Clare Chambers
Clare Chambers was born in Croydon in 1966 and began her career as a secretary at the publisher André Deutsch, when Diana Athill was still at the helm. Her first novel was published by Deutsch in 1992.
Small Pleasures, her first work of fiction in a decade, became a word-of-mouth bestseller. It was chosen as a book of the year by The Times, Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, and Spectator, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2021 and won Pageturner of the Year at the British Book Awards 2022.
Her latest novel is Shy Creatures.
Lissa Evans
Lissa Evans has written seven novels, including Their Finest Hour and a Half (filmed as Their Finest) and a loose trilogy comprising Crooked Heart (longlisted for the Bailey’s Prize), the best-selling Old Baggage, and V for Victory. Her latest novel, Small Bomb at Dimperley, set in a large country house just after the war, was published in September 2024.
Two of her four books for children, Small Change for Stuart and Wed Wabbit, were shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Lissa has a background in radio and TV comedy production, and this year published a reminiscence about her time as the producer of the iconic sitcom ‘Father Ted’, entitled ‘Picnic on Craggy Island’.
Patrick Gale
Patrick Gale is a keen cellist, gardener, beekeeper and patron of the Penzance LitFest and Charles Causley Trust. He lives with his husband, the farmer and sculptor, Aidan Hicks, on their farm, Trevilley, at the western tip of Cornwall, where they open their garden every June for the National Gardens Scheme. In addition to his latest, Love Lane, his eighteen novels include Mother’s Boy (2022), Take Nothing With You (2018), which was his fourth Sunday Times bestseller, Rough Music (2000), Notes From an Exhibition (2007), A Perfectly Good Man (2012) and A Place Called Winter (2015). In 2017 his two-part drama Man in an Orange Shirt formed part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, won the International Emmy for best miniseries and is now being developed as a musical. He is currently working on a stage version of Take Nothing With You and adapting A Place Called Winter for television. He’s a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Mike Gayle
Mike Gayle has been a bestselling novelist for over 25 years and his books have been translated into more than 30 languages. The Man I Think I Know was selected for the Zoe Ball Book Club and Half A World Away and A Song of Me & You were both Richard & Judy Book Club picks.
Mike was longlisted for Best UK Author at the Specsavers National Book Awards and shortlisted for the Pageturner of the Year at the British Book Awards. In 2021, Mike received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists Association. Mike has sold over three million copies of his novels and his latest, Hope Street is out now.
Anna Mazzola
Anna is an award-winning writer of historical, Gothic and crime fiction. She also writes thrillers under the pen name Anna Sharpe.
Anna regularly appears at literary festivals and events and gives talks and teaches workshops on creative writing. She has previously tutored at The Novelry and The Arvon Foundation.
Her most recent historical novel, THE BOOK OF SECRETS, was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year in 2025. Her debut novel, THE UNSEEING, won an Edgar Allan Poe award in the US. Her fourth novel, THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS, won a Fingerprint Award for Best Historical Crime. Her bestselling third novel, THE CLOCKWORK GIRL, was shortlisted for two CWA Dagger awards and a Fingerprint Award, and nominated for the Dublin Literary award.
The first Anna Sharpe thriller NOTES ON A DROWNING was named as a thriller of the month in The Times, Daily Mail, i-Paper and Express.
Francis Spufford
Francis Spufford is the author of Golden Hill , which won the Costa First Novel Award in 2016 and three other literary prizes; also of Light Perpetual, longlisted for the Booker in 2021, and Cahokia Jazz in 2023. His most recent book Nonesuch was published by Faber in February 2026. He teaches writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He lives in Essex, and is married to the Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral.