Authors
These are the Authors joining us for our festival.
More to be added!
Joseph Knox
Joseph Knox has lived in Stoke on Trent, Manchester and London. In 2020, he became an Irish citizen. His debut novel Sirens was a bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. The Smiling Man and The Sleepwalker are the second and third books in the Waits trilogy. His first standalone novel, True Crime Story, was a Times number one bestseller.
Marie Anne Cope
Marie grew up in Manchester, moving to North Wales in 2005, where she lives with her three cats, Jasmine, Texas, and Stoker. She is an author of supernatural, horror and thriller fiction and writes gripping stories that combine strong leads with powerful, provocative storylines, which take readers to the edge of their comfort zone. She has always had an interest in the darker side of fiction—particularly in crime and the supernatural—but it wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she began taking a serious interest in writing.
Priscilla Masters
Priscilla Masters is a celebrated author writing crime and mystery novels. Experience in nursing allows her to create thrilling medical mysteries based in various locations.
Iconic characters 'Joanna Piercy' and 'Martha Gunn' unravel the complex crimes and mysteries in many of her stories. These characters, one from Staffordshire and the other a coroner from the medieval town of Shrewsbury have led readers through great stories. The books have received great reviews from many in the literary world, and the next novel is hugely anticipated!
Maggie Moxom
Margaret Moxom retired to Werrington, near Stoke on Trent in 2016. Since retiring she has written seven books. She has a teaching certificate to teach Art and German, but spent most of her working life as a secretary, her final position being at a National Health Service mental health hospital in North London. She has lived most her life in London, except for four years, when she bought a pub in Ostend, Belgium, and learned Dutch. There she met her partner of 30 years and returned, with her, to London. Throughout her life she has painted, mainly commissioned pieces
Aime Ayrehart
Aime is an original. Born in Staffordshire she grew up in Leek. A bookworm, she is still very proud of winning the Dillon’s Young Reader Competition when she was 12. Also at 12 she got her adult library card, and proceeded to read her way through not only Judy Bloom but Jacky Cooper (which probably explains chapter 10). The eldest of three children she is still very close to her family. After winning a number of scholarships and entrance exams her parents sent her to the Cooper’s Company Coborn School in Upminster (a mixed school that sounded more fun than some of the others). Bucking the trend as usual, she had a fabulous time at school, making many friends and doing just about well enough to study Law at University. After frequently being predicted outstanding grades and honours, she chose instead to do just enough studying to get by, and devoted the rest of her time at University to enjoying life. Never quite failing (despite cutting it pretty close) by the end of her 20s she had accidentally got married, got three degrees, bought a house, had two babies and won a place on an extremely prodigious NHS management fastrack. By 40 all the adulting had worn her down and it was time to do the impossible and find herself again…
James Ellson
James Ellson is a writer, smallholder, and speaker.
His debut novel The Trail was published in 2020, and the sequel Cold Dawn came out in 2022. Cold Summer, 3rd in the DCI Castle series, is just out!
James lives in the Peak District with his wife, and manages their smallholding, which includes bees and an orchard.
Ruby Speechley
Ruby Speechley is a bestselling psychological thriller writer,
whose titles include Someone Else’s Baby.
Previously published by Hera, she lives in Cheshire with her husband and
two of her three children and two Springer spaniels. She has an
older son and two grandsons.
The Ruby Speechley psychological thriller collection of,
Someone else’s baby, Every little secret, A mother like you, and
The face at the window will keep you reading well into the night.
GUILTY – “you’re invited to my farewell party. I’ve got something to tell you before I die…” Heather wants to leave this world with a clear conscience.
One confession. One secret. Two scores to settle.
Rosamund Urwin
Ros wrote the book “Unsung heroes of Wartime, Stoke How plastic surgery came to the North Staffs Royal
Infirmary”,
Ros has also written two book titled “The North Staffordshire Hauliers” followed by “Staffordshire
Hauliers two”
Zoe Sharp
Zoë Sharp opted out of mainstream education at the age of twelve and wrote her first novel when she was fifteen. She created the no-nonsense heroine of her highly acclaimed Charlotte 'Charlie' Fox crime thriller series after receiving death-threat letters as a photojournalist.
If you haven't met Charlie Fox, the Chicago Tribune described her as: "Ill-tempered, aggressive and borderline psychotic, Fox is also compassionate, introspective and highly principled: arguably one of the most enigmatic — and coolest — heroines in contemporary genre fiction."
In his introduction to the VENGEANCE anthology, Lee Child said: "If I were a woman, I'd be Zoë. If Jack Reacher were a woman, he'd be Zoë's main character, Charlie Fox."
Zoë's work has been used in school textbooks in Denmark, made into a short film, optioned twice for TV and film, inspired an original song and has won or been nominated for numerous awards both in the United States and in the UK.
Annalee Adams
Annalee Adams lives in England with her Husband, two children and a zoo worth of animals. She loves a good strong cup of tea or coffee, plenty of chocolate and binge watching her shows on Netflix.
Annalee spent much of her childhood engrossed in fictional stories, starting with teenage point horror books, and moving up to the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. However, her all-time favourite book is Lewis Carroll's, Alice in Wonderland. Which explains her mindset quite well.
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Carrie Weston
Carrie Weston has achieved many things since the release of her debut novel, Xander Chase and the Unicorn Code, which has won a reader’s favourite rosette from the magic book corner July 2020 and best opening 300 words – award of excellence from the Authors’ Networking Group February 2021.She has written articles on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (something she herself suffers from) for author Kiri Books and an article on the Herefordshire Cathedral Museum (featuring the mappa mundi) for mainlymuseums.comShe has an active blog with character interviews, games news and tips on writing found at: carrieweston.ampbk.comShe is proud to announce her involvement in the worldwide Authors’ Adopt Project, the Social Distancing Book Festival and the virtual book fair: Our Own Write.
Gary Fyles
Gary Fyles was a primary school teacher and leader for over twenty years, in the UK and in Vietnam, gaining a wealth of experience in motivating children and colleagues to be the best they could be. His work in teaching 'growth mindset' to children led him to saying 'I can be an Author' and his books now provide inspiration for many, young and old. He still works largely in schools, bringing his energy to awaken students desire to read, learn and aspire for more. The 'growth mindset' and 'deeper thinking' messages in his books so far provide excellent discussion points for classrooms, support groups and even boardrooms. A true jack of all trades, Gary has been a scientist, magician and kung fu teacher. He's now a author, illustrator, mindset coach and performs funk and soul covers on an acoustic guitar in bars that let him. His company ThinkingBigger Ltd now supports young authors and artists from marginalised groups to fulfil their dreams of making books.
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Christopher Hayward
Chris left school at 15 and trained to be a joiner, eventually he started working for himself until he retired at 64 when he took up painting as a hobby. Until late 2021 he hadn’t written anything and then watching a football match on the tv a players name triggered his mind and he thought of a knight called Sir Lankylot a childrens rhyming book aimed at 5-9 year olds. Having read it to several people and getting positive comments about it he decided to take it further with the help of friends and finished up publishing it. Since he first wrote Sir Lankylot he has done lots of follow up stories including his trusty horse Clip Clop Bill and his squire Jim plus his groom Samuel Smith and not forgetting the dragon Fritz.
Paul Truswell
Rooted in his first career as an Architectural Technologist and in recent years as a self-employed Information Technology support specialist, Paul Truswell has a kaleidoscope character with many interests beyond work including tropical fish, photography, wine making, real ale, music as listener and player, aviation, current affairs, weather, maps; the list goes on. However his first leisure-time love is the great outdoors, indulged since 1999 in a series of long-distance walks. He never intended to become a writer but now in semi-retirement he has decided to recall his solo walking adventures, at the same time giving the world a glimpse into his substantial photographic collection.
Punam Farmah
Punam Farmah is a Teacher and Counsellor who lives in Birmingham, England.
When not teaching or experimenting with notebooks and fountain pens she rather likes Star Trek, Shakespeare and adventuring.