Deborah Siddoway

Deborah Siddoway is a British-Australian novelist, lawyer and academic. She is the author of the debut novel Dark Waters (2024), published by Bloodhound Books.

Deborah Siddoway was born in the Northeast of England and grew up in Sydney, Australia. Siddoway holds a BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Sydney and began her career as a legal researcher for the Honourable Justice Beazley of the Court of Appeal of New South Wales. She subsequently worked as a solicitor in leading law firms in both Sydney and London.

Her academic pursuits led to an MA in Research in Dickens Studies from the University of Buckingham, focusing on the evolution of Charles Dickens' views on marriage and divorce. Her thesis, The Twisting of the Ring: Dickens, Divorce and the Evolution of His Views on Marriage, gained recognition. She won the 2019 Partlow Prize for her work on 'Misfortnet Marriages': Discussing Divorce in Household Words.

In 2020, Siddoway will start her PhD, supervised by Dr Simon Grimble and Dr Andy Hayward. She will research how the 19th-century English novel influenced the reform of divorce law, focusing on the works of Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot and Charles Dickens. Siddoway is also the postgraduate representative on the advisory board of the Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies.

Her debut novel, Dark Waters (2024), is a modern gothic tale that explores the relationship between unresolved histories and personal healing. The story follows Michelle, an Australian woman who moves to London after experiencing personal loss. Haunted by her ability to communicate with the dead, Michelle encounters the ghost of Ned, who died in 1848. Michelle begins to confront her grief and search for closure as she unravels the mystery of Ned's tragic past and his connection to Clara, his lover.

Siddoway lives in rural Northumberland with her children and dog, Brontë.

Photo credit: deborahsiddoway.com