Comedian Njambi McGrath has been awarded thousands of pounds to help her write her next book.

She is one of 48 writers sharing  £185,000 in grants from the Society Of Authors designed to take the financial and time pressure off those creating ‘exciting new work’ at any stage of their literary careers. 

McGrath said: ‘Now I can concentrate on redrafting my book without the stress of where my next pay cheque is coming from.’

Her first book, Through The Leopard’s Gaze, was released earlier this year and told of her tough upbringing in Kenya, when as 13-year-old she was beaten to a pulp and left for dead,  and how she tried to put her past behind her with a new life in the UK with a British family.

That story has been optioned for a six-part TV drama, while McGrath also has a Radio 4 series in the pipeline.

Speaking of the follow-up, she said: ‘ ‘When I was a teenager, my mother and I lived in a very dysfunctional compound in post-colonial Kenya. This is the inspiration for my new book The Residents of the Ministry of Works.

‘This grant is a necessary and much-appreciated tool that will give me breathing space. I am truly grateful.'