About the Authors 2026 - Biographies
Tracy Cook
Wings over Valletta is a heart wrenching and inspiring tale of courage, action and romance, at the heart of World War Two Malta. A story of mysterious family secrets, a mother’s search for her long-lost child and the impossible choice she ends up facing.
Tracy is a writer of historical fiction, fascinated by stories of ordinary women doing extraordinary things, especially in wartime. She is a former tv documentary producer and journalist, now living in Weybridge with her husband, where she is often to be found wrestling with thorny plot ideas as she goes for a long walk by the river.
Katie Griffiths
Katie Griffiths grew up in Ottawa, Canada, in a family originally from Northern Ireland. In 2024 she was awarded the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize. She is author of The Attitudes (Nine Arches Press) and the first-prize winning pamphlet My Shrink is Pregnant (Live Canon). Her second full collection, Mindset Mindrise, is due from Nine Arches in autumn 2026. She came second in 2018’s National Poetry Competition, and in 2016 was published in Primers Volume One by Nine Arches Press.
Lucy Gray Moreland
As a mother and teacher, Lucy Gray Moreland draws inspiration from the everyday experiences, emotions, and challenges children face in today’s complex world. Through heartfelt storytelling, she writes books that capture the honest insights and perspectives of children, giving voice to feelings that are often difficult to express. Her work aims to encourage meaningful conversations between children, parents, and educators about the problems young people encounter, while offering understanding, comfort, and hope through every story.
Kim Normanton
Kim has captivated children with her stories from around the world for more than twenty years. She performs in primary schools, libraries and museums around the UK, and teaches children how to tell their own stories. She is also the presenter and co-producer of Supergreat Kids’ Stories, https://www.supergreatkidsstories.com/ a popular podcast of traditional folk tales for children of all ages.
Merle Nygate
Merle Nygate is a writer, script editor, author and screenwriting tutor.
Her most recent novel, The Protocols of Spying was a Financial Times Thriller of 2025. The Daily Express named it as one of the top five spy thrillers since The Hunt for Red October. Her previous book, Honour Among Spies was a Times Book of the Month and a Times Top 10 Thriller of 2024. The first novel in the series, The Righteous Spy won the Little Brown/UEA Crime Writing Award 2017 and was published in 2018 by Verve/No Exit Press.
Merle’s espionage series follows the fortunes of the Mossad’s star spyrunner, Eli Amiram. He is a man with a conscience – a burden in the world of espionage where moral transgressions are supposed to serve higher causes. He has to manoeuvre his way through both organisational politics and the geopolitical maze without losing his soul. As the series progresses, the stakes become higher and higher, resonating with current events.
SJ Strum
Baby Name Expert and Celebrity Name Consultant SJ Strum addresses real baby name dramas and dilemmas, and helps choose stunning names for troubled Parents to Be. Gentle parent to her children Freddie, Finn, and Evelina, SJ Strum has a strong connected community on YouTube, where she hosts the first ever baby name channel sharing unique, themed lists to help parents discover names they LOVE! SJ also hosts a UK No. 1 podcast ‘Baby Name Envy’.
Jane Thynne
Jane Thynne is the author of the wartime espionage Clara Vine series, as well as two dystopian novels as C.J. Carey: Widowland and Queen High. Her most recent novel is Appointment in Paris, a World War 2 murder mystery set in a top secret government establishment, featuring detectives Harry Fox and Stella Fry.
Lexie Williamson
Lexie Williamson is a British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Sports Science qualified instructor and fitness writer. She teaches Yoga for Runners, Cyclists and Triathletes in workshops across Surrey, and writes for running and cycling magazines including Runner's World, Triathlete's World, Cycling Active, Cycling Plus and Outdoor Fitness and the US website MyYogaOnline.com. She is the author of Yoga for Cyclists and Yoga for Runners.
Edmund Woolley
Leaving school at 15, Edmund did 3 years at Manchester College of Art studying graphic design and then 2 years National Service. Since 1980 he has enjoyed life in Thames Ditton.
As a member of Molesey Art Society, he painted views of Thames Ditton and using his paintings, together with his photographs and 19c photographs, he produced a book with history highlights, plus his own experiences of life in the village.
Fiona McAnena
Fiona McAnena grew up in Northern Ireland, graduated from Cambridge, and worked in brand strategy for 30 years. In 2018, she became concerned at how trans demands were eroding women’s rights and got involved in the resistance. She is director of campaigns at the leading sex-based rights charity, Sex Matters. She has spoken in three national parliaments and makes regular media appearances as a leading UK voice on sex and gender policy. Her book, Terf Island: How the UK Resisted Trans Ideology, is a social history of the women and the campaigns over the past ten years that have earned the UK the nickname "Terf Island", meant as a compliment by some and as an insult by others. More information at http://www.terfisland.com/.
Tony Birtley
Tony Birtley was on the frontline as a foreign correspondent for over 35 years, witnessing conflicts from Lebanon to Afghanistan and Bosnia. His book “The Edge of Madness” is a fictional story based on his real life experiences. This is a novel set in the midst of a brutal war in the heart of Europe where besieged communities battle for survival. It is a story of love and hate, blood and betrayal. The Edge of Madness lays bare the true extent of war that is often kept away from viewers in the developed world because real images would be too distressing. But while this story is a mix between fact and fiction, It’s hard to disbelieve either.