'It was late September 2023, and I was peering into my laptop screen. Four boxes filled the display, three of them occupied by members of the Penguin Random House staff. There was a senior editor, a marketing coordinator and, most nerve-racking of all, the managing editor. The final square was inhabited by a seasoned story consultant. I remember thinking he had a friendly face, and I needed one of those. This was it—the final interview that would decide if I would be awarded the Write It fellowship.'