Sheila Hancock, Jodi Picoult and Louise Doughty among line up for Chorleywood Literary Festival 2014

Festival celebrates ninth anniversary with strongest literary line-up to date.

chorleywood authors

From 10th – 16th November 2014 Chorleywood Literary Festival returns to the idyllic Hertfordshire countryside for the ninth year running, bringing a line-up of international bestselling authors to venues across the region.  The week-long programme for the 2014 Chorleywood Literary Festival includes appearances, readings and creative writing workshops from some of the biggest names in contemporary literature including SHEILA HANCOCK, LOUISE DOUGHTY, IRVING FINKEL, HENRY MARSH, CHARLES SPENCER, WENDY COPE, HILARY BRADT, TANYA BYRON, JAMES HENEAGE, JASON GOODWIN and PENNY JUNOR.

LITERARY LUNCH – On 13th November for this year’s eagerly anticipated Literary Lunch we are lucky enough to be joined by the #1 New York Times best-selling author JODI PICOULT, who will be discussing her spectacular career in the stunning, 15th-Century surroundings of Chenies Manor House.

  INDIE AUTHOR FAIR – On 16th November throughout the afternoon we play host to over 40 independent authors who will be giving live performances of poetry, crime fiction, romance, historical fiction and comedy, plus story time sessions for children of all age groups.   FULL PROGRAMME OF EVENTS FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL CHORLEYWOOD LITERARY FESTIVAL Monday 10th November, 7.30pm CHARLES SPENCER, KILLERS OF THE KING January, 1649. After seven years of fighting in the bloodiest war in Britain’s history, Parliament had overpowered King Charles I and now faced a problem: what to do with a defeated king, a king who refused to surrender? Join the bestselling historian for a discussion of his latest title and the men who dared to overthrow King Charles I. Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Tuesday 11th November 7.30pm LOUISE DOUGHTY, APPLE TREE YARD The charge is murder. Across the courtroom, not meeting her eye, sits her alleged accomplice. He wears the beautiful pin-striped suit he wore on their first meeting in the Houses of Parliament, when he put his hand on her elbow and guided her to a deserted chapel, where she began to undress. Join the Sunday Times-Bestselling author as she discusses her brilliantly received crime thriller. Tickets £5 before November 1st and £6 after November 1st Russell School, Brushwood Drive, Chorleywood WD3 5RR Wednesday 12th November, 7.30pm TRACEY BOORMAN, THOMAS CROMWELL Born a lowly tavern keeper’s son, Cromwell rose swiftly through the ranks to become Henry VIII’s right hand man, and one of the most powerful figures in Tudor history. The architect of England’s break with the Roman Catholic Church and the dissolution of the monasteries, he oversaw seismic changes in our country’s history. Join author and historian as she discusses her latest biography Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant. Tickets £5 before November 1st and £6 after November 1st Russell School, Brushwood Drive, Chorleywood WD3 5RR Thursday 13th November, 12.15 for 1pm THE LITERARY LUNCH with JODI PICOULT For This year’s eagerly anticipated Literary Lunch join the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult for lunch is the stunning 15th century surroundings of Chenies Manor House. Jodi will be discussing her forthcoming novel Leaving Time, which tells the story of Jenna Metcalf, who uses her mother’s dairies to unlock the mystery behind her sudden disappearance. Tickets £45 to include a copy of Leaving time Chenies Manor House, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 6ER Friday 14th November, 7.30pm SHEILA HANCOCK, MISS CARTER’S WAR It is 1948 and Britain is struggling to recover from the Second World War. Half French, half English, Marguerite Carter, young and beautiful, has lost her parents and survived a terrifying war, working for the SOE behind enemy lines. Leaving her partisan lover she returns to England to be one of the first women to receive a degree from the University of Cambridge. Join one of Britain’s favourite actors and best-selling author as she discusses her first novel, Miss Carter’s War Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Saturday 15th November, 12:00pm HILARY BRADT, RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLING The much-loved traveller behind the best-selling Bradt Travel Guides will be joining us to share a collection of hilarious and scary travel stories from a number of infamous travellers. Tickets £5 before November 1st and £6 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Saturday 15th November, 3:00pm WENDY COPE, WRITER Join the multi-award winning contemporary English poet to discuss her new collection of her published and unpublished essays. A must-have companion book for Wendy's fans and anyone who's ever fallen in love, tried to give up smoking, or consoled themselves that they'll never be quite as old as Mick Jagger. Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Saturday 15th November, 5:00pm JAMES HENEAGE and JASON GOODWIN Join James Heneage, bestselling historian of The Mistra Chronicles and founder of The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival, in conversation with novelist, historian and traveller Jason Goodwin, winner of the JLR/Mail on Sunday Prize and Edgar Award for Best Novel. Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Saturday 15th November, 7.30pm HENRY MARSH, DO NO HARM What is it like to be a brain surgeon? How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut into the stuff that creates thought, feeling and reason? How do you live with the consequences of performing a potentially life-saving operation when it all goes wrong? Join henry Marsh discussing the truthful account of the countless human dramas that take place in a busy modern hospital - 'Elegant, delicate, dangerous and full of profound meaning' (Ed Caesar The Sunday Times) Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Sunday 16th  November, 12:00pm IRVING FINKEL Join iconic British archaeologist, assyriologist and British Museum expert Irving Finkel who will be discussing his revolutionary title The Ark before Noah, which documents his  recent discovery of a 4,000 year-old cuneiform tablet that contains a pre-biblical flood narrative similar to that of the story of Noah's Ark. What is the origin of this ancient tale and how did it end up as one of the most iconic elements of the Genesis flood narrative? Tickets £5 before November 1st and £6 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Sunday 16th November, 2.30pm TANYA BYRON, THE SKELETON CUPBOARD The Skeleton Cupboard is Professor Tanya Byron's account of her years of training as a clinical psychologist, when trainees find themselves in the toughest placements of their careers. Through the eyes of her naive and inexperienced younger self, Tanya shares remarkable stories inspired by the people she had the privilege to treat. Join Tanya to find out more… Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Sunday 16th November, 5:00pm PENNY JUNOR, PRINCE HARRY: BROTHER, SOLDIER, SON Join Penny Junor to discuss her forthcoming biography of Prince Harry. This is the Prince Harry you've never read about before. Published in celebration of his thirtieth birthday, this is the story behind the tabloid stories. The Prince who has the power to make or break. The maverick Prince, who is brilliant, impetuous and unpredictable. Tickets £8 before November 1st and £10 after November 1st Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Sunday 16th November, 10:00am – 1:00pm CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP with STEPHEN MAY If all the literary celebrations have inspired you to get writing, join the co-author of Teach Yourself: Get Started in Creative Writing for an intensive workshop tacking issues such as how to gain confidence writing, how to get and stay inspired, whether you writing a short story, a poem, a draft of a novel or screenplay. Tickets £25 to include a copy of Teach Yourself: Get Started in Creative Writing British Legion Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN Sunday 16th November, 2:00pm – 5:00pm INDIE AUTHOR FAIR We have forty authors coming together to create a pop-up bookshop showcasing the ground-breaking, genre-crossing, experimental, enticing, exciting and beautifully presented world of indie publishing. In the course of the afternoon, you can hear performance poetry, crime, romance, historical fiction and comedy read by the authors themselves. British Legion Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood, WD3 5LN