Like to know a little more about the programme for our “Strength of Character” Festival event on Saturday 27th September? Here’s a handy guide.
11.00 Welcome and introductions
11.10 Two Shakespeare Characters for the Price of One – Gerard Boyce
11.30 Robert Louis Stevenson’s First Love: A Study in Quiet Determination – Ali Bacon, author of The Absent Heart
11.50 Writing Villains You Love to Hate– thriller writer AA Abbott, author of Run for Your Lies
12.10 The Human Interest Brothers: Dickens & Character – Lucienne Boyce, author of Bloodie Bones
12.30 Shedding the Shadow Self – Helen Idris-Jones author of Missing Ella
12.50 Story Time #1: Mark Rutterford performs “No Help at All”, a short story written especially for this event
1-2pm Lunch Break, Book Sales, and Viewing of Philip Ringland’s sculpture entitled “Don Quixote”
2.00 Story Time #2: Stefania Hartley reads a short story from her Sicilian collection, “Drive Me Crazy”
2.10 To Travel is To Meet Yourself: Stories of Self-Discovery– Lorna Fergusson, author of “One Morning in Provence”
2.35 The Lively Character of Rivers– Sarah Siân Chave, author of Hafren: The Wisdom of the River Severn
2.55 The Global Portrait Project: Telling the Story of Environmentalists Changing the World for the Better – James Nickells, medical professional and local portrait artist painting the world
3.20 The Strength of Character Required to be an Author– panel discussion with Frances Evesham, author of 11 mystery novels, and Lorna Fergusson, writing coach, editor and author, chaired by Debbie Young, HULF Founder & Director
3.55 Time for a Poem: Author Trevor Stubbsreads “Manning the Bookstall”
As ever, this will be a quick-fire day that keeps you on your toes – and thankfully also supplies you with tea, coffee and cake to help you keep up with it all!
BOOK NOW TO ENSURE WE HAVE ENOUGH CAKE TO GO AROUND!
Like to know a little more about the guest speakers at our “Strength of Character” Festival event on Saturday 27th September? Here’s a handy guide.
A A Abbott
A A Abbott chose her pen name to snag first place on your bookshelf. Also known as Helen, she writes psychological thrillers about women finding strength in the face of danger. She publishes in a range of formats, including audiobook, ebook, Kindle Unlimited, hardback, paperback, large print and dyslexia-friendly Lexend font.
Ali Bacon
Ali Bacon is a local writer inspired by her Scottish roots. Her second historical novel, The Absent Heart, was published by Linen Press in March 2025. She is also a prize-winning short story writer who has appeared in events around the west country and is proud to have been at the very first HULF!
Gerard Boyce
Gerard Boyce read English at UCL and unsurprisingly became an English teacher. He was Head of English and then Director of Sixth Form at Colston’s School, now Collegiate School in Bristol. Now retired, he keeps his hand in by being a Principal Examiner for Cambridge Assessment, and he volunteers at the Amnesty International Bookshop on the Gloucester Road.
Lucienne Boyce
Lucienne Boyce writes historical fiction (To The Fair Land, The Dan Foster Mysteries) and non-fiction (The Bristol Suffragettes). She also blogs about the eighteenth century, women’s history, books and writing. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the steering committee of the West of England and South Wales Women’s History Network.
Sarah Siân Chave
Sarah Siân Chave has forty years’ experience as a teacher and researcher. Her passions are sustainability, social justice and encouraging new ways of being in the world together. Raised by a Welsh mother in the English Midlands, she enjoys connecting with her Welsh roots and exploring Afon Hafren (River Severn).
Frances Evesham
One day Frances Evesham saw Burnham on Sea’s nine-legged lighthouse. As she murmured, ‘What if I found a body there?’ Murder at the Lighthouse, the first of her eleven Somerset murder mysteries published by Boldwood Books, was born.
Lorna Fergusson
Lorna Fergusson is an award-winning short story writer and novelist, editor and writing coach. She runs Fictionfire Literary Consultancy and teaches on Oxford University summer courses. Her latest story collection is One Morning in Provence. She is working on more stories, a novel and a book on mindset for writers. https://www.lornafergusson.com
Stefania Hartley
Stefania Hartley was born in Sicily and immediately started growing, but not very much. She left her sunny island after falling in love with an Englishman and now she lives in the Cotswold. Having finally learnt English, she’s enjoying it so much that she writes short stories and novels.
Helen Idris-Jones
Helen Idris Jones is retired, now, writing novels that explore strength of character. “Missing Ella” addresses family trauma with hope, while “Where no shadows fall” follows Esther Morgan’s journey toward self-forgiveness and redemption. Now writing her third novel, exploring community resilience using her experience of living in a Worcestershire village!
James Nickells
James Nickells is a portrait artist and NHS doctor who is currently working on an ambitious project to paint 193 portraits of 193 subjects each from a different country with each subject involved in positive environmental action. This is The Global Portrait Project.
Mark Rutterford
Mark Rutterford has been writing and performing short stories for over a dozen years including his one-man show, ‘Love Stories’. Mark is delighted to be back at HULF but knows he does not have the strength of character to say ‘no’ to a biscuit with his cup of coffee.
Debbie Young
Debbie Young writes warm, witty cosy mystery novels and short fiction set in the Cotswold countryside, where she has lived for over 30 years. Deeply involved in many aspects of village life, she’s founder and director of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, and also a course tutor for Jericho Writers.
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Together, these speakers will provide a fascinating day’s entertainment, talking about their work, and their perspective on strong characters in literature and art.
As ever, this will be a quick-fire day that keeps you on your toes – and thankfully also supplies you with tea, coffee and cake to help you keep up with it all!
BOOK NOW TO ENSURE WE HAVE ENOUGH CAKE TO GO AROUND!
Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival 