As a primary school French teacher, I couldn’t find anything written in simple French that brought what I was teaching in class together, so I started writing stories during the holidays. The boys that I taught were a tough audience to please, but they really enjoyed the stories, so I published them. That was twenty years ago. There are now 14 books in the Berthe the Witch French series, each on a different theme and, following requests from Spanish teachers, two titles have been translated into Spanish.

Berthe is a kind, green Witch with a much-loved cat that likes ice cream. Each book contains a story, a word search, a game to play, a vocabulary list and, on the French books, there is a QR code which links to the stories being read – perfect if you’re not a confident French speaker. Junior Magazine included the series in an article on the ten best resources for learning a language. The latest book in the series is ‘Berthe A Perdu Son Chat. (Un Jeu de Cache-cache.)

Tom is the author of fifteen books of fantasy, SF and historical fiction – including the Twilight Reign series, The God Fragments and his latest series, The Devil Diaries. After a degree in International Relations he went straight into publishing where he still works. He never received the memo about suitable jobs for writers and consequently has never been a kitchen-hand, hospital porter, pigeon hunter, or secret agent. He lives in Oxford, isn’t one of those authors who gives a damn about the history of the font used in his books and only believes in forms of exercise that allow him to hit something.

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.

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.

Norman George was born in Bangor, Northern Ireland, where he grew up during the height of the troubles. Although he is a retired IT network manager, his real passion is for natural sciences, having studied Genetics and Cell Biology, Geosciences and Astronomy at Manchester and Open Universities.

He spent over 20 years living on mainland Europe, and spent several years hosting a ski chalet, where he became chef, driver, tourist guide and barman. His fascination for natural sciences, complemented by observation of humanity’s cultural conflicts, terrorism and the impact of mankind on nature, inspired his first novel.

‘Who Writes the Rules?’ published in 2023 presents scientific ideas and the author’s concerns about the impact of human activity. The story of Mosse and Heelia’s relationship examines how of cultural differences conflicts with their instincts, while providing a vehicle for discussing natural science within the context of the plot.

Norman’s 2nd novel, ‘Divine Intervention’, was inspired by visits to Athens and Delos, where the temples to the Greek gods are now in ruins. How would Athena react if she saw the horde of tourists surrounding the Parthenon?

A 3rd thought-provoking book is currently being researched, to be published in 2027.

Kiera has always been fascinated by the ways words can be used to twist insanity into perfect sense, and thought she better take some responsibility and twist some of it back again.