Friends Of Totnes Library will be promoting the facilities and events of Totnes Library. They will be encouraging participation in the Consultation on library services just launched by Devon County Council. There will also be an opportunity to become involved in long-term support for libraries and literacy in Totnes.
Tessy Braun was fortunate to have been raised in the untamed beauty of rural Dartmoor. A childhood spent among the granite tors and wild moorland certainly gave her a passion for the countryside and spirituality. Now living in Bristol, Tessy is a mother, and enjoys an active lifestyle within nature, where much inspiration is found for her stories and poetry.
Featured previously on BBC Radio Cornwall & BBC Radio Somerset, as well as UPLOAD Bristol, Tessy's poetry and fiction is known for it's evocative nature, and with her words, the author has a special ability to whisk you away to beautiful and haunting locations in the south west of England and beyond.
https://www.tessybraun.co.uk/
Tony Gee is a puppeteer, storyteller and writer with over 40 years’ experience who lives in Totnes. He has toured worldwide working with First Nations in Canada, lecturing at several universities and making huge shows with thousands of children. He has published four books on workshop practice, world stories, puppets and, most recently, a Bronze Age adventure novel.
P.J.Danby was brought up in Totnes and loved growing up there. She now lives in Cornwall with her family, where she writes her fantasy tales, which are filled with love, betrayal and revenge.
The first three books in the Spine of Worlds series are currently published, the last two are releasing in 2026.
Read Easy UK provides a volunteer-led reading coaching programme for adults.
Drop in for a chat with them at the festival.
https://readeasy.org.uk
Bob Fairbrother completed his first novel, Project Deadhead. Set in the near future, it is a crime/climate/political/noir thriller. Can DCI MacGillivray ask the killer of his family to help his town survive a terrible threat?
When I got the idea for this book a few years ago, it seemed far-fetched. Now it seems less so.
I also run the South Devon Book Festival.
https://www.instagram.com/bob_writer_fairbrother/
https://www.facebook.com/BobFairbrotherTheAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576935420938
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1779118935629?aff=oddtdtcreator
Born in London, Alison Knight now lives in Somerset . She has worked as a legal executive, a registered child-minder, a professional fundraiser and a teacher. She spent a year in the US as a teenager, and has travelled extensively, including treks in China, Egypt, Spain and Israel; and charity work in Thailand and Honduras. Her travels inspire a lot of her writing.
In 2011 she was awarded a first class BA(hons) in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, and in 2013 she gained a master's degree at Oxford Brookes University.
She is now published by Boldwood Books under the pen name, May Ellis. See the May Ellis author profile for details of her Clarks Factory Girls series of historical sagas and 'Lily's Choice' which is based on real events in the authors family in London in the 1960s.
Jay Jacobs, a mother of two living in Devon, was inspired by near-death experiences to write Back For Good: an uplifting tale of second chances and transformative powers, with a feisty spirit guide leading the way. Having themes of forgiveness and the importance of asking for help, this humorous novel should resonate comfortingly with readers facing their own life challenges.
https://bookguild.co.uk/our-authors/jay-jacobs
Jay Jacobs Author on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Nigel Hicks has been a professional writer and photographer for 35 years, based initially in Hong Kong, but for most of his career in Devon. Much of his work has focussed on travel and the environment, writing and photographing for a range of magazine, newspaper and book publishers both in the UK and around the world. He has also written a string of blogs about photography.
He has worked with the USA's prestigious National Geographic Image Collection, and he holds a Fellowship with the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP).
He has authored and/or photographed for over 30 books, including several on photography, and such travel titles as Wild Southwest, Beautiful Somerset, Beautiful Devon, Beautiful Cornwall and Beautiful Dorset, along with a string of books about the Philippines, all strongly photographic titles.
Website: www.nigelhicks.com
https://www.facebook.com/nigelhicksphotography
https://www.instagram.com/nigelhicksphoto/
This is a memoir by Graham Walker, chronicling his life journey from a troubled childhood to homelessness, and eventually to becoming a Big Issue vendor, charity fundraiser, and published author.
It details his experiences growing up in a dysfunctional family, his time in the care system, and his years living on the streets. It is a deeply personal and poignant account of overcoming adversity, finding purpose, and making a difference in the lives of others.
Born in London to a British father and a French mother, Geoff A. Wilson grew up in southern Germany where he went to school and university. He is trilingual in German, French and English. As an academic, Geoff became a world-renowned expert on questions about the resilience of human communities, more specifically about how rural communities cope with, and adapt to, change, disturbances and disasters. Married and with one son, he lives in a small village on the south coast of Devon, UK. Geoff retired in 2019 to become a full-time fiction writer. He specialises in psychological thrillers, children’s fantasy books, short stories and dystopian novels.
Tim Kindberg (champignon.net) is a writer and digital creative from Bristol. In his dark, twisted novel Vampires of Avonmouth, a detective struggles to regain his humanity from an inner demon - and techno-capitalism, to boot. Future Song, forthcoming, is set in near-future Bristol against a backdrop of adaptation to climate change. He also writes future fairy tales and poetry. He blogs and gives talks about the implications of AI.
Rebecca Southgate Williams is a debut novelist who loves to challenge our perceptions of reality and peel away the masks we wear to reveal what lies behind them. With an Honours Degree in French and German, a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies, and a Certificate in Translation, she has a long-held appreciation of the scope and power of the written word. Whether used to obfuscate or reveal, tear down or build up, repress or transform, words can create so many different narratives and perspectives. Her love of both classical literature and modern psychological dramas led her to the idea of creating a modern-day odyssey to explore the landscapes we travel, both in body and mind. A mother of three adult children, she currently works in the charity sector and lives in Cornwall with her husband and her younger son.
https://shop.eastgatebookshop.co.uk/products/the-passenger-manifest
https://www.ivybridgebookshop.com/products/9798340526243?_pos=1&_sid=ff09ce8d4&_ss=r
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-passenger-manifest/rebecca-southgate-williams//9798340526243
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaswwriter/profilecard/?igsh=bW15NGxzZGlsNnU=
https://www.facebook.com/share/16ep41KEBR/?mibextid=wwXIfr
‘Hi everyone! I'm Jack Hale, I'm a first time author looking to promote my first series called Centa Isla! In this Urban Fantasy adventure, demonic forces work in the shadows of a floating empire, can you stop what is to come? Step into the smoky streets of Centa Isla and find out!’
A former construction project manager, Hazel Hatman swapped hard hats and rainswept scaffolding for central heating, cosy toes, and copious cake. Now she spends her days writing her romance heroines into trouble and then trying to dig them out.
Hazel lives in Devon, England.
Website: www.hazelhatman.com
The Darcy Dilemma https://mybook.to/3I52E
Hindsight https://mybook.to/lncD
North Hangar Avenue https://mybook.to/I3mJi
Love, Squirrels and Other Diversions https://mybook.to/YLav
Carey Jane Rowland is a poet and author from Ilminster, Somerset. Her work captures raw, vulnerable emotions through deeply human micro poems. With a voice both tender and bold, she explores the depths of feeling and connection with her poetry focusing on love, longing, heartbreak, loss, mental health, motherhood and healing via striking emotional honesty and quiet intensity.
I have 2 books currently on Amazon (with a third in the works)
Letters of Love: A heartfelt collection of poems that explore love, longing, vulnerability and the beauty of emotional connection. https://amzn.eu/d/brN02Tm
It hasn't stopped raining since you left: a moving collection of poetry delving into heartbreak, loss and grief. https://amzn.eu/d/6oflQZt
My TikTok is https://www.tiktok.com/@careyjanepoetry?_t=ZN-8yP1r5V3vHS&_r=1
https://www.instagram.com/carey_jane_poetry?igsh=NGV5bjlvangwdjFs&utm_source=qr
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Z6ZcGrYnq/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Jonathan Posner writes 16th century action-adventures. His Witchfinder’s Well trilogy tells how a modern-day girl falls through a worm-hole in time and lands in 1565. The Mary Fox Adventures features a swashbuckling heroine in the 1530s. Jonathan runs Winter & Drew Publishing, and teaches creative writing through Writing at the Edge.
The Witchfinder’s Well trilogy
More info on my website
Publisher at Winter & Drew Publishing
Speaker on writing and author marketing at Writing at the Edge
Caroline Cusanelli is the bestselling indie author of A Liar’s Twisted Tongue, known for building beautiful worlds that grow darker with every layer. She’s been writing since childhood. What began as stories of fairies and frogs evolved into tangled narratives about power, obsession, and deeply flawed characters. Raised in Southern California, she’s a sun-seeker at heart, but now calls Barcelona home, where she hopes to remain immersed in literature for the rest of her life.
Visit her online at www.carolinecusanelli.com and on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube @carolinacusanelli.
The unexpected permeates Laurence Shelley's writings: from blisters that blessed a walk through Roman history; hitchhiking encounters across Britain that proved endlessly diverting; and a dream which sparked off a Dartmoor odyssey for one shattered outcast. Laurence's work shows how chance can open up intriguing journeys into the unknown.
Robin Hooppell - Local Author of a new set of short stories called ‘Shaken not Stirred’.
Barnaby Wilde is the pen name of Tim Fisher. He grew up and was educated in the West Country. He graduated with a Physics degree and worked in manufacturing and quality control for a multinational photographic company for thirty years. He writes in many genres, including cozy mystery, absurdist humour and sci-fi.
John Ludlam is a Devon-based writer and filmmaker. The first words he wrote for public consumption were punk rock lyrics. Three decades as a journalist, including spells in Iraq, Jerusalem and Hong Kong, taught him that geopolitics will never leave us alone.
https://www.johnludlam.com
https://www.instagram.com/sqludlum
https://www.facebook.com/john.ludlam.10
Stephen Cook was born and bred in Bristol, so it's not surprising his detective novels are set in the city.
The first Inspector Page novel 'Angels In The Architecture' was published in 2024. The follow up, 'Saints & Sinners' was published in May 2025.
Both novels offer a strange brew of crime, classic rock music and social commentary.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Stephen-J-Cook/author/B0CWHF9T2H
Rosemary Griggs is an author, historian, researcher, seamstress and popular speaker.
Her successful ‘Daughters of Devon’ novels tell the stories of the forgotten women of Tudor Devon.
She researches, recreates and wears historical clothes in a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment at events all over the West Country.
website: https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladykatherinesfarthingale
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griggs6176/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@griggs6176
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ragriggsauthor.bsky.social
Nigel Messenger writes historical fiction and to date has written 5 books, mainly about WW1 in the Middle East with Old Testament links.
His latest book is set in the Middle Ages in England and Palestine and is a fictional story about the Second and Third Crusades.
Gordon James Cook is author & founder of Rosella House Publishing. He has written three books [The Distance Trilogy]. His writings mix reality with fantasy, fact with non-fact, psychology with philosophy, mythology & a creator of worlds who has windchimes for fingers. Expect to find the present, the future & the past, all-in-one place.
Nicole Fitton is an award-nominated author of historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels All Tomorrow’s Parties and Forbidden Colours earned critical acclaim, and her short story collection Soaring was published in 2023. A Society of Authors member, she balances writing with a career in healthcare and a love of wild swimming and spaniel walking!
https://www.nicolefittonauthor.com/
Twitter: @MisoMiss
J. Patrick Armstrong grew up in Hampshire and Dorset. He studied for his MA, MPhil and PhD in English literature at the University of Glasgow. Having worked for over a decade as a lecturer in Taiwan, he is now settled with his family in Dorset. Lyttleton Siren is his first novel.
Malcolm Alexander: I never really knew my father. He died when I was eight. The news was devastating. Unbelievable. True to the spirit of the time, life carried on and I was back in school on Monday morning …
The Father I Barely Knew
Steve Beed is a retired teacher, now working for a local charity. He has self-published seven novels, which do not fit into specific genres but explore the complexities and nuances of human nature and relationships, but in a fun way. He is married with three children and a cat.
Blog
Angela Joyce was born in Plymouth in 1959 and spent her childhood there.
She started writing seriously at age 60. Her debut novel The Rydle Year was published this year and is a coming-of-age novel set in 1970s Plymouth. Angela lives in Cumbria but visits Devon regularly.
After a children’s adventure story in her early 20s, which sank immediately, Mary Georgina wrote no fiction until about ten years ago. She was creating languages courses for schools and one editor asked her to produce a pack of French short stories and poems – and she was off on her writer’s journey: she enjoyed this dip into fiction so much, she had to write a novel. But life was busy, and it wasn’t until lockdown that she began to write seriously.
As a linguist, she finds it logical to use the setting of countries she’s lived and worked in, and this forces her to try to understand the culture and how it affects anyone with a different background. Stuck at home, she wanted to travel, and Italy glowed in her mind as a desirable place to visit, and so her first published novel began. Then The Earth Moved was published in 2023.
The main character is always a strong young woman determined to make her way in the world and each novel has a love story at its centre.
She lives on the beautiful English Riviera with her artist husband where she indulges in her passion of writing, reading and creating things, especially in fabric.
Mary Elizabeth Earle Too old to write a book. Never! At 74 I felt inspired to write this moving account of a vulnerable young girl, whose life was changed by the unsavory actions of her knight in shining armour. Can Mary survive or will her life fall apart. It’s a poignant testament to the human spirit.
Captain Brian Sloan served in the RFA service 1976 -91; Mercy Ships medical vessels 1992 – 2000; Marine Reach 2001 – 2017 and was Principal of a Maritime Academy 2018 – 2024. He is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and was given the Freedom of the City of London in 2023.
The Dagger and the Rosary (wordsri.com review site)
The Dagger and the Rosary: Amazon.co.uk: Brian Sloan: 9781035806447: Books
After spending her youth working abroad and travelling, Ebberley Finch settled in London.
She has now swapped a busy corporate life to live in Devon. After starting anew several times herself, Ebberley loves to explore new beginnings and the friendships, rewards and challenges that come with them. A theme which runs through all her novels so far.
Lock, Stock and Harold - https://mybook.to/oI50Vw
The Seaside Sisterhood - https://mybook.to/Gjnwfu
Highly praised Stargazing for All was released in April this year, Karen Hedges is a telescope presenter, Moon lover, gives astronomy talks, has a regular online global radio station slot, and enjoys adventures with Maldwyn the Mouse… and aims to inspire people of all ages to look up and around.
Find Karen Hedges on Facebook and www.karenhedges.co.uk
Debbie Young writes warm, witty, feel-good contemporary fiction full of English humour, inspired by life in the Cotswold village which has been her home for over 30 years. Published by Boldwood Books, she has three bestselling cosy mystery series, and her latest novel is Death at the Village Christmas Fair.
Website: www.authordebbieyoung.com
Facebook: @AuthorDebbieYoung
Instagram: @debbieyoungauthor
Founder & Director of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival
Represented by the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
Terri Nixon was born in Plymouth, grew up in Cornwall, and is a true ‘hybrid author,’ being traditionally, independently, and self-published. She writes family sagas as Terri, and contemporary crime as T.H. Nixon. Terri has also written a popular mythic folklore series set on Bodmin Moor: The Lynher Mill Chronicles.
Website: www.terrinixon.com
kid-ethic is a design studio by the sea, run by Mark Swan. The studio has been established for a decade and Mark has worked in the creative industry for nearly 20 years. We work predominately in the publishing, film and music industry but always welcome a challenge in new areas.
http://kid-ethic.com
Ali Simpson is a former speech writer and magazine editor and resident of Torquay, and was a published author of romances before switching genre to write sparkling murder mysteries set on the English Riviera in the 1930s. ‘Murder under the Rock’ is the first in a series featuring amateur detectives, Kitty and Nora Markham.
When not writing, Ali loves travelling and walking for fitness.
Richard Frost is the author of the Eastwood Story series of novellas. These are contemporary fiction stories of hope over adversity, love and loss, tears and laughter. Also a writer of non-fiction, Richard is a former mental health professional and lay minister living in Marldon.
Maria McCarthy is an author, journalist, creative writing tutor, editor and publishing coach. She offers editing services and tailored advice on both traditional and indie publishing and teaches creative writing in Exeter and East Devon. Maria has lectured on publishing at Bath and Bristol universities and literature festivals. www.mariamccarthypublishing.co.uk
Christine Tipper writes murder mysteries set in a bookshop in Exeter where the owner, Paige Harper and her terrier, Sprite figure out clues and solve murders. Filled with a natural curiosity, Christine speaks French, Spanish and Nepali and, when not writing, reading, painting, exercising or eating cake, loves to chat.
You can find Christine on Facebook at Christine Tipper Cosy Mystery Author Facebook and on Instagram @christine_tipper_author
You can join her mailing list at https://christinetipper.com/join
Madeline Dyer writes SFF and horror. Her debut novel Untamed (Prizm Books, 2015; Ineja Press, 2017) won the 2015 SIBA award for Best Dystopian Novel. Her first anthology Being Ace (Page Street YA, 2023) received a starred review from School Library Journal and was named a 2024 Lammy Award Finalist. Madeline also writes romance and light-hearted contemporary fiction as Elin Annalise.
Rolande Burrows says that It’s never too late to re-think... don’t be afraid of what you might find!
I’ve written stage plays, screenplays, exam syllabuses, reports, a weekly newspaper column, TV commercials and even a book!
All needed research, but be wary. Because the old adage still applies:- “Never let truth get in the way of a good story!”
rolande@live.co.uk
Martin Levinson is an academic, novelist, playwright – and occasionally, poet. He co-wrote Dreams of the Road (Birlinn Press) and also two stage plays, Beyond Expectations and The Ghosts of Mr Dickens. He has spoken twice at ‘Ways with Words’, and been interviewed on Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed. His writing is eclectic, sometimes humorous, occasionally, satirical. His most recent novels are How to Survive the 21st Century: A Handbook for Pensioners and My Hamster, The Führer.
Pam Keevil lives in and loves the glorious countryside of Gloucestershire.
Her first career was in teaching. She’s now a published author, intrigued by the psychological interplay and relationships between characters. Her latest is a crime thriller, “An Ill Wind”, the first in a series featuring Detective Mark Mulroney.
Peter Keevil’s main career was in leadership development, delivering programmes in aspects of leadership. He now focuses on writing on wellbeing and happiness. His first two published works are Finding Happiness After Covid and How To Be Happy. He’s currently working on his third book, to be called Pathways to Happiness.
Amy Sparkes is a New York Times bestselling author who writes energetic, funny and heartfelt stories for adults and children of all ages, including 'The House At The Edge of Magic' series. Amy also writes scripts for film/TV, works as a writing coach and runs Sword and Fiddle Productions.
Links: www.amysparkes.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmySparkesAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkes_amy
Blue Sky: @amysparkes.bsky.social on Bluesky
Lynne McVernon is a local writer with a background in theatre (including The Young Vic and National Theatres) and a love of the Dodecanese Islands - which inspired her novels Terrible With Raisins and Jigsaw Island.
Geoff Cox, passionate about books throughout his life, has been buying & selling books since he moved to Devon in 1976. From Totnes Market he expanded to Book Fairs across England. Special interests include West Country, literature, art, children’s books, local history & transport. Member of the PBFA.
07731 563347
