Introducing the winner of Modern Stories: It Must be Love 2026
BY Katie Smart
3rd Sep 2026
Now in its second year, Modern Stories is a writing competition that runs as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf. Curtis Brown Creative are proud to be a partner for this year’s competition hosted by Headline Eternal. The prize this year seeks to uplift and support emerging writers of romance fiction from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and/or multiple ethnic backgrounds.
Thara Popoola, J.D. Malle and Violet E. Scott are the winners of this year's Modern Stories: It Must Be Love competition, with Thara Popoola taking the top prize for Right Person, Wrong Timeline, and J.D. Malle (Deathborn: The Hidden Hearts) and Violet E. Scott (The Song Beneath Iron) named runners-up.
The winner and runners up were chosen by a panel of judges, including Soraya Bouazzaoui, senior commissioning editor at Headline Eternal and author, Abby Parsons, senior courses manager and editor at CBC, authors Rufaro Faith Mazarura and Maame Blue, Caden Armstrong, founder of Book Lovers Bookshop, and Amy Beecham, senior writer at Stylist magazine.
- The judges said: ‘We were blown away by the quality, creativity and sheer talent on display in this year’s competition. Narrowing the entries down to a winner and two runners up was no easy task! In the end, these three entries stood out for their exceptional storytelling, distinctive voices and their ability to draw us into the story from the very first page. Whether through immersive world-building, compelling romantic tension or a brilliantly fresh premise, each entry left us eager to keep reading. We’re delighted to celebrate these talented writers and can’t wait to see where their writing journeys take them next.’
Please find our interviews with winner and runners-up below.
Meet the winner
Thara Popoola, Right Person, Wrong Timeline
Thara Popoola is a NAACP-nominated screenwriter and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, working across comedy and drama. Her television credits include Sex Education, Queenie, Crongton and more. Thara is currently writing her debut novel, Right Person, Wrong Timeline. You can find her on Instagram, TikTok and X @tharapop
- How does it feel to be named the winner of Modern Stories: It Must Be Love? It feels incredible! I’m still in shock, to be honest. Coming from a screenwriting background, I’ve felt a bit out of my depth trying to write a novel, but winning feels really, really encouraging and has motivated me to keep going!
- What first inspired you to start writing your novel-in-progress? I think I wanted a new challenge; I’ve been writing for TV for a few years and have a lot of TV ideas that hadn’t really gone anywhere. I’m a real believer that no idea is wasted, so I thought I’d try writing them as a book. Right Person, Wrong Timeline was one of these ideas, and initially it was going to be more of a weird sci-fi, genre-bending thing; however, I’ve always loved rom-coms, so early on I decided it would work better as a rom-com.
- Which writers inspire you to write? I’m a big Octavia Butler fan; I love how she places Black women at the centre of her expansive worlds, and she's inspired me not to put limits on the types of stories I tell and the way I tell them. Growing up, I was and still am obsessed with Jaqueline Wilson; I would read her books obsessively and then go off and write my own stories. I didn’t realise at the time it was laying the foundations for the writer I am today!
Meet the runners-up
J. D. Malle, Deathborn: The Hidden Hearts
J.D. Malle is a Cameroonian-Swedish fiction writer based in London. She studied English Literature at the University of Reading before working in tech marketing and film and TV. Her previous manuscript was shortlisted in the inaugural Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers' Prize in 2023, and she is a 2026 Black Girl Writers mentee for another completed project. Learn more about her at jdmalle.com and on Instagram @jmalle
- How does it feel to be named a runner-up of Modern Stories: It Must Be Love? It feels a bit unreal! I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that my weird concept was strong enough to make it this far. I’m so grateful that the competition was an opportunity I could take part in, and really looking forward to continuing to grow as a writer because of it.
- What first inspired you to start writing your novel-in-progress? The initial inspiration came when I was writing about a character’s death in a separate completed novel. I had a very vague idea pop into my head around reimagining grim reaper lore, and couldn’t stop thinking about it months later even while working on other projects. I slowly fleshed out the concept into something I could dedicate time to write properly, just to scratch the creative itch, and by the time I'd entered the competition, I had already fully embraced the idea.
- Which writers inspire you to write? I’m influenced by a mix of genres and writers, which is probably why my stories tend to blend genres. I mostly read contemporary romance (Julia Wolf, Kyra Parsi, Stella Rhys, to name a few), but I’m very much a mood reader. I think dipping into different sub-genres of romance (and genres in general) is what pulled me into blending romance with fantasy in my own writing. The romance authors I mentioned previously inspire me creatively just as much as Stephen King, Rick Riordan, and Leigh Bardugo.
Violet E. Scott, The Song Beneath Iron
Violet E. Scott is an emerging writer who loves to write stories that explore the intricate and messy realities of romance and fantasy. By day, they work as a clinical assessor in the neurodiversity space, a role that has helped inform their fascination with human connection, unique communication styles, and the diverse ways people experience love.
- How does it feel to be named a runner-up of Modern Stories: It Must Be Love? It all feels very surreal, to be honest. Growing up, I found reading and writing incredibly difficult because of undiagnosed ADHD. I’m an old romantic at heart, and as this is my first foray into creative writing, it’s such an honour to have something I’ve created appreciated by others.
- What first inspired you to start writing your novel-in-progress? I’d just finished listening to the ACOTAR audiobooks, which I love, and was looking for my next Romantasy read. I started noticing how few Black lead characters I was coming across in the genre. Then Noa popped into my head, and the story grew from there.
- Which writers inspire you to write? Carissa Broadbent and Rachel Gillig are amazing with prose and internal dialogue, and I love the way they create atmosphere and emotional tension. I also love Sarah J. Maas’s approach to writing desire and spicy scenes — I find it really empowering. Her books were part of what made me want to try writing Romantasy myself and eventually led me to creating Noa.
And here’s a reminder of the shortlist
- The Benefits of Marriage by Amara Ede
- Deathborn: The Hidden Hearts by J. D. Malle
- The Elegance of Rollercoasters by Aditi Nichani
- Right Person, Wrong Timeline by Thara Popoola
- The Song Beneath Iron by Violet E. Scott
- Fashionable Love by Yolanda Tang
Read the shortlist announcement
Read the longlist announcement
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and a place on Curtis Brown Creative’s flagship three-month Writing Your Novel course, alongside editorial mentoring sessions, a meeting with Sheila Crowley, literary agent at Curtis Brown, and a hamper of romance books. The runners-up will receive a place on one of Curtis Brown Creative’s 5/6-week writing courses, an editorial mentoring session, an introductory meeting with a Curtis Brown literary agent, and a hamper of romance books.