After a decade working in the UK television industry, specialising in investigative documentaries, police shows and undercover work, Simants relocated from London to Bristol to concentrate on writing. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Brunel University (2007) and another in Crime Fiction from the University of East Anglia (2018), where she was the recipient of the UEA Literary Festival Scholarship. Her first novel Lock Me In was shortlisted for the 2015 Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger, and is published by HarperCollins.
Simants won the 2019 Bath Novel Award with her second novel The Knocks, which is now published under the title A Ruined Girl.
At the Guardian, Simants tagged ten rich, human stories in the space between prison and the rest of life, including:
Read about the other entries on the list.Slow Motion Riot by Peter Blauner
Steve Baum, a Harlem probation officer during the 1980s crack epidemic, shares a lot with my protagonist. Both suspect they’re fighting a losing battle, but refuse to let go of hope. As Baum puts it: “Here’s the secret, which I almost never say out loud: Every once in a while, you might just turn one of these guys around.” In this pacey, compassionate thriller, Blauner explores the conflict between intention and reality in Baum’s work.
--Marshal Zeringue
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