All Student Success Letters

Anna Rasche

Dear Gotham,

I took Seth Fried’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy course in the spring of 2020, just as the world was ending. I signed up because I had an idea for a weird story about a woman who used gemstone magic to heal people during the Black Death, but I didn’t know how to write it.

I arrived in class with a few scattered chapters, several years of research on medieval gem lore (I’m a jewelry historian and gemologist by trade), and absolutely no creative writing background. Seth met me where I was and helped me get my story on track. He imparted the basics of craft in the context of fantasy, gave me confidence in the parts of my story that were working, and solutions for the bits that missed the mark.

As a bonus, after the course ended, I stayed in touch with two of my fellow students. To this day we still have a regular writing group, and they are the first people to read my new pages.

Thanks in part to the direction and support I received from the Gotham community, I finished my weird story. In October 2024 The Stone Witch of Florence was published by Park Row, an imprint of HarperCollins, and received some heartening accolades from places like The Washington Post, CrimeReads, and BookRiot. It was also a Book-of-the-Month Add On and made the October Indie Next List. I’m currently at work on my second novel, The Midnight Diamond, also forthcoming from Park Row.

It has all been more than I ever expected, and I wanted to pass along my belated thanks for your part in this success. My Gotham course was one step on a long journey, but it was a step in the right direction.

Cheers & Thank You Again!

Anna Rasche

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You can find Anna on Instagram @byannarasche, or subscribe to her newsletter here.