About

Manda Benson is a writer from the Midlands with a background in science. Before becoming an author, she worked as a research scientist and taught science at both undergraduate and A-Level.

That experience now feeds into her fiction, where she enjoys exploring big scientific ideas and the ethical questions they raise. Her fiction often focuses on the struggles of outsiders and misfits in their plight to find their own calling in an uncompromising society.

Manda’s 2026 Sparsile crime novel, The Hoard, brings these themes to life. It follows two men who don’t fit the mould, yet form a mentoring friendship as they work together to solve a crime. Part mystery, part story of human connection, The Hoard explores how unlikely bonds can grow in the unlikeliest of circumstances.