LOCAL WRITERS' SHOWCASE - 27 FABULOUS AUTHORS, POETS AND LIBRARY TALENT MEET BILLERICAY ENTHUSIASTS

 

We did take individual photos which are on record, but this small group of writers are associated with the Brentwood Writers' Circle who meet monthly at Bardswell Social Club - www.brentwoodwriterscircle.com 

ANOTHER GREAT CHRISTMAS GATHERING IN LONDON OF SOCIETY OF WOMEN WRITERS & JOURNALISTS

Last week, my table companion and new friend, Clare Whitfield, the Sunday Telegraph's bestselling  novelist, was our brilliant speaker at SWWJ's  Christmas gathering at London's Marble Arch venue, The Victory Services Club. 

Clare is the author of three novels, the first, People of Abandoned Character, a historical mystery about Jack the Ripper and his wife, was published in 2020 and won the Goldsboro Glass Bell 2021. Her second book, The Gone and the Forgotten was published in 2022 and is described as part psychological thriller and a coming-of-age story of buried family secrets. Her third and most recent novel, Poor Girls, is inspired by the real-life all-female crime gang known as The 40 Elephants and was shortlisted for a CWA Historical Crime Dagger award.

Clare places women as the central criminal or as leaders front and facing in her novels, a role not often portrayed by women in times gone by. Combining crime and history is a result of Clare’s love of history in general and her passion for learning something new with everything she writes. She also spoke of juggling writing alongside her full-time job as a project manager and mother to her daughter. More photos can be found on our SWWJ website - https://www.swwj.co.uk/

Viv Brown our Hon SWWJ Secretary

VISITING WATERSTONES - MY FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE IN THE BRENTWOOD HIGH STREET ON THURSDAY

 


It's always a pleasure to visit Waterstones Book Shop in Brentwood High Street, especially at Christmas time.  A gale may have been blowing outside last Saturday evening, but all was warm and happy with super Manager Ross and his staff who arranged a lovely book signing for us all - Ross's mince pies were good, too!

Although all book shops hold a fascination for those of us who can't stop reading, this particular store is special in that I have enjoyed great friendship with Waterstones from the time my first book BRENTWOOD VOICES was published so many years ago.  

Two other great writers were in store to meet and greet readers on Thursday and it was a great pleasure to meet Ian Brown whose beautifully illustrated books for children about Albert (the tortoise) made a splash of colour.  

Another amazing  scribe, Barnaby Walter (B P Walter), a brilliant young novelist was also of huge interest introducing his new book (see below)  and both authors, hopefully, will come to Brentwood Writers' Circle next year to talk about their individual successful writing lives.  Watch this space!!!