It’s been an incredibly busy autumn, which is set to get even busier as the biggest season for craft, gift and book fairs kicks into gear.
It was thrilling for me to return to Berwick-upon-Tweed in September when I was invited by the organisers of Berwick Heritage Open Days to talk about recreating the town as it might have been in the 16th century in ‘Lady of the Quay’. The event was well-attended, and the audience was very engaged.
This sort of world-building involves an incredible amount of research, and this is the subject for my next presentation event. At WolvLitFest (on October 18) I will join with another Oxfordshire author of historical fiction, Mary McClarey to talk about the anomalies, misrepresentations and inaccurate facts that we have to navigate when trying to recreate an authentic period in time for our novels. This will be part of a focused session on Research in Historical Fiction, during which Booker long-listed author Linda Proud and acclaimed poet Dr Jenny Lewis will also talk about their creative processes.
WolvLitFest is a one-day literary festival, organised by Oxford Independent Authors, which combines a book fair with a programme of talks and workshops.
Independent authors and author groups, small publishers and illustrators are among the stall-holders at the book fair. With a fantastic range of books on offer – from historical fiction to crime, YA to children’s, comedy to thrillers, fantasy, science fiction and poetry, including many new and recent releases – there will be something for every reader, whatever their age or preferred genre.
There’s also something for everyone on the speaker/workshop programme; from an illustration workshop with illustrator Mario Coelho, to our crime writers panel (Murder they Wrote), our world-building session where authors from different genres explore how they create the settings for their stories and a deep dive into what makes a good story. ARCh – Oxfordshire charity Assisted Reading for Children also invites parents and children along to a session to explore the magic of reading.
WolvLitFest takes place at Wolvercote Village Hall from 10am – 4pm. Entry to the book fair as well as all workshops and talks is free. The full programme and timings are available here. No booking is required, but do arrive early as places are limited.