Wirksworth Book Festival Off the Bookshelf

11am – Sophie Draper, Jane Bettany and Mark Eklid – Derbyshire’s Partners in Crime

Join Derbyshire-based authors Sophie Draper, Jane Bettany and Mark Eklid, who will be discussing their books, the popularity of crime fiction, and the appeal of the sub genres in which they write. Jane is a writer of cosy crime novels set in Derbyshire: https://www.janebettany.co.uk. Sophie writes psychological suspense novels based in Derbyshire: https://www.sophiedraper.co.uk. Mark has written six crime thrillers: https://markeklid.com.

12pm – Bill Bevan – Time Thieves versus the Argonauts

Bill previews the second instalment in the adventures of the Time Thieves, his time traveling series for children of all ages. Following on from the successful mission to Ancient Egypt where they had to steal Tutankhamun’s Golden Ankh, Johnny, Yaz and Ted find themselves in Ancient Greece battling gods, mythical creatures and volcanoes alongside epic heroes.
https://quantum-mystery-books.sumupstore.com

12:30pm – Wirksworth and District Very Short Story Competition Winners

Find out who won. the competition. Winners will either read their stories or hand out printed copies.

1pm – Stephen Bailey – Walking Through History

Stephen introduces the histories of the old roads of Derbyshire. He loves walking the lanes and paths of Derbyshire and is fascinated by the stories they can tell, reaching back to prehistory. He has explored some of these routes in The Derbyshire Portway (2009) and The Old Roads of Derbyshire (2019 ), both of which combine a historical panorama with walking suggestions.

2pm – Shirley Mann – Chuck it and bucket: how women survived working on the canals in WW2

Shirley previews her latest book, ‘Maggie’s War,’ be published in the summer. It tells the story of a young woman who needs to escape her past but has no idea that such an arduous journey along England’s waterways will also take her on her own journey of drama, torment and even love. Shirley will reading from the book and introduce women’s wartime work on the canals. Shirley Mann is a former BBC journalist who was inspired by her mother’s wartime story to write her first novel in her 60s. A winner of the Romantic Saga of the Year Award, she’s also been nominated for the RNA Popular Fiction Award.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/shirley-mann

3pm – Lee Stuart Evans – Pleasantly Disturbed

Lee talks about Pleasantly Disturbed, his novel about growing up in the East Midlands during the 80s. Robin dreams of being Jim Kerr, Fliss aims to be Kate Bush. When dozens of fast cars are stolen, old mechanic Vern recruits Robin to help him investigate suspicious goings-on at a derelict railway yard on the edge of Sherwood Forest. Lee was born in Chesterfield and is a top TV comedy (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The Late Late Show (RTE), I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!). A series of jokes he co-wrote for Ant & Dec on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! were nominated for a BAFTA in 2022. He was one of Sean Lock’s staff writers for 15 years,and has written for Harry Hill, Patrick Kielty, Frank Skinner, Dawn French, Jonathan Ross and Jimmy Carr.
https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/lee-stuart-evans