GLOSSOP BOOKFEST 2026
Stallholders
Louise Vee
What would you do if the world as we know it just… ended, in a flash of light?
More information and links
If the people you loved tried to rip you to pieces as you went to hug them? If you had no food, no water and not even Instagram to help you? When Ruby Brook steps out of the darkness of a Manchester cinema, she discovers that the world has changed. One hundred and fifty miles north in Newcastle, Benedict Brown leaves a gym changing room and nothing is as it should be. Ruby and Ben’s tense journeys to escape The Blind will teach them that monsters come in many forms, and are round every corner. 28 Days Later meets The Royle Family in this gritty and authentic northern epic.
Margaret Holbrook
Margaret Holbrook has written short stories, poetry and plays. Her first published book was ‘Watching and other Stories’ a collection of short stories and flash fiction. This was followed by her first full length novel, ‘About Us…’, more books followed, including books on folklore and traditions.
More information and links
She also writes whodunnits set in the late 1920s featuring landed amateur sleuth and racing driver Jack France. The latest, ‘A Puzzle in Pictures’ was published in Spring 2026. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association.
Cherie Baker
Would like to believe there could be dragons, time travellers or spaceships around any corner. She blames the hundreds of books she read in her distant youth for filling her head with such curious notions.
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More recently she’s learned to sculpt glass, climb mountains, run ultra-marathons and swing a long sword. In between all that activity, she carves out time to walk her dog and write caffeine fuelled, sci fi – fantasy mashups.
You can keep up with all her endeavours at
Alan Budge
Alan Budge is the author of the novel ‘Imagine’ – Imagine John Lennon alive! – as well as the acclaimed collection of Rock and Roll poetry ‘Rough and Rowdy Days.’ He has worked in everything from would-be smart London restaurants to ground-breaking charitable organisations.
He lives in the Peak District, and now divides his time between writing, walking, and discussing Dylan lyrics with a close-knit group of like-minded lunatics.
More information and links
Neil Studd
Neil is the Glossop-based author of the young adult fantasy trilogy The Sleep Agency, with its three novels – The Dreamlinkers (2024), The Nightmare Prospect (2025) and The Shattered Sleep (2026) – telling the story of two teenagers who discover that they’re able to communicate through their dreams. He is currently working on a new standalone novel, due for release next year.
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By day, Neil is a professional coach, and is the author of the title Finding Mojovation: How To Create Contentment in Your Work and Personal Life. Locally he is perhaps best known as host of the local meetup group Shut Up & Write!, which meets in the Pico Lounge every Tuesday evening as a quiet place for authors to work on their projects.
Links:
Nicola Kenny
Please allow me to introduce my first ever book:
Social Battery UNPLUGGED: My Journey, Your Self- Discovery – by Nicki Renford.
Social Battery UNPLUGGED is a book I wish had existed years ago.
A very personal story for anyone who has spent their whole life wondering… What is wrong with me?
For anyone who has mastered appearing perfectly fine on the outside whilst being consumed by their own thoughts and anxieties on the inside.
For anyone who is socially exhausted and easily drained by the world around them.
For anyone who experiences the world ‘differently’ and wants to make sense of WHY this could be.
More information and links
Let my story take you through the highs and lows that shaped me, the struggles that nearly broke me, the quirks and laughable moments along the way, and the discoveries that finally helped me to understand myself.
Whether it’s for enjoyment, mental health healing, or for exploring topics such as neurodiversity, let my personal journey help you make sense of yours.
SOCIAL BATTERY UNPLUGGED:
My Journey, Your Self Discovery
Victoria Abbot Fleming
Victoria Abbott-Fleming MBE – Author of The Courage Love Gave Me
Victoria Abbott-Fleming MBE is a High Peak author, inspirational speaker, former barrister and the Founder, Chair and Chief Executive of the national charity Burning Nights CRPS Support.
Her memoir, The Courage Love Gave Me: A True Story of Resilience, Surviving Pain and Choosing Life, tells how an accident at work in 2003 changed her life beyond recognition. Victoria developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare condition causing severe and persistent pain. Her right leg was amputated above the knee in 2006, followed by her left leg eight years later.
More information and links
But this is far more than a medical story. Told with honesty, warmth and unexpected humour, the book explores love, marriage, identity, loss and finding the courage to begin again when the future you imagined has disappeared. At its heart is Victoria’s relationship with her husband, Michael, whose love helped her keep going through her darkest moments.
Victoria founded Burning Nights CRPS Support in 2014 so nobody affected by the condition would have to face it alone. She was awarded an MBE for services to charity in 2021.
Meet Victoria at Glossop Bookfest and purchase a personally signed paperback or hardback copy of The Courage Love Gave Me.
Animal Alphabet Library
The Animal Alphabet Library is a growing collection of beautifully illustrated children’s books that bring learning, laughter, and a love of reading to life. Each story introduces a new animal character through short, engaging tales filled with fun facts, imagination, and gentle lessons about the world around us. Designed to spark curiosity and conversation, every book includes thoughtful questions to help little readers explore ideas, make connections, and think creatively.
Write from the Heart
Write from the Heart is a constituted group of creative writers, founded in 2003, that meets regularly on Thursday mornings in Bradbury House for writing exercises and fun. Over the years we’ve produced several booklets of our poems and short prose compositions to raise money for local charities.
New members are welcome, though we have to set a cap on numbers!
by Glossop BookFest at the Pico Lounge
HORROR HOUR
Another chance to show off Halloween costumes and extend the fun.
Join us for an hour of ghoulish giggles:
This family event is a prelude to our main event at Victoria Hall from 1-4 pm.
More Treats than Tricks!
The Glossop BookFest team are authors in their own right
More information and links
His publications, through five different publishing houses, comprise an anthology of short stories (Rope Trick, 2008), a novel (Perilaus, 2009), a children’s story (Fenella and the Magic Mirror, 2009), a study of the evolution of a local legend (Murders in the Winnats Pass, 2010), a collection of 62 traditional stories (Folktales of the Peak District, 2011), a collection of puns in verse and prose (Cruel and Unusual PunNishments, 2016), a one-act play (Forget it, it’s History, 2017), five more novels (National Cake Day in Ruritania, 2018; The Engklimastat, 2019; Perilaus II, 2021; Con, 2022; Black Harry, 2023), a novelette (The Definitive Biography of St Arborius of Glossopdale and his Thin Dog, 2019), and a novella (The Cat of Doom, 2020). His compilation of folktale films recorded in situ in collaboration with Tim Knebel of “Peak in the Past” and his colleagues (http://www.peakinthepast.co.uk; scroll down to “Folktales”), is available for free download and the set is due for completion in due course. A second collection, Elusive Tales of the Peak District, was published in September 2023, and Mark is currently working on a seventh novel.
For further details see:
www.markphenderson.co.uk
Andy Millican
Open Mic organiser/host,
Author, Poet & Occasional Stand-Up Comic
My 50 year journey on the road to poetry started with my tribute to Bobby Charlton in 1973 which my mother sent to him! He sent me in return a beautiful letter on Preston North End headed paper which I still have today!
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I have had poems broadcast on the BBC. I have won competitions (most recently 2023) and been placed in many more including international open competitions (most recently 2022).
I have written poems for Ekphrastic collaboration events particularly with Stockport Art Guild and artist Mark Sheeky where their paintings/my poems were featured in exhibitions. My first collection Nebulous, published in 2019 raised over £500 for Liverpool Eye Cancer Unit.
In 2018 I was invited to write perform and record a series of new poems for the Lest We Forget website, a Hollingworth Lottery funded project.
My second collection Something Wicked This Way Grows (2023) is a collection written about events and characters on allotments. The title poem was published by the National Allotment Society in their Coronation edition summer 2023.
Occasionally I write short stories. My latest Of the Time featured in Tales from the Underbanks, an Arts England / Stockport Borough Council joint venture in 2022.
I compare/host Glossop Open Mic at Glossop Labour Club as well as performing regularly at open mic events in and around Manchester and Derbyshire. Occasionally I am apt to perform some stand-up comedy too.
More information and links
Pamela Turton has published several novels: ‘So Sister,’ Selling Short’, ‘The Life Coach Less Travelled’, ‘Blue Is the Object’ and the ‘Stalkbook’series, as well as poetry and non-fiction. Find out more at
Andrew Dutton
Andrew Dutton has been writing since the early 2000s and in 2012 self-published an e-book of short stories, A Mirror.
His work frequently explores life at ‘the bottom of the pile’, reflecting a long career helping people in financial hardship and debt.
More information and links
Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, he now lives in Derbyshire and draws inspiration and comfort from books, music, cats — and long country walks with his partner and their beloved Labrador.
Andrew’s debut novel, ‘Nocturne: Wayman’s Sky’, and second novel,’ The Crossword Solver’ were published by Cinnamon Press in 2020 and 2021.
His third novel, ‘The Beauty of Chell Street’ was published by Cinnamon on 25/9/22.
2023 saw the publication of ‘My Life In Receipts’ and ‘Natasha: Redacted’.
Andrew is working on a new novel and there are two short story collections waiting in the wings.
Links
Johanne Lee
Poet and Author
Johanne Lee, is a proud Mancunian now settled in Glossop over 20 years – mother of 3, poet and author of 8 childrens picture books and three collections of poetry, ‘Womans Journey”, and “Under the lavender moon”, as part of the Open Skies Spotlight series, and one joint collection with Debbie Clewer called “Pieces of Hope “.
More information and links
All her books raise for various charities, and hope to raise awareness of subjects close to her heart and hopefully yours.
Her book ‘ Into the Willow Wood ‘ is a poetry treasury for children of which donates all proceeds to the local hospice Willow Wood . Her latest picture book “Nanny Knits a Moon ‘ donates to Crossroads Derbyshire .
Published in over 30 anthologies including the Sacred feminine 1-3 , Southern Arizona press ,wheelsong 2 , Impspired magazine and DPS Ezine to name a few.
She can be found as Johanne Lee Author on Fb and instagram and is presently enjoying reading her poetry at Open Mic and various events
Links
Danny McLoughlin
Poet and Author
I have always loved writing. Early days I won a prize for writing a short story. Later – on I started writing comedy sketches, particularly for my younger brother who ventured out on the stand – up trail in our hometown of Liverpool. He went on with a revue which travelled widely, which performed at the Edinburgh Festival. I was also touted to write jokes for the comedian Bob Monkhouse.
More information and links
I used to write and recite poetry over 25 years ago. Finished around 1998 (Family commitments etc), after performing at a national festival in Hove. I had performed at The Frog & Bucket and several other venues in the north – west.
I recommenced a few years ago and recited in Glossop, Chorlton, Ashton, Manchester Central etc.
My poetry is eclectic, some funny, and much being of a narrative form and story – related. I am of the Robert Lowell school and want to write about ‘what really happened’. Or as Raymond Carver said, “Put it all in, make use.”
Social, cultural themes.
Someone once said to me; “You couldn’t make up the stuff you write about…. but somehow you do!” Still trying to work – out whether that is a compliment.
For more details, contact: hello@glossopbookfest.co.uk