Lesley Thomson – William Shaw
Ready Steady Write
Join us for a multi-genre flash fiction writing challenge for all ages, abilities and interests. This exercise will be in two parts and each writer will have to feature three words in their piece but even we don’t know what they will be! Each participant will contribute a word to the pool and three will be randomly selected. Writers may work solo or in groups.
This is a free event. If you don’t have a reservation, please turn up on the door. We are sure there will be space.
Five on Brexit Island – Bruno Vincent
Bruno Vincent is the author of several humour titles including (with Jon Butler) the bestselling Do Ants Have Arseholes?, a Christmas No.1 back in the more innocent days of Myspace and News of the World. Bruno’s adaptations of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series for the modern world, including Five on Brexit Island and Five Lose Dad in the Garden Centre have sold more than a million copies combined. He has also written two volumes of gothic horror stories for children which were adapted for the stage.
Kate Hodges
Book now [12+] Kate Hodges has over 25 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including The Face, Bizarre, Just Seventeen, Smash Hits and Sky, and written for many more, including The Guardian, The Sunday Express, Kerrang! and NME. She has also worked for Rapido TV, makers of cult show Eurotrash, luxury brand marketing company Noir Luxe, and P For Production films. She writes part-time for The Green Parent magazine. Her first ‘proper’ book, Little London, a guide to free and cheap, family-friendly things to do in the capital, was published in 2014. Her book, London in an Hour, came out in 2016, and Rural London, in 2017. Her fourth book, I Know A Woman was published by Aurum in February 2018.
She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her two children. In her spare time, she plays in bands Ye Nuns and The Hare and Hoofe.
Patrice Lawrence
Book Now [12+]
Patrice Lawrence is an award-winning writer of stories for children and young people. Orangeboy, her debut book for young adults was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award, won the Bookseller YA Prize and Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction and has been shortlisted for many regional awards., her second book about young adults, was published in July 2017. It was book of the week in the The Times, Sunday Times and Observer and one of The Times top children’s books in 2017. Both books have been nominated for the Carnegie Award.
Ready Steady Write
Join us for a collaborative character creation and story writing activity. Will you be team adventure and thrills, fantasy and sci-fi or mystery and supernatural? Teams will create a protagonist and antagonist, then have 20 minutes to write a beginning, a middle and an end. All teams will have to assign traits to either their protagonist or their antagonist and there will be 3 words all teams must feature in their story. Challenge accepted?
This is a free event. If you don’t have a reservation, please turn up on the door. We are sure there will be space.
Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Book Now [3-7 years]
Patricia Cleveland-Peck has published fourteen children’s books including The String Family, Much Too Much, The Bus From Beyond and Shepherd Boy. She has also written adult books, plays and visited many countries as a travel journalist. Patricia lives on a smallholding in rural Sussex with lots of animals and a big untidy garden.
Alex Hourston in Conversation with Jane Lythell
Saturday / 7:30-8:30pm / The Big Pink Tent – Common
Alex Hourston’s debut, In My House was published by Faber and Faber in 2015. She was named as a New Face for Fiction by the Observer and the novel was a Guardian Book of the Year. 
Her second novel, Love After Love, is an adultery tale, published in March 2018, which has been described as ‘the kind of controversial novel that will be catnip to book groups,’ and as reading ‘with the pace of a thriller but the beauty of a tragic love story.’
Alex lives outside Brighton with her family.
Jane Lythell
Jane Lythell worked as a television producer and commissioning editor before becoming Deputy Director of the BFI and Chief Executive of BAFTA. 
Her latest novel, Behind Her Back, lifts the lid on the glamorous world of television.
Ready Steady Write (adults)
Saturday / 5-6pm / The Big Pink Tent – Common
Join us for a multi-genre flash fiction writing challenge for all ages, abilities and interests. This exercise will be in two parts and each writer will have to feature three words in their piece but even we don’t know what they will be! Each participant will contribute a word to the pool and three will be randomly selected. Writers may work solo or in groups.
Patrice Lawrence
Saturday / 2-3pm / The Big Pink Tent – Common
[12+]Patrice Lawrence is an award-winning writer of stories for children and young people. Orangeboy, her debut book for young adults was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award, won the Bookseller YA Prize and Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction and has been shortlisted for many regional awards. Her second book about young adults was published in July 2017. It was book of the week in the The Times, Sunday Times and Observer and one of The Times top children’s books in 2017. Both books have been nominated for the Carnegie Award.
