SOCIAL MEDIA
Copyright © CAITHNESS BOOK FESTIVAL 2024
Enjoy a variety of 14 Authors...
Glyn F Salisbury has always harboured an interest in writing. His father encouraged him endlessly during his early years. A lot later on, he managed to get a few articles and short stories into print. Then, in his sixties, a friend said -
He released a book of short stories, The Pool, followed by a novella called The Empty House. It was warmly received and Glyn quickly realised his writing heart was into creating the longer story.
The Wrath Of Wick was next and proved so popular, it spawned the idea of a nine part Warlock Saga. He hopes to launch the penultimate part of this saga at the festival, The Devil’s Game. With the finale arriving around Christmas 2023.
GLYN F SALISBURY
I am based in Easter Ross, where I run Two Blue Dogs Designs from home studio. I am supervised by my two Border Collies and a cat who also inspire my artwork and stories.
The Bath Escape is about my cat and dogs. Easter has lost a lot of her bouncing balls down rabbit holes and in the sea. Zero the cat and the other sheepdogs get together to cheer her up and get some of them back.
They use The Bath Escape, a small submarine made from an old bath and guided by CatNav they navigate the seas to find Easter’s lost balls.
What an adventure they have, making new friends along the way…
EMMA HELYER
JONATHAN CREED
Local writer, Margaret Mackay won the inaugural prize for a short story competition organised and administered by Perth College with her factual story ‘The Kilns’ in which she related the history of her home, previously a herring kiln. This competition is now an annual event.
Being a member of Caithness Writers she has had stories published in several of their anthologies: Anthology of Caithness Crime, Beyond the Mist, Stacks, Flights of Imagination and Connections.
After the success of her first novel, No More Secrets, No More Lies, inspired by her visit to Malaysia, she has written other novels. Exotic, sometimes with tragic consequences, and Scarred blossomed into a full length novel.
MARGARET MACKAY
I live in Orkney and mainly write fiction -
My first book, The Organist, is a historical romance set in 1911/12. I have also had an anthology of fantasy stories published (Where the Ocean Meets the Sky) and two humorous fantasy novels -
I also write Neolithic whodunits set in Orkney (the Marna Mysteries) under the name of B K Bryce and I am currently working on the fourth book in the series.
BARBARA STEVENSON
J D Currums is a writer living in the North of Scotland. She served as a police officer in London for fourteen years with a particular interest in domestic abuse, sexual offences and missing persons. This was followed by a stint as the landlady of an Oxfordshire village pub.
Her primary genre is crime, incorporating some of the colourful characters she has encountered. She also has a strong interest in fantasy and
supernatural thrillers along with young adult fiction.
Although a writer of many years, her publishing journey began in 2024 with the release of a debut historical fiction short story, ‘Condemned’ which was paired with an artistic exhibition exploring the past persecution of women in relation to witchcraft.
JULIETTE CURRUMS
Evelyn was born and brought up in Morayshire and currently lives in Elgin with her husband. She has twin daughters, now living independently in Edinburgh, who she enjoys spending time with.
Evelyn retired from a long and varied career as an NHS dietitian, at the end of December 2021. She spent her final 15 years working for NHS Highland, laterally in a specialist role covering the social care sector. The North coast 500 was very much her office for much of that time and she reflects how fortunate she was to have been paid to travel through so much beautiful countryside. Her job linked in across many national agencies and professional bodies, so she is well known to many in Scotland.
EVELYN NEWMAN
I’m a local author, living in the Highlands of Scotland. It took me over 30 years to come to live here, but here I am now, having moved from East Sussex in 2021.
I was born in India of Anglo Indian/Eurasian parents, residing in old colonial railway colonies. We lived a charmed but borrowed european lifestyle, attending catholic convents, far from home and being taught by Belgian and Irish nuns.Barely here I landed back in the arms of more nuns, until a further escape at sixteen to a teenage life at a college of further education. I followed in the footsteps of family into careers in nursing, teaching, and then breaking free in my early thirties by setting up my own business in design and textiles.
BETH JORDON
Beth is currently a full time PhD student and primary initial teacher educator (ITE) lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. She has been in love with picture books throughout her career as an early childhood educator and has always desired to write her own. Beth is from Missouri in the United States where she attended the University of Missouri and began her teaching career in 1999. She came to Scotland for her PhD and fell in love with it and the UK.
After COVID lockdown Beth took a part-
BETH MCCLURE
Lora M Sands cut her writing teeth on short stories and flash fiction. After winning a competition realised she really could tell a story. With this in mind she released a book of short stories called Ruler Of The Kingdom. It was well received and then had an idea for her first book.
Her book, A Death In The Gallery, was released later. Readers loved it and her characters. Lora is now in the middle of a new case for the characters to solve.
Again, starting creative writing late in life, proved daunting and rewarding.
With encouragement from a writing group and plenty of reading, her mind is constantly coming up with idea’s for stories.
LORA M SANDS
Gideon Hodge (aka – Nikolas Baxter) when not rescuing manuscripts from burning buildings, has worked as an actor and entertainer throughout the eastern United States. He has taught workshops on a variety of topics in the areas of performance and writing techniques throughout the United States.
His debut novel, Lilith’s Redemption, came out in 2014 and was met with great reviews and given a short film available for viewing online.
His second novel, the first in a series, Aether Sphere released in 2021 to similar acclaim. (Also known as the manuscript rescued from the fire.) Book 2 is scheduled to release in 2024.
GIDEON HODGE
Wiltshire born writer Mark followed in his father’s footsteps and became a published author in 2019. Four of Mark's titles have since been reprinted due to exceptional sales.
Mark has appeared on ITV, Channel 5, the History Channel, and BBC Radio. His stories have been dramatised on Canadian radio; and featured in newspaper serial form. A story from Mark’s collection of Yorkshire mysteries, The Dark Side of the Dales, recently featured on Channel 5’s documentary series Manhunt. His 2023 title Erased is perhaps the first hybrid paperback with its trademarked logo.
MARK BRIDGERMAN
Charlotte Platt is a legal professional based in the far north of Scotland writing speculative fiction and horror.
Her recent novel One Smile More was released in June 2024 and her upcoming novella, Treasured Guest, is coming out in March 2025.
She received a Masters in Creative Writing through the Open University in 2021, achieving a merit class, and is an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.
CHARLOTTE PLATT
I started writing poetry when I was in primary school. I wrote small poems for friends to put
inside cards to their friends and families for special occasions.
In high school, my English teacher always praised me on my vivid imagination, unfortunately my grammar was terrible. My parents bought me my first oxford dictionary when I turned 12 years old. Not really the present you would tell your friends about though.
I loved studying literature, but detested English Classes as I could not grasp the technical part of the English language. I was useless at foreign languages too. Later in life I discovered how much I enjoyed writing short stories and being able to express my feelings through my writing.
ANN-
Three Childrens categories
Adult category
Winners will be selected by one or two of the authors present.
Trophies and Certificates will also be presented
Raffle draw.
Time permitting
Author Panel question & answer session.
END OF SHOW
Entertainment from Authors, readers and workshops……
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After leaving Secondary school I began working in the book trade in Oxford in various independent bookshops, moving from one to another to gain promotion. During this time, I ran several bookstalls at events in colleges and churches in and around Oxford.
I choose to locate my first novel (A Sutherland Murder) in and around East Sutherland in an attempt to draw more people to this part of Scotland by raising the awareness of this beautiful county. While also allowing locals who may read them to recognise the areas described in the text. This title has been reprinted four times since then as has the second title (No Body at Ben Bhraggie) which was published six months later.
