Ruth Dugdall secured the deal with HQ Harper Collins for her Cate Austin crime novels, which draw on her background in social work and probation studies in the city.

The first instalment of the series, The Woman Before Me, was so successful that it bagged the author the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger award.

Ms Dugdall completed an MA in Social Work & Probation Studies at the UEA, and the protagonist, Cate Austin, is a probation officer- the role she trained for while studying.  

"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."

The author credits her time at UEA for giving her both professional and creative inspiration.

"For a writer, everything becomes material," she added. "My time at UEA helped shape me.

"I’m grateful for those two years and I remember them fondly."

© Norwich Evening News