Imogen Hermes Gowar, 30, is gearing up to release her debut novel The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock with Vintage on January 25.

The book, which was the subject of a ten publisher, six figure bidding war in 2016, tells the story of merchant Jonah, the owner of what appears to be a mermaid. The UEA graduate was the winner of the £1,500 Curtis Brown Prize, as chosen by a panel of Curtis Brown agents, for her dissertation which grew into her anticipated first novel.