Birmingham-based Tindal Street Press has enlisted the help of acclaimed authors including Helen Cross and Catherine O’Flynn for a summer school of intensive creative writing.

The two-day masterclasses, to be held over four weekends in July and August, will cater to a range of skills from first-time writers to experienced authors moving into a new genre, such as short story writing or crime fiction.

The masterclasses will help new writers put pen to paper and give practising writers the opportunity to present their projects at workshop sessions.

Cross, whose My Summer of Love was made into a successful feature film, and O’Flynn, author of Costa-winning What Was Lost, are among four authors who will join Alan Mahar, Tindal Street’s publishing director, to deliver the courses.

Mahar said: “This is a chance for first-time creative writers to those more experienced and wanting to try their hard at a new genre. Regardless of where they are on the creative journey, they’ll find their abilities benefit from professional advice, and attending one of our weekend workshops can guide them towards something they can be proud of.”