Aliya Ali-Afzal grew up in London, where she still lives. She has a degree in Russian and German from UCL and an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from Royal Holloway, University of London. Her debut novel Would I Lie To You was sold at auction in the UK, was also published in North America and Arabic rights were sold for translation into Arabic. Her second novel, The Big Day, was published in June 2024.

Would I Lie To You was selected for World Book Night 2022, was a Summer Reads Pick by Penguin Books UK, picked for Summer Must Reads by Adele Parks, and a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick. It was featured in Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Bella, The Telegraph, The New Post, The Toronto Star and several UK newspapers and magazines.

Aliya is also a creative writing teacher and mentor for Jericho Writers. She loves hearing from readers and you can connect with her on Instagram @aliyaaliafzalauthor, X @aaaiswriting, and her website.

At Jericho Writers, we’re a team of authors, just like you. Four of us are published by the Big 5, while others are deep in the writing process, honing our craft alongside the writers we support. We work with expert book coaches and carefully chosen mentors, selected for their ability to guide writers through every stage of their journey. It’s this approach that has helped countless authors launch their careers, sign with top literary agents, and even become Sunday Times Bestsellers.

Aliya is not only an expert in understanding the fundamentals of writing, but her background in resilience coaching also means that she understands the importance of moral support throughout the process – your very own cheerleader!