This week, we were delighted to welcome back Sydenham High alumna and best-selling author Sophie McKenzie to speak with students in years 7, 8 and 9. 

Sophie said:

“I was able to believe I had lots of options, with no ceiling on my ambitions…part of the reason for this was the single sex education and the confidence which Sydenham gave me.”

Sophie attended Sydenham High right through from age 5 to 18 and has wonderful memories of times spent with friends here. She fondly recalled other students coming up to ask for the next instalment of whatever story she was writing, but, at a time before social media and with little possibility of author visits, she never dreamed she could actually become a published author herself.

Keen to work with words Sophie became a journalist, a job which required the resilience to write every day whether or not she was feeling inspired, a trait which is of continuing benefit to her work today. Redundancy provided the impetus for Sophie to return to her love of creative writing and work on the skills needed to craft a full-length novel. Even though it took five years to get published Sophie was determined not to give up. She thinks she started some seventeen books in her first year of creative writing before a news story about a missing toddler sparked the idea for her first published novel, the top ten best-selling thriller Girl, Missing.

During the Q&A session with students Breanna (Year 10) and Mia (Year 8), Sophie told the audience how much her time at Sydenham High influenced her, giving her confidence and the belief that she could achieve her dreams if she put in the work. 

Sophie told students that ideas for stories were all around them but sometimes they need to be put in the pot together to stew for a bit before becoming a narrative. She spoke about her desire to entertain the reader and the unwritten contract between writer and reader to this effect, and confessed to having spent some time during lockdown in becoming a more proficient cake-baker! 

Students are very much looking forward to Sophie’s next YA book due out in summer 2023. Find out more about Sophie’s books on her website.

Thank you to Tales on Moon Lane for providing copies of Sophie’s books for this event.