we see in the media focus only on the negative.”
The Master's programme prepared Ruth for a wide range of professional challenges, and she remains grateful for the grounding it provided. Regarded as one of the strongest courses in the country for aspiring probation officers, it gave her an invaluable start to her career.
“For a writer, everything becomes material,” she said. “My time at UEA helped shape me. I’m grateful for those two years, and I remember them fondly.”
Born in Hull and raised in Ipswich after moving at the age of seven, Ruth has always carried a deep pride for the often‑overlooked town she calls home.
That connection has found its way into her writing, with the novel being firmly rooted in Ipswich.
“My husband, Andrew, has always been my biggest cheerleader,” Ruth added. “A writer needs that. It’s a difficult journey, and rare is the writer who hasn’t faced rejections.
“I have a son and daughter, and they have both inspired different novels; in fact, maternity leave was when I first started to write seriously, and motherhood is a key theme in several of my novels.”
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