BeaconLit 2024 Authors confirmed

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Claudia Cadette was born in London and she is of St Lucian parentage. She has enjoyed a career in the Performing Arts industry as an actress, singer, and dancer for over three decades. She has worked alongside many prolific actors, directors, and producers at numerous venues in the UK, including the National Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall.

As an actress, Claudia has appeared in The Phlebotomist at Hampstead Theatre, directed by Sam Yates (2019). She has also appeared in West End musicals including the original London cast of RENT (Shaftesbury Theatre); the original cast of The Big Life (Apollo Theatre/TRSE); and the original cast of Miss Saigon at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. She appeared in the Olivier award-winning best revival of a play, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof with the legendary James Earl Jones at the Novello Theatre, London in 2009/10, directed by Debbie Allen. Claudia’s television credits include: Family Affairs (Ch 5); Emmerdale and Coronation Street (ITV); Holby City and Doctors (BBC).

Claudia has  loved writing for pleasure from an early age and decided to return to study for a BA (hons) Degree in Social, Cultural & Creative Processes at Goldsmiths University, London in 2006, developing her writing on topical social and political issues, as well as undertaking modules in Creative Writing. Soon after, Claudia decided to embark on a career in teaching and qualified as a Primary Teacher with a PGCE in Primary Education (QTS) from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2007. Claudia’s continued thirst for education and self-development led her to study for a MSc in Psychology (2019) at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Spectrum of Colours is Claudia’s debut novel.

Website:  www.claudiacadette.com 

See her 9:35-10:30 at the New Voices Panel.

Amy Twigg was born and raised in Kent. After studying Creative Writing at university, she moved to Surrey where she works as a freelance copywriter. Her debut novel, Spoilt Creatures, won the BPA Pitch Prize and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition and Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award. She is also an alumnus of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course.

X/Twitter: @aetwigg

See her 9:35-10:30 at the New Voices Panel.

Joanna Wallace studied Law at Birmingham University before working as a commercial litigation solicitor in London. She now runs a family business and lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, four children and two dogs. Her first novel, You’d Look Better as a Ghost, was published by Viper in 2023 and won the Crime Fiction Lover Debut Novel Award. It was published by Penguin in the US in April 2024 where it was Barnes & Noble’s thriller of the month. Her second novel, The Dead Friend Project, will be published in July 2024. 

X/Twitter and Instagram: @jowallaceauthor

See her 9:35-10:30 at the New Voices Panel.

Adele Parks MBE was born in North Yorkshire. She is the author of 22 bestselling novels including the Sunday Times bestsellers Both Of You and One Last Secret. 4.75 million UK editions of her work have been sold and her books have been translated into 31 different languages. She is an ambassador of the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency: two charities that promote literacy in the UK. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature.Website: adeleparks.com
Picture provided by Teeside University Library
 

See her at 10:45-11:35 in Conversation.

Robert Gainer is a man of many talents, currently living in Coventry. He plays trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn and writes fiction, poetry and performance reviews. He has a BA in European Studies, a MSc in Criminology and is currently working towards his PhD within the Warwick Writing Programme at the University of Warwick. 

He was involved in the 2020 We Speak Poetry project in Coventry and has been published in online poetry magazine BoundBy. He has been writing for Bachtrack since 2015, the world’s largest site for live and streamed classical music, opera and dance. He has also had theatre reviews published in StageTalk Magazine and is currently in discussion about having a printed poetry pamphlet.  

See him 11:55-12:45 at the Poetry Circle. 

Poet Olga Dermott-Bond is originally from Northern Ireland but now lives in Warwickshire, working as an assistant headteacher at a secondary school. She studied English at the University of St. Andrews and is a former Warwick Poet Laureate. 

Her work is published in magazines like Under the Radar, Rattle Magazine and Dodging the Rain. She has also won several poetry competitions, including the 2019 BBC Prom, Welshpool and Shelley 200. In 2021 she was a commissioned artist for the Coventry City of Culture event and has appeared on the podcast Bedtime Stories for the End of the World.

 She has published two pamphlets, apple, fallen (2020) and A Sky Full of Strange Specimens (2021), and a full poetry collection, Frieze (2023). 

X: @olgadermott

Instagram:  olgadermott

See her 11:55-12:45 at the Poetry Circle.

Will Burns is a Wendover-based poet and fiction writer with an interest in the wilderness, ornithology and sports. He was born in London but moved to Wendover as a child when his parents wanted to live closer to home. Will Burns has lived, worked and studied in London and was even in a band with his brother for a time but now lives once more in Buckinghamshire. He also runs a small publishing business, Rough Trade Books, with his wife Nina and is the Poet-in-Residence at Caught by the River.  

In 2014 he was named one of the Faber & Faber New Poets and released a pamphlet later that year. His first full length collection, Country Music, was published in 2020, with his first novel, The Paper Lantern following a year later. In March 2024 his second poetry collection, Natural Burial Ground, was published.  

Twitter/X: @TroubledStriker 

Website: https://willburns.co.uk/   

Picture copyright belongs to Antonio Olmos 

See her 11:55-12:45 at the Poetry Circle.

Claire Steele has run creative writing workshops and Magical Journeys Creative Writing Retreats for over fifteen years. She has taught in prisons, dementia cafés, on the tops of double-decker buses, on airport runways, in gypsy caravans and on narrowboats, as well as in the more expected locations for a writing workshop.

She also runs Constellations Press, a new local independent press seeking to publish exceptional books by debut writers.

Claire also runs Constellations Literary Consultancy, offering editorial and mentoring support to writers to prepare their work for publishing. 

 www.constellationspress.co.uk

www.constellationsconsultancy.co.uk

See her 11:55-12:45 at the Writing Workshop.

 Adina Campbell is a BBC UK Correspondent for BBC News whose brief includes delivering stories on criminal justice, policing, race and equality. Adina was previously the BBC’s Community Affairs Correspondent and, before working in network news, she used to report and present on BBC South Today covering stories in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas. Adina is a fitness enthusiast and a mum of two.   

See her 13:30-13:40 and  13:40-14:30.

Daisy Goodwin's work as a TV producer and presenter includes Reader I Married Him, Bookworm and The Nation’s Favourite Poems; she is also the creator of Grand Designs and the hit ITV drama Victoria, which has sold to 134 countries.

She has edited numerous poetry anthologies, including the bestselling 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life. She is the author of Silver River, a memoir, as well as three bestselling novels: My Last Duchess, The Fortune Hunter and Victoria. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages. Her latest novel is Diva.

www.daisygoodwin.co.uk

See her 13:40-14:30 in Conversation.

Domenica de Rosa was born in London, studied English at King’s College London and worked in publishing before writing her first novel, The Italian Quarter. Three books followed before she turned to crime with The Crossing Places and was advised to get a ‘crime name’. 

As Elly Griffiths (her grandmother’s name) she is the author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway series, the Brighton Mysteries and three stand-alone crime novels. She won the 2020 Edgar Award for The Stranger Diaries and, in 2016, was awarded the CWA Dagger in The Library. The 15th Ruth book, The Last Remains, published in January 2023, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Elly also writes the Justice Jones mystery series for children. She lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband, Andy, and has two grown-up children and a cat. 

Website: www.ellygriffiths.co.uk

Facebook: ellygriffiths.co.uk

X: @ellygriffiths

Instagram: ellygriffiths17

See her 14:50-15:40 in Conversation.

Dave Sivers grew up in West London and has been writing all his life, including columns and articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as short stories in Take a Break magazine and other publications. His books include the popular crime fiction series featuring the Aylesbury Vale detectives, DI Lizzie Archer and DS Dan Baines. His latest novel, Price to Pay is the seventh in the series and his twelfth published title. His DI Nathan Quarrel books are set in Hertfordshire.

 Dave lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, Chris, and is a founder of the annual BeaconLit Festival of books and writing.

davesivers.co.uk

See him 14:50-15:40 in Conversation.

Harriet Queralt combines a lifetime of teaching English with experience on the 

local literary scene, both in book retail and as an interviewer at festivals and other 

events.

See her 16:00-16:50 at Catching Them Young.

Eve Ainsworth is a working-class award-winning and Carnegie nominated children’s author. She writes for middle grade and teen readers. Her debut novel for adults, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in Spring 2022. Her children's books have been shortlisted for the UKLA award, UK Sports Award and been featured in the Blue Peter Book Club.

Eve was born and raised in Crawley, West Sussex and is one of seven children. Eve is fiercely proud of her working class roots and her large, loud family. She still lives in Crawley with her husband, two young children and crazy pets. She works part time as a Safeguarding Lead. 

Eve has vast experience working as a public speaker and creative workshop coordinator for schools, libraries and other national and international events. She is also an experienced mentor, passionate about helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Website: www.eveainsworth.com

See her 16:00-16:50 at Catching Them Young.

Ravena Guron, a born and bred Londoner, writes Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, usually featuring antiheroines or snarky narrators. Her published works are This Book Kills (Jan 2023), The Thief of Farrowfell (May 2023) and Catch Your Death (Dec 2023).  Growing up, she always read the last page of books first, but discovering Agatha Christie in her early teens stopped that habit, igniting a love of twisty murder-mysteries with jaw-dropping endings the reader never saw coming.

Ravena is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and hopes to use the knowledge gained from her experiences to plot the perfect murder (for a book, of course!). In her spare time, Ravena enjoys hiking in the great outdoors (though nothing too mountainous because she's very clumsy), baking cakes (that never rise) and falling asleep to her thousandth re-watch of Friends.

X/Twitter: @RavenaGuron

See her 16:00-16:50 at Catching Them Young.

Yasmin Rahman is a British Muslim born and raised in Hertfordshire. She loves issue-led YA books with heart and humour, especially ones that experiment with form. Her debut novel All The Things We Never Said was nominated for the Carnegie award and was runner up in the inaugural Diverse Book Awards. Her most recent book, Why is Nobody Laughing? won the North Herts Schools book award.

She has an MA in Creative Writing and an MA in Writing for Young People, both with Distinction. When she’s not writing, she makes bookish fan art; her designs are sold worldwide on behalf of bestselling authors John Green & Colleen Hoover.

X/Twitter: @YasminwithanE

See her 16:00-16:50 at Catching Them Young.