BeaconLit 2026

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.

Website:

 https://www.davesivers.co.uk/

AMMAN BRAR is a writer and theatre maker. He has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA. He was one of the inaugural winners of the BBC Writersroom 10 Award for his play Punjabi Boy with Tamasha Theatre Co where he was also Artist in Residence. 

Amman’s father was a sub-postmaster during the 1980s and 1990s, and as soon as he was able, Amman was ‘encouraged’ to work in the shop after school and at weekends. He saw how respected his father was and how the locals loved having a post office as a hub for the community. 

Mr Sidhu’s Post Office is Amman’s debut novel and pays tribute to his father and the community he served for decades, while also honouring the struggle of the victims of the Horizon scandal. 

Amman will be speaking at the New Voices panel. 

Website: https://ammanpaulsinghbrar.com/about/

MADELEINE DUNNIGAN will be speaking in the New Voices panel and her bio will be uploaded shortly.

Website: https://www.madeleinedunnigan.com/

 NATALIE GREGORY, like her protagonist in her debut novel, Mother, Ghost, Mango Seed, had a Thai mother. It was the accidental disposal of Natalie’s mother’s recipes, shortly after her mother passed away, which eventually inspired the novel’s inciting incident. 

With a BA in English and History and an MSc in International Politics, Natalie has made a career out of writing for others, including as a speechwriter, but her passion has always been fiction. Her short story, A Bowl of Soup, was published in Together in the UK’s anthology, Hear our Stories by Victorina Press in August 2023. This story also won the Creative Writing NZ flash fiction competition and was shortlisted for the Exeter Short Story Prize. Natalie lives in Buckinghamshire. 

She will be partaking in the New Voices panel.

Instagram: @nataliegregory_writes

We're lucky to be joined by ILONA BANNISTER for the Genre? What Genre? panel. 

Her bio will follow shortly. 

STEPHANIE BRAMWELL-LAWES grew up in the historic city of Bath and studied

History and Ancient History at Exeter University.

A lifelong love of literature led to a career in publishing in 2009, and her passion for books has only continued to grow ever since. Her favourite novels include Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, and anything by Tracy Chevalier. 

She currently lives in a restored asylum in Warwickshire with her husband and a small feline dictator named Ruby. Thornby Manor is her debut novel.

Stephanie will be part of the Genre? What Genre? discussion.

X and Instagram: @BramwellLawes (X and Instagram)

ERIN KELLY is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She Said, Stone Mothers/We Know You Know, Watch Her Fall, The Skeleton Key and The House of Mirrors, as well as Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the award-winning TV series.

The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier crime novel of the year award and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. The Skeleton Key was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller and was selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. 

Born in London in 1976, Erin lives in north London with her husband and daughters. As a headliner, Erin Kelly will be in conversation with Dave Sivers. 

Website: https://www.erinkelly.co.uk/copy-of-home