The Flamstead Book Festival takes place amongst the medieval wall paintings of St Leonards’ church in a traditional village setting. You can hear from best-selling authors such as Tony Parsons, Clare Mulley and a number of top children’s writers. There are sessions on self-publishing, sports writing and gardening, with creative writing workshops for young people.
When? 5th and 6th of June 2015
Where? Flamstead, Hertfordshire, UK
Who? 2014 Authors include Tony Parsons (above), Jonathan Stroud, Dawn Finch, Pete Johnson, Steve Claridge, Mark Halsey, Clare Mulley and Matt Biggs.
Website? Flamstead Book Festival
Twitter? @FlamsteadBkFest
Founded? 2014
2014 Programme View or download the event programme as a pdf
Big, black scary shadows are everywhere but how do they get there and what makes them move and change? Innovative children’s publishersGinger Books will host a story session, reading from Grace Bowman’s Show me a Shadow, which combines science and fun to reveal the secrets of shadows. Then they need your help – making shadow-puppets. Under-7s but mums and dads welcome too.
Louis moves house but his new school is Swotsville and the pressure is on to succeed from mum and dad. Until that is he meets Maddy, who gives him the low-down on how to turn the tables and train his parents. Author PETE JOHNSON reads from How to Train Your Parents and its sequel My Parents are Out of Control, which was short-listed for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Over-10s but parents willing to be trained welcome too.
Children’s illustrator LAURA TRINDER, who specialises in comic and graphic novels, hosts a workshop on how to make a book.
Children’s fantasy novelist DAWN FINCH will tell us about Brotherhood of Shades, the story of Adam, a streetwise homeless boy in modern London who finds himself involved with a secret monastic order whose members are all ghosts. This thrilling and macabre tale takes us on an adventure that spans the living and the dead, traversing time as Adam battles to solve a prophetic riddle and save the world. What better setting than a medieval church?
Award-winning children’s poet JOHN MOLE will lead a poetry-writing workshop. Rhyming allowed. Just turn up with your imagination for what promises to be a fun session.
Books in the Belfry will be free of ghouls thanks to top children’s author JONATHAN STROUD who will bring along his own ghost-hunting kit to talk about his thrilling new series Lockwood and Co. There is an epidemic of ghosts in Britain and only children have the power to fight them! Lucy Carlyle, a young psychic investigator joins London’s smallest agency, run by charismatic Anthony Lockwood. But their case involves spending a night in the most haunted house in England… and trying to stay alive.
Children’s author SUE HAMPTON hosts a creative writing workshop for teenagers. Enjoy the freedom to be creative in an interactive and engaging session. You never know. You could go on to be the next JK Rowling.
With the advent of the Internet, e-books and the Kindle, it’s never been easier to get your own work out there. But how best to do it? LIONEL BIRNIE, AMANDA SMITH and IAN RIDLEY – three authors who successfully branched out into self-publishing – explain what prompted their decision to go it alone as well as the pitfalls and advice on how to market the end-product.
Come and take tea and talk tubers with MATT BIGGS, otherwise known as The People’s Gardener. Well known for his appearances on the long-running BBC Radio Four Gardeners’ Question Time this is GQT with a difference.
Award-winning author IAN RIDLEY discusses the art of sports writing and autobiographies with two leading football figures whose lives he has brought to the page. MARK HALSEY, who until he retired last summer, was the Premier League’s longest serving referee, will talk about Added Time, recently short-listed for Sports Biography of the Year. Then ex-Premier League footballer turned BBC pundit STEVE CLARIDGE recalls Tales from the Boot Camps and its sequel Beyond the Boot Camps. With the World Cup finals just days away there will also be the chance to quiz the panel on England’s chances in Brazil.
CLARE MULLEY’s extraordinary story of Christine Granville, Britain’s first female agent in the Second World War, was published to critical acclaim last year. The Spy Who Loved uncovers the secrets, loves and life of a war-time heroine whose contribution to the Allied effort earned her the George Medal. Clare will discuss code-breaking, honey-traps and our enduring fascination with spies. Expect to be shaken and stirred.
TONY PARSONS is known for his best-selling novels on the trials and tribulations of modern life, notably Man and Boy, which won the Book of the Year prize in 2001. Now he is moving in a new direction with the publication of his first crime thriller The Murder Bag, already listed in the top 10 must-read books this year. Be among the first to hear Tony explain why he created Max Wolfe, a coffee-loving, dog-walking, insomniac detective with a hunger for justice.
If you are involved in this festival you can update or change details via the organisers page . Authors can list here.