I have been a writer of fiction for many years, initially as a short story writer for women’s magazines when I was published extensively, nationally and internationally.

After completing an M.A. in Creative Writing, I turned to full length fiction and have now written four novels with a fifth close to completion. My novels are character driven – their genre is book group/commercial/literary crossover with themes of the complexities of family life, relationships and the influence of the past upon present lives. Set in the latter years of the 20th century and the opening decade of the 21st, each novel is a standalone story.

My fifth novel is something of a departure for me: set in London during WW2 with themes of conscientious objection as well as duty and familial obligation, it is my first venture into what can be considered historic fiction.

In addition to writing, I run creative writing classes and workshops and enjoy speaking to a wide range of societies and groups about my creative process and my long writing career.

In Teachers, Schools and Views on Education, John Howson brings together a year of sharp, timely reflections on the English education system at a moment of rapid change. Written as events unfolded, these commentaries capture the pressures facing teachers, the shifting demands on schools, and the policy decisions that shaped the national conversation throughout 2013.

With his trademark clarity and deep understanding of the teacher labour market, Howson offers readers a grounded, insightful narrative that connects policy to practice and national debate to classroom reality. From recruitment challenges to governance reforms, from curriculum shifts to workforce morale, this book provides a rare contemporaneous record of a pivotal year.

Essential reading for educators, policymakers, researchers, and anyone seeking to understand how the forces of policy and practice interact, this volume stands as both a historical document and a lens through which to view today’s ongoing debates.

Mario Coelho is a award wining children’s book illustrator based in Oxford with several mainstream picture book publications including with the prestigious Oxford University Press and several independent publications with the very well known and acclaimed children’s poet John foster.

Very recently I have worked alongside the great illustrator Korky Paul for a publishing project with Epic Tales where we both illustrated several titles.

‘Life is serious, but is not to be lived too seriously’. Serious or humorous, my poems are always good-natured.

I write when I have something to say, and I feel I have found the right way to say it. It’s about having fun with words and meaning, using words skilfully to say things differently, and saying the familiar in unfamiliar ways.

In 2017 I self-published a collection of poetry and wit as Particles of Light, with a 2nd edition in 2025. The book has been well received and has sold well in my local bookshops.

Intersecting Lines, my second collection, was traditionally published by indie publisher Beercott Books in 2021. In 2025 Beercott Books published my third collection, titled Reflections. These two collections continue to reflect my interest in people, love, the natural world, and the human condition.

In 2025 I also compiled together the sections of wit from my 3 collections and published it as Wit ‘n Word. There are poems to move you, to surprise you, and to make you laugh. The humorous poems and one-liners are there for entertainment, to be enjoyed, though they often contain a ‘sting in the tail’. I hope readers will enjoy reading my poems and will feel I am putting their own experiences and emotions into words.

I read regularly at poetry ‘open mics’ and at local literary events, and I give talks about my poetry to community groups.

Walton Street Writers is a writing group founded by Sara Banerji. We meet regularly to share our writing, and thoughts on life, americanos and flat whites. We aim to be helpful to each other, and offer observations in an open and uncritical way. We have published several anthologies including Tales from a Bookshop, Tales from a Café, and most recently, Côte Tales (2024) which you can find on Amazon.

Writers whose work features in Côte Tales:

Anne Harrap, Catherine Hurst, Charles Bidwell, Harold Roffey, J.M Kennedy, Jane Spiro, Jenny Burrage, Keith McClellan, M.S. Clary, Neil Hancox, Sara Banerji, Valerie Dearlove and Simon Howard.

Additional members of Walton Street Writers not mentioned above are Maria Armero, Carol Lange, Sheila Johnson and Julie Dyson.

Several members have published novels, memoirs and poetry, and collections of their own stories.

Results Department Editorial Services is run by Helen Johns, an award-winning copywriter and supplier of editorial services in Oxfordshire. Helen specialises in providing editorial support, copywriting, copy editing and proofreading services to authors and businesses. Her background is based on 40 years’ experience of editorial, sales and marketing roles in book and magazine publishing and other businesses.

Helen can edit your book for publication, whether it’s fiction, biography or memoir, or non-fiction. I’ll check for consistency, clarity, and relevance; ensure grammar, syntax, diction, spelling and punctuation are correct; reduce over-long sentences where required; double-check that text references and footnotes are accurate; remove unwanted formatting, and check fonts are consistent.

Helen is also a first-class proofreader: checking for spelling and punctuation errors in headings and body copy; reviewing consistency of headings, references and pagination; ensuring fonts are consistent; dealing with missing or repeated text; and ensuring captions and source references are correct.