MK Indie Book Fair
Event Space, Milton Keynes Central Library,
555 Silbury Boulevard, CMK MK9 3HL
Saturday 7 December, 11.00am - 4.00pm.
Entry: Free, no booking required.
We're delighted to be hosting Milton Keynes' first Indie Book Fair, and to have the wonderful opportunity to present over 35 writers to you - their newest readers.
We know that Milton Keynes and the surrounding region is home to a wealth of talented writers, many of whom have made their work available with small, independent presses or by self-publishing. Now you have the chance to come along to MK Central Library and meet them!
You'll have the chance to talk to them all in person, hear them read from their work - and of course to buy loads of wonderful Christmas presents for yourself and all of your book-loving friends. You'll be spoilt for choice across a whole spectrum of genres: crime, mystery, fantasy, Young Adult, children’s books, poetry, self-help, memoir, sci-fi, humour, essays, travel and more!
Information for Authors
Registrations are now closed. All authors who applied have now been contacted with details of how to complete the registration process.
We have a waiting list to express your interest should a table become available: you sign up here. Tables will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, but we cannot guarantee that any will become available.
Meet The Indie Book Fair Authors!
A.M. Riley
(Adult Fiction: Thriller)
A.M. Riley is an author and international school teacher, currently based in Brunei on the island of Borneo. Originally hailing from Milton Keynes, he has travelled, lived and worked across Asia, weaving his experiences into the stories you see before you today.
Caroline Davies
(Adult Literary: Poetry)
Caroline Davies was born in Norfolk to Welsh parents and is learning to speak Welsh. She has an MA in Writing Poetry from the Poetry School, London and Newcastle University. Her books are Elements of Water (Green Bottle Press 2019), Convoy (2013 Cinnamon Press) Voices from Stone and Bronze (2016 Cinnamon Press). She co-wrote Connecting Threads with Ghusoun Rahhal, a literary response to the project bringing together Westbury Fabric and Fibre Guild and the Middle Eastern Cultural Group to share stories and stitching traditions.
Christine Rae-Jones
(Adult Fiction: Crime)
Christine Rae-Jones’ career has included scientific civil service, forensic toxicology, sales skills development and mediation (for divorce and negotiation). She also served as a magistrate in criminal courts. Having read in excess of 1300 crime and thriller novels, she relocated to the coast, and has published three crime novels. Christine takes inspiration from solitary walks on the beach where her protagonist, DI Nick Morgan, might be found walking the family dog.
David Algar
(Adult Non-Fiction; Essays)
David Algar could best be described as a ‘middle class itinerant’, always moving from school to school and place to place. The wandering life included two degrees, forty years apart, and a long career in industry, regularly changing jobs. Along the way, he has managed to pick up a wife, two kids and five chickens, three bikes and a kayak. Writing came late in life, fuelled by curiosity for how we live through the chaos in the world, how we use our humanity for good, and how we can all – especially men – be immensely silly.
Della Judd
(Adult Non-Fiction; Career Workbook)
Della Judd is an inspirational coach, author and podcaster. As an executive coach and mentor she has helped people work through burnout, stress, career changes and redundancy. She believes that no one should be in a job they hate – and has written her career coaching book Get the Job You Really Want...in a Post Pandemic World to help people find the job they love.
Fatima Shaaria Syed
(Adult Literary; Poetry)
Fatima Shaaria Syed recently published her debut book to excellent reviews. Overcoming adversity, including recovery from depression after a traumatic brain injury, inspired her to write her first book and also to start a coaching business that helps others build self-confidence and live more fulfilling lives. Fatima enjoys nature, reading, travel, and learning about diverse cultures and religions. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Birmingham.
Gary Brown
(Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction)
Gary Brown was born in London and now lives in Milton Keynes. His hobbies include sports, music, photography, walking, cycling, and now writing, which he took up in January 2020, though he’s still not sure why. He is close to completing his fifth story. All his books are about life and its ups and downs, what it is to be human with its flaws, fragilities and insecurities, but mainly about love and its infinite power. He is divorced with two-grown up children and spent forty-six years working in the transport industry.
Geoffrey Ring
(Adult, Young Adult and Children; Non-Fiction including Memoir)
Geoffrey Ring was born in East London in 1948, and grew up with his parents and two brothers in Winchmore Hill. He attended St Pauls C of E Primary School and then moved on to Winchmore Secondary Modern School to study O and A Level GCEs before taking up a place at City University to read Civil Engineering. A career with consulting engineers and contractors but primarily local government served him well and, now retired, he lives in Buckinghamshire.
H. J. Worthington-Smith
(Young Adult Fiction; Fantasy)
H.J. Worthington-Smith grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and studied physiotherapy before moving to the UK with her husband. Helen lost her mother to cancer when she was eleven and spent much of the following years reading. She discovered the joy of encountering worlds in which she could lose herself and characters who showed that within deep pain there is also hope. Helen explores the themes of healing, authenticity and prejudice in her writing, drawing on her experiences of growing up in post apartheid South Africa as well as learning how to be one’s true self after experiencing a profound and life-changing loss.
Heidi Edmundson
(Adult Fiction; Murder Mystery)
Heidi Edmundson grew up on Northern Ireland’s spectacular Causeway Coast where her family ran guesthouses. As a child, she was fascinated by myths and fairy tales, and wanted to be like Nancy Drew when she grew up. Her love of crime fiction continued into adolescence when she discovered a box full of Agatha Christie books with the original Fontana covers. During the COVID pandemic, she planned to write a short story but discovered she had more to say and enjoyed creating crimes as much as reading about them.
Jonathan Stanyer
(Adult Fiction, Crime)
Jonathan Stanyer is a newly published (hybrid) crime writer of stories set in the old hill town of Chieti on the Italian Adriatic Coast and featuring Inspector Giordano Bruno. He also published a set of true ghost stories in 2021, and his third crime story comes out next year.
Karen Banfield
(Adult Fiction, Crime)
Having been writing for thirty years, Karen Banfield’s plays have mainly been murder mysteries, with a new one planned for the Dembe Theatre, Tring in March 2025. There’s also a new play, The Conman with a Conscience – a tale of money and morals, booked for October 2025 at the Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury. Now it’s finally time for Karen to bring her short stories together in two collections, as perfect bedtime reading.
Kate Packman
(Adult Fiction, Literary)
Kate Packman writes for adults and children, exploring themes linked to identity, and playing with time in the structure of her novels. Initially an insurance broker, she has spent the last decade teaching English in a middle school. She recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck and was long listed for the Bridport Novel Prize 2024. She organises pop up book clubs and hosts author events, and chaired Ampthill Literary Festival for five years.
Laura R. Gray
(Adult Non-Fiction; Travel Guide)
Born and raised in Scotland, Laura R. Gray studied English Literature at Oxford. The day after her last exam, she had her wisdom teeth removed, sold her belongings and moved to Italy. Intending to conclude a previous summer romance, she married him instead. They now have three children and live in Montalcino, a beautiful Tuscan hilltop town and home of the prestigious wine Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Laura qualified as a sommelier in 2004, and became CEO and manager of a small winery. Since 2022, she has been a freelance winery whisperer and bespoke art history tour guide.
Liisa Sabah
(Adult/Young Adult, Fantasy Adventure)
Liisa Sabah is a newly published author. She has always had a passion for reading, and growing up she fell in love with fantasy adventure stories like the Narnia series, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Liisa also has a passion for too much coffee and a love for animals, especially those roaring big cats...lions! The Cocoon Within is Liisa’s debut fantasy adventure novel, an epic tale of spectacular creatures and other worlds with vibrant landscapes, all rolled into a gripping story that takes seventeen-year-old Ariana and her friends on the adventure of their lives!
Lou Lewis
(Adult/Young Adult; Crime/Humour)
Lou Lewis has published three collections of humourous crime short stories, bringing to life the fictional activities of a group of determined women who investigate mysteries, misdemeanours and criminal activities in a bygone age. Retiring later than most, Lou decided to recreate the ‘goings on’ in his native Pembroke to represent the resourceful women who ran the town while their men were either at work or at war. The characters' true identities are for current inhabitants to discern and for his readers to discover.
Lynette Hill
(Young Adult, Fantasy)
Lynette Hill is author of The Glass Singers fantasy series, the story of two sisters who learn to create beautiful objects by singing the songs of dragons. Lynette is also a performance storyteller, served as 2023 Bard of Stony Stratford and is founder, producer and host of Tales Tattled & Told, a monthly storytelling variety show for grownups at the Rectory Cottages in Bletchley.
Michèle Callard
(Adult Fiction: Historical women's fiction/ Adventure)
Michèle Callard writes fast-paced fiction set in France filled with authentic characters, adventure and a hint of romance. She grew up in France and swapped her Parisian flat for a country cottage she shares with her husband and one of her three sons.
Milton-Keynesia Magazine
(Adult, Non-fiction)
Milton-Keynesia Magazine pictures Life in the City of Milton Keynes and is free to read online, with no adverts. It features all things Milton Keynes: news, events, local authors, regular columnists, and fab fiction. Milton-Keynesia also produces bespoke merchandise, including book-related items.
Nadia Partyka
(Young Adult, Sci-fi/Magic Realism)
Nadia Partyka is a teenage girl who loves books, reading, writing, learning… and chocolate ;). Amethyst is her first novel.
Naomi Wilkinson
(Children; Mental health activity journal)
Naomi Wilkinson is a home-educating mum to four boys, and a children’s author with a passion for mental health. She is about to self-publish her tenth children’s book, which is so exciting!
Neil Beardmore
(Adult; Literary Crime)
Neil Beardmore is the winner of the Richard Burton Poetry Award. He has an MA in Creative Writing and his work includes fiction - the novels Lemon Seas and Painted Ghosts - poetry and plays. His plays have been perfomed at MK Fringe and on the radio, and his poetry book Making Cars and Blues Art Guitars celebrates working in a car factory to buy an electric piano for his band. He gives readings nationwide, and has had poems published in Orbis, Cannon’s Mouth, The French Literary Review, Sarasvati, Acumen and others.
Nicholas House
(Adult; Paranormal Thriller)
Nicholas House was born in Southern England and took up writing at a very early age, inspired by a unusual mix of Jules Verne and Greek mythology. Growing up in North Wales, he eventually studied Geoscience at University, embracing his love for the outdoors. This afforded him the chance to travel, all the time fuelling his passion for writing.
Nicola Morrison
(Adult/Young Adult; Autobiography)
Nicola Morrison is an editor and former BBC broadcast journalist with a compelling and empowering life story to tell. Some of her greatest achievements include scaling the lofty heights of one of the largest news corporations in the world and reporting on some of the biggest breaking news stories of the century. But her biggest accomplishment to date is a personal one – overcoming life’s many challenges and living to tell the tale. From domestic abuse to suicide to the harrowing murder of a beloved relative, Nicola has survived it all. Victory Is My Name is a story of setbacks and triumph, hardship and victory, challenges and hope.
Ondia Morris
(Adult Fiction; Science fiction, action-adventure romance)
Ondia Morris is a mother of two energetic boys. She was born and raised in Jamaica, and this influences some of her writing. Her preferred literary genres include science fiction, action-adventure, and fantasy romance, although she also possesses an aptitude for other forms of creative writing. She enjoys crafting narratives with black women as the focal point. To date, she has authored and published seven science fiction books, four contemporary novels, and one memoir.
Paul Cox
(Adult Non-Fiction; Local History)
Paul Cox has been researching local history for more than thirty-five years and is now the Chair of the Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre. He started writing about local places, events and characters from the past after growing up in a Woburn Sands pub and becoming fascinated with its history. He runs the ‘Woburn Sands Collection’ heritage website and is also a keen antique bottle and flagon collector!
Philip Rennett
(Adult Fiction; Comedy/Dark Satire)
Award-winning author Philip Rennett lives in Milton Keynes with his wife Clare and their greyhound Bella. His career started in 1980 as public relations officer for a Middle East police force. Adventures included plane dramas, angry soldiers and VIP visits. Returning to the UK for a quieter life, he worked in regional newspapers, then founded his own PR consultancy, which he ran for thirty years. Tired of writing for others, he now writes for everyone.
Roderick Groundes-Peace
(Adult Fiction; Adventure and Survival)
Roderick Groundes-Peace was born in Edinburgh, before his family moved south to Oxfordshire, where his father had been appointed the village doctor. Coming from a family of writers that includes Robert Louis Stevenson, Roderick has always wanted to follow his forebears’ path. A marketing professional for more than thirty years, he lives with his wife in North Buckinghamshire.
Rose Marie Calder
(Adult Fiction; Romantic Mystery)
Rose Marie Calder’s novels stem from her diverse life experiences. Her career has spanned corporate training to international humanitarian activities, which has enriched her writing. Her skills, developed through television and radio work, allow her to create communication workshops. She has two mystery novels published and more to come. As a mother of three and grandmother of six in the States, she balances her personal and professional life with grace and relatability.
Sam Hyman
(Adult Non-Fiction; Memoir)
Sam Hyman is an author and international educator, currently situated on the island of Borneo. It was his experience travelling in this part of the world which formed the focus of his first book, Across the Water, Below the Wind. He continues to draw upon rich, cultural experiences across Asia, as inspiration for his next work.
Sophie E. Mills
(Adult Fiction; Sports Romance)
Sophie E. Mills is a contemporary fiction and romance writer who is fascinated by the human connection. She spent her formative years in France and returned to the UK when she was eighteen. Sophie spent hours writing short stories, poems and songs throughout her childhood as a way to understand her feelings, which eventually led to her completing a BA (Hons.) in English Literature, Creative Writing and Spanish. Sophie’s passions are varied but you will always find music, travel or sport at the centre of her writing. More than that though, Sophie loves love and her epic romances will stay with you long after the story ends.
Sue Turbett
(YA Fiction; Historical Adventure)
Sue Turbett worked in BBC TV News & Current Affairs as a Director and Producer for many years before leaving to set up her own video production business. She now brings her passion for travel and empowering stories to life in her debut novel Eagle Sister. Sue lives near Milton Keynes and is now working on her second novel in between hill walking, running, volunteering, cold water swimming and learning Irish.
T.G. Campbell
(Adult Fiction; Crime)
T.G. Campbell was one of the first babies born in Milton Keynes Hospital and, aside from attending the University of Winchester, has lived in Milton Keynes all her life. She writes the Bow Street Society series of crime fiction books about a group of ordinary people using the skills and knowledge from their ordinary jobs to solve extraordinary crimes in Victorian London.
Thomas Norford
(Adult Fiction; Science Fiction)
Thomas Norford is the pen-name of science fiction author Thomas Norford, but he is known to his friends as Thomas Norford. He lives with his wife and two children in Northamptonshire and works full time, so finding time to write is a struggle, he claims.
Tracey Chapman
(Adult Fiction; Mystery)
Tracey Chapman is a British novelist who has loved to write since a young child. Her career began with obtaining an HND in Business Studies. She has worked as a forestry insurance claims coordinator, a business administrator, a fancy dress shop sales assistant and a childminder, among many other things. She lives in Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire with her husband Steve and their dog Flossie.
Trudy West
(Children’s Picture Book)
Trudy West is a children’s author who lives in Milton Keynes with her family and two cats. Having been a bookworm from a very young age, she always hoped to one day write and publish her very own book. Her dream was realised in October 2023 when she self-published her first children’s picture book. Trudy works in primary education and is passionate about encouraging, supporting and enabling children to read. She believes that books can provide magical worlds for children to explore. Her writing style incorporates engaging rhyme and repetition, humour, relatable characters and important messages about kindness and acceptance.
Will Adams and Martin Smith
(Adult Fiction; Sci-Fi Comedy)
Will Adams and Martin Smith met at Cambridge where they wrote and performed comedy material with Douglas 'Hitchhiker' Adams within Footlights and as the comedy trio Adams-Smith-Adams. Will is semi-retired from a 35-year career in publishing, and has written books on local and transport history. He is also a professional crossword compiler. As one of the founders of a local drama group, he co-writes and performs in comedy plays, and writes and performs comic songs. Martin studied Economics but also had a passion for writing and performing comedy. The struggle to find a job as a Stand-up Economist led him into the advertising industry, where he had a brief, forty-year career. Now partially retired, he is a mentor for small creative businesses, helps run a London food bank charity (Food Bank Aid) and has returned to regular comedy writing.