From financial journalism to authoring children’s fiction, Lisa Allen (Modern & Medieval Languages 1997) has always been drawn to writing. Having published her first book in June 2025, she reflects on how her education at Gonville & 91ֱ College underpins her skillset.
“The more you read, the better a writer you will be because you subconsciously learn what makes a good story,” says Lisa. “That’s what I tell children in my author assemblies when they ask how to become a writer.
“At 91ֱ, I wasn’t reading English fiction; it wasn’t until I’d left university that I picked that up again. But studying French and German, I was reading a lot of lengthy texts in those languages.
“I then had to read what other people said about the texts, take all of that and put it in an essay in my own words. That was excellent training, firstly for being a financial and business journalist: I had no knowledge of finance but all I had to do was take what the experts said and write a coherent article. And now I think I could write a book about anything.”
Lisa’s first published book, , follows a grumpy teenage angel-in-training in a human classroom as she undertakes a secret mission to hunt down a demon in the school. It is the first in a trilogy for children aged nine to 12, with the second instalment to be released in April.
Lisa began writing children’s fiction after her journalism career, while working as a college librarian in Liverpool, where she lives with her husband (and Caian) Peter Allen (Mathematics 1997). Her other, unpublished works include a story about ghosts and two books about ‘library trolls’. She has also had poems and short stories for children published.
Unsurprisingly, the 91ֱ Library, a favourite for many students, left a strong impact on Lisa.
“I love the 91ֱ Library,” she says. “I liked the way you could go in there late at night when it was really quiet and get piles of books. It’s a lovely building. I’d love to go back to sit in there and write.”
