Modern Stories 2026 Shortlist
Headline announces the shortlist for Modern Stories: It Must be Love 2026
Now in its second year, Modern Stories is a writing competition that runs as part of Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf. Hosted by Headline Eternal, in partnership with Curtis Brown Creative, the prize this year seeks to uplift and support emerging writers of romance fiction from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and/or multiple ethnic backgrounds.
The shortlist has been 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.
Soraya Bouazzaoui said: ‘The enthusiasm from writers has been so heartwarming to see. It was almost impossible to narrow it down to a longlist, let alone a shortlist! Romance brings reading and writing communities together so wonderfully, and I am so excited to be part of the journey that our shortlist will be going on with their writing careers. I had a blast reading all their entries!’
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
Find out more about our shortlistees:
Amara Ede is a British Nigerian novelist and screenwriter from London. She writes fun, sexy contemporary romantic comedies featuring an eclectic cast of characters navigating journeys of personal growth while falling in love. Her novel, The Benefits of Marriage, has also been longlisted for the 2026 Mo Siewcharran Prize. You can find her on Instagram @amaraedewrites.
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.
Aditi Nichani has an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing from City St George’s, University of London. A swimmer and pianist from India, she now lives in London and works in the publishing industry. She’s always been drawn to the unabashed hope in a happily ever after, and spends her free time building messy, magical characters experiencing that feeling. The Elegance of Rollercoasters is her first novel. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @aditinwrites.
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.
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.
Yolanda Tang is a paralegal by day and a romance writer by night and weekends. She is currently part of the 2026 cohort of the HarperCollins Author Academy and writes love stories featuring brilliantly stubborn heroines and the devoted, slightly pathetic men who would do absolutely anything for them. When she isn’t writing, she can be found watching Asian dramas with her dog, who faithfully soaks up her tears. You can find her on Instagram @authoryolandatang.
And here’s a reminder of the longlist:
Layla by Sahar Arfeen
Slush by Joyce Datiles
Repaint Alone by Victoria D’Cruz
The Benefits of Marriage by Amara Ede
The Moon Between Worlds by Maya Fischer
Influencing the Heart by Jennifer Francis
Terms and Conditions Apply by Mariam Ilyas
Deathborn: The Hidden Hearts by J. D. Malle
Searching for Love by Rituparna Mallick
The River Guardian by F. P. M. Martin
The Elegance of Rollercoasters by Aditi Nichani
The Scattering by Jana Pleyto
Right Person, Wrong Timeline by Thara Popoola
Substantial Figures by Miriam Rose
The Song Beneath Iron by Violet E. Scott
Fashionable Love by Yolanda Tang
The winner and runners-up will be selected by the judges from the shortlisted entries and will be announced approximately 3rd September 2026.
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.
Click here for more information on the prize.
