When Louise takes her dog Barney for a walk in the local forest in Kate Campbell’s debut YA novel The Whisper of Calaresp, little does she know that her life will never be the same again. An encounter with an old enemy takes her back to her long-forgotten homeland of Calaresp, where she is a deposed princess, and where its despotic leader Brisheit seeks to end her life. Relying on her own skills and the powers of a secret and mystical pendant known only as The Whisper, she must try to overthrow Brisheit and win her land back. But Brisheit has no intention of relinquishing his position easily.
After pushing a school bully into a lake, Pendragon (Pen) Devon is sent to stay with his uncle in a remote Scottish castle, the Honour’s Rest of Judith Crow’s new YA novel.. Even though Pen was sitting in the library at the time. Turns out this was the first example of The Rite appearing in Pen. Now he must learn to control the strange kind of magic under the tutelage of his Uncle Napier, who is the Rendelf or overseer of The Rite in all of the United Kingdom. But Napier has gathered many enemies over the years, enemies who would be delighted to use Pen against him.
In the world of S.K. Marlay’s The Stone Keep, the Channellers rule Domhain with brutal force. Sapping magic from others so that the crops might grow, the cities might prosper, and the dragons might be held at bay, Channellers are as revered as they are feared. But in young Eadha, a more ancient power is growing, and as the world and its cruelties rush toward Eadha and Ionain, the boy she has always loved, she faces a terrible choice: make a lie of Ionain’s life or watch him lose everything.
Chaired by Sarah Broadley
About the event
Running time: 60 minutes
Venue: Upper Hall
Price: £10/£8 concession - In Person - or £6/£4 concession - Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)
This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.
About the authors
S.K. Marlay is an Irish fantasy author. She’s been a fruit picker, a maths teacher, a factory worker, a touring singer and a boat hand, not to mention a bunch of other jobs not worth mentioning. Before writing her first novel she was a songwriter. She thinks the discipline of having to distil a song’s story down to sixty words or less really stands to you when writing a book, though she does miss being able to just repeat the chorus when stuck. She still doesn’t quite believe writers are real people; this is likely to trigger something of an existential crisis when her own first book is published.
Follow S.K. Marlay on Twitter @stellakmarlay or visit her website.
Judith Crow was born in Orkney, grew up in Lincolnshire and now lives in the far north of Scotland. Her work draws inspiration from folklore, experience and the natural world. The Backwater, Judith’s debut book, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2019. Judith followed this with Dance With Me in 2020 and her new novel, Honour’s Rest, has been receiving excellent reviews and is a Finalist in the Eyelands Book Award. When she isn’t writing, Judith is a teacher at a primary school in Caithness. She sometimes finds that writing gets usurped by crafting, music, and being a generally doting spaniel owner.
Visit Judith Crow’s website.
Kate Campbell is a writer with a particular passion for horror and fantasy. Her debut fantasy novel 'The Whisper of Calaresp' has been picked up by Wallace Publishing and is due to be published this year. She's had several short stories published in anthologies and has more due out this year.
Follow Kate Campbell on Twitter @katelmcampbell or visit her website.