Patrick Gale – in conversation with Sophie Pierce From beloved, bestselling author Patrick Gale comes a searing portrayal of escape and the power of love, home and a family. Love Lane is a brilliant new standalone novel featuring characters from Patrick’s Costa-shortlisted novel A Place Called Winter. 1950s Northern England. Three generations of men, two of women. When veteran Canadian wheat...

Bob and his feline friend have escaped shipwreck and are off on a nautical treasure hunt. They meet many friendly animals along the way who guide them to an oceanic volcano where the treasure is hidden and guarded by a mysterious creature. Will the friends find the treasure, will they escape the volcano?! This beautifully written tale is the perfect sequel to Bosun Bob The Salty Old Sea Dog. ...

Alison Huntingford is an only child of two only children and so has always felt a distinct lack of family. This inspired her to research her family history and led her to write her debut novel, ‘ The Glass Bulldog ’, based on the true story of one of her ancestors, which was nominated for the Walter Scott prize for Historical Fiction in 2019. Her second full length novel, ‘ A Ha’penny Will Do ’ ...

Alec Smith has a passion for books. He collects rare books, first editions, as well as letters and original documents. He has amassed an amazing collection of books over the years including some unique Tolkien and JK Rowling editions. A recent acquisition is a letter written by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson a week before the Battle of Trafalgar eerily predicting his own death. Alec will discuss h...

A 1.5 hour guided walk around Dartmouth visiting the places where Dartmouth writers lived and worked. Hear stories of a non-conformist preacher, banned from Dartmouth, whose sermons are still in print today; of the Victorian politician and inventor who wrote a gothic ghost story for his friend, about Dartmouth’s Gomerock Tower. Listen to poems about the River Dart, and Townstal Church, by a Dartm...

An Axe and Four Balloons is Tim Spicer’s fascinating biography of Brian Franks, who has been accredited as one of the founding fathers of the SAS, although until now, he has been largely unknown outside the Special Operations world. Brian Franks was loved by officers and soldiers alike; he was tough, charismatic and charming. Initially, he joined the hotel business, but in 1939 Franks was commi...

Join writers Jonathan Posner and Keith Rossiter on an adventure into the world of imagination. Jonathan Posner is a full-time author and publisher based in Exeter. He has written and published six action-adventure novels set in Tudor England. He has also written and published two anthologies; one of short stories and the other of ‘old bloke having a rant’ articles. Earlier works include librett...

Julian Carnell has been Director of The Sharpham Trust for over ten years. The Trust owns a historic estate on the banks of the river, downstream from Totnes, offering mindfulness retreats with a focus on reconnecting people to the natural world. Three years ago, he helped create the Wild Dart Partnership to bring together over twenty organisations, landowners and community groups with the aim of ...

Come along to this session if you are interested in our fascinating local history. Members of the group will be available to talk about their work, and their locally published books will be available to buy. Their most recent publication is: When War Came to the Dart, by Gail Ham and Hilary Sunman, which combines the memories of local people with official records and other contemporary accounts to...

From devils and druids to timeless tors, join artist Alex Murdin and writer Sophie Pierce for an illustrated talk exploring the magic and mystery of Dartmoor. Their new book, Rock Idols: a guide to Dartmoor in 28 tors, is thought to be the first illustrated guide to Dartmoor in many years, with new, original drawings of these mysterious monoliths. Sophie and Alex will share their adventures explor...