Who's Appearing?

Emily trained as an actor, spending years touring across the UK and Ireland with the set in a horse box. Since then she’s appeared as a Georgian princess at Hampton Court Palace and worked for the National Trust devising trails, events and exhibitions. Emily writes haunting middle-grade mysteries, and her debut The Witch Stone Ghosts won the Mslexia Childrens & YA Novel Competition and the Times/Chicken House Prize. It was published by Chicken House in October 2023 and was long-listed for the Branford Boase Award in 2024, as well being shortlisted for several library awards. Her second book The Scream of the Whistle was nominated for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for writing and named as one of The Telegraph’s Best New Children’s Books.

Gareth first became an author himself in 2007 with The Dragon Detective Agency published by Bloomsbury. Since then he's written lots of books, including Space Crime Conspiracy, The Considine Curse, Ninja Meerkats (10 books), Steampunk Pirates (4 books), Pet Defenders (6 books), The Dinosaurs are Having a Party, Are You the Pirate Captain, Rabunzel, CinderGorilla, Snowy White, The Lion on the Bus, Constable & Toop, The Society of Thirteen, No True Echo, Death or Ice Cream? The Thornthwaite Inheritance and The Thornthwaite Betrayal.

Gareth spends his time writing books, visiting schools, performing at festivals and composing songs. When he’s not doing these things he can be found hanging out with his wife Lisa and two children.

He owns a piano, 2 trumpets, lots of ukuleles, a few guitars, a trombone, banjo, banjolele, two accordions, a melodica and a keytar.

NOMINATIONS & AWARDS

- The Dragon Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Cats - shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Prize.

- The Thornthwaite Inheritance - shortlisted for 11 local book awards, won 7 seven of them.

- The Considine Curse Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012, Winner.

- Death or Ice Cream? won the YTF Book Award 2017.

Jennifer Killick is the author of several series for middle-grade readers, including Dread Wood and Crater Lake, and most recently, Serial Chillers. She loves visiting schools and libraries and has won multiple awards voted for by her readers. In 2024 she was an official World Book Day author. Jennifer lives in West London in a house full of animals, craft supplies and chaos. When she isn't writing Jennifer loves to bake, paint and sew, and watch scary movies to help her prepare for the zombie apocalypse.

Fiona writes fiction and non-fiction picture books for Tiny Tree Children's Books, Scholastic, Happy Yak and Bloomsbury. Her books have been translated into over 10 languages. She is represented by Alice Williams Literary. When not writing, she tests ears, picks up litter and crochets post box toppers.

Piers Torday began his career in theatre and then television as a producer and writer. His first book for children,The Last Wild, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award, nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and is being adapted for the stage by the Unicorn and National Theatre. His second book, The Dark Wild, won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Other titles include There May Be A Castle ( People's Book Award finalist), which was adapted for the stage by the Little Angel Theatre, The Lost Magician (Teach Primary Book Award), Midnight Treasure, a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month and Letters to a Dog (Barrington Stoke). He recently adapted The Box of Delights for the RSC. Other stage adaptations include Christmas Carol and The Wind in the Willows (Wilton’s Music Hall). His latest book is Wolf Crown.

Bec Tonks worked as a high-street fashion designer before taking a sidestep into writing and illustrating five years ago. She has self-published picture books and runs creative workshops in schools. Last year, the Arts Council England awarded grant funding to develop her creative practice, expanding into older children’s and young adult fiction along with developing an illustrated novel. She is a member of Write Mentor, Curtis Brown Creative Alumni, and Walsall Writers’ Circle; fiction prize winner 2020 and 2024. She has participated in the last four Wolverhampton Literature Festivals and managed the Walsall Festival of Words at The New Art Gallery where she’s now an elected creative. She has also run events for the Black Country division of The National Literacy Trust and has been published twice in the SCBWI magazine.

Susan Cahill grew up by the sea in West Cork, Ireland. Obsessed with stories from a young age, Susan decided to study them in university, although secretly she always wanted to be a novelist. Becoming an Associate Professor of Literature instead, Susan taught in universities until she couldn’t ignore her own stories clamouring to be told.

Susan’s debut MG fantasy The World Between the Rain was published to rave reviews in 2024 and was longlisted for the 2025 Branford Boase Award and has just been nominated for the Carnegie medal 2025.

Susan is also a presenter of the children’s books podcast, Storyshaped, with fellow Irish children's writer, Sinéad O'Hart.

Meredith simply adores picture books – writing them and helping others to write them! As a former nanny and childminder, she has read thousands of picture books in her time and is particularly fond of funny rhyming stories with heartfelt messages. Originally from New Zealand, Meredith now calls England home and lives in Berkshire with her husband, two children and one very photogenic, very barky sausage dog!

Matthew Vaughan is a storyteller from Leicester where he works in public libraries and as a freelance artist. Over the past ten years, he has delighted audiences of all ages in clubs, festivals, libraries and schools with a repertoire of international tales, interactivity told with energy and humour. He also loves to tell ghost stories, stories of the working folk, and has been experimenting with science fiction in oral storytelling.

"What I love about storytelling is its simplicity. Stories meet us half way and we, the audience, have to be complicit for them to be successful. The stories I like to tell are fun, inviting and light hearted – even the serious ones! I believe that storytelling has a unique ability to connect people, not only to each other but to the past, the future and to the world around us." - Ian Douglas.

Ian has been telling stories at festivals, schools, libraries and on street corners both nationally and internationally for over 15 years. Originally a street theatre performer, fire breather and stilt walker, Ian has founded two story-based theatre companies. He has also worked as a theatre practitioner in residence for organisations across the North including Northern Stage and Live Theatre in Newcastle and most recently, Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. It was here that he created the 'Storytree'.

During his career, Ian has had the privilege to sit at the knee of renowned storytellers such as Duncan Williamson and at present is apprenticed to the Grasmere-based storyteller Taffy Thomas.

Ian hails from West Yorkshire but now lives with the love of his life on a narrow boat wherever the neighbours are nice.

Dommy B is an award-winning poet. He was 2017 Glastonbury Festival Poet in Residence, winner of the 2020 and 2017 Saboteur ‘Best Spoken Word Artist’ award, and has toured his verse across USA, Canada, India, New Zealand, Australia, South America and mainland Europe.

His other awards include winning New York’s Nuyorican Poetry Cafe Slam, UK Superheroes of Slam and, as of 2023, ten Arts Council England awards.

He has performed his poetry on BBC2 showcasing the best of 2017 Glastonbury Festival, BBC’s Greg and Celia’s Festivals Highlights and, in his favourite TV appearance, he introduced his pet ‘Dave the Dragon’ on CBeebies Rhyme Rocket.