Former Stockton school teacher rewarded with publishing deal almost 18 months after leaving post

After swapping the classroom for the keyboard a former Stockton secondary school teacher has been rewarded with a publishing deal almost 18 months after leaving her pupils behind.

Catherine Banner secured the deal for two historical novels in December after leaving Bishopsgarth School, Stockton, in summer 2013.

The 25-year-old, who has already published a trilogy of young adult fiction, left her post as an English teacher in a bid to research her novel The House at the Edge of Night.

She made the move despite having no cash advance or offers of a publishing deal.

But the leap of faith has been rewarded and now the Durham-based writer has a two book deal with Hutchinson, part of the Random House publishing group, which is set to secure her future for the next two to three years.

She said: “Bishopsgarth was a really nice school and a really nice place to work and I really enjoyed it but I’ve been writing for 10 years now and it’s always been in the back of my mind to try and do it full time.

“I’ve no regrets about leaving, at the time it was a difficult decision and I miss the children, obviously, but I think it’s worked out really well.”

Catherine spent the past 18 months researching and writing the novel which tells of the Esposito family, who live on the fictional island of Castellamare, off the coast of Sicily.

It covers a 95-year time span, from the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 to 2009, when the after-shocks of the financial crisis were hitting ordinary people.

She added: “My family-in-law are from Italy so I’ve spent quite a bit of time there.

“When they went out to work I would talk to people to find out about some of the settings.”

Along with her trips to Italy Catherine turned to reference books and archives to help supplement her story, in a nod to her time as a teacher and a former English student at Cambridge University.

The House at the Edge of Night has only just gone to her publisher, but the deal already takes in Britain, America, Canada and several other countries, including Germany and Spain — though not yet Italy.

Catherine said: “Day to day it’s very different to being in the classroom, there are some things I miss about teaching.

“As a writer you’re working all day by yourself where as when you’re teaching you’re with the kids all the time.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching, at present I tutor some people one to one and I’ll probably continue that.”

The House at the Edge of Night is due to be published in 2015.