I joined David Higham Associates in January 2018, having previously been the Editor at Gregory & Company Authors’ Agents. I worked alongside Jane Gregory for ten years, helping to build the list of clients and working with the authors on their manuscripts and ideas. I am proud to have edited many award-winning authors including Val McDermid, Mo Hayder, Catherine Ryan Howard, Paula Daly, Tan Twan Eng and Belinda Bauer. I bring a lot of editorial experience to my agenting and love being involved in the editorial process with the authors I represent.

Before I became an editor I was at the BBC for a few years, first in the Radio Drama department then in the Story Department of EastEnders. During that time I learned an enormous amount about the power of characterisation and the construction of cliffhangers . . .

I have been privileged to be a judge on the CWA Debut Dagger Award for several years and continue to have a love affair with crime fiction that started with Nancy Drew and was nurtured by Sara Paretsky, Patricia Cornwell and Michael Connelly.

I am obsessed with crime/ thriller fiction. As a student I worked at Crime in Store bookshop in Covent Garden, London, and it continues to be my ‘go to’ genre to read in, particularly as it has expanded exponentially in what you would classify as ‘crime fiction.’ As such my list is focused on the crime & thriller genre including but not limited to; high concept psychological suspense; complex mysteries; dark and riveting thrillers; fresh police procedurals and legal thrillers/courtroom dramas. I don’t have a highly prescriptive wish list and welcome finding a ms I didn’t know I was looking for. The buzz word is ‘fun’.

Examples of books I have enjoyed recently include: God of the Woods by Liz Moore, Night Watching by Tracy Sierra, The Secret Room by Jane Casey, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston and Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. Non-crime/ thriller novels that have drawn me in with compelling characterisation and emotional storytelling include Writers & Lovers / Heart the Lover by Lily King and The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I would love to find a crime/ thriller/ dark commercial or book club fiction novel with a powerful love story within. I would also love to be taken into a setting or environment that’s a little unfamiliar in the genre, such as Dubai.

If you would like to submit your work, please email stephanieglencross@davidhigham.co.uk. Please include a covering letter in the body of your email and attach a synopsis and the first three chapters of your book (in Word, double-spaced and with page numbers). Please put your name and the title of your manuscript in the subject line of your email.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of submissions I receive, I am not always able to respond to every one even though I try very hard to. If you haven’t heard back within 16 weeks please assume that you haven’t been successful this time.