Belinda Seaward’s writing has been described as ‘cinematic’ and ‘thrillingly observant’. She has written four novels and is now working on her first book of narrative non-fiction.
Belinda’s work explores themes of identity, love and belonging. Her novels HOTEL JULIET and THE BEAUTIFUL TRUTH were both published by John Murray, literary publishers of Jane Austen, Darwin, and Byron. HOTEL JULIET, a story of love, loss and longing, set in Zambia, London and Scotland, was submitted for the Booker Prize. Her new work, a philosophical memoir, explores in piercing detail the arc of a 20-year-friendship and examines how friendship shapes the most important decisions of our lives.
Belinda was born in Cornwall and grew up in Devon. She was inspired to become a writer when Fay Weldon visited her school. Belinda worked as a journalist for The Sunday Times and for newspapers in the Arabian Gulf. As a mature student, she took a degree in Philosophy which she teaches at A Level and to adults through her social education courses. Belinda has a special interest in horsemanship and, in 2016, she co-founded a community interest company which offers education, health and well-being courses in South Devon.
Belinda is also a personal development coach offering wisdom and well-being courses to individuals and small groups who wish to develop self-understanding. She shares insights from her work and life on her blog: www.belindaseaward.wordpress.com
Jane Rayner was a journalist in business-to-business publishing for 14 years, in different positions before becoming Group Editor across an environmental portfolio at Emap. Over the years, she’s redesigned magazines, launched websites, developed numerous reports and other publications and represented magazines in the media. Alongside providing strategic insight in new product development, Jane has launched and developed awards and implemented conference programmes, seminars and workshops and provided marketing and PR support across the portfolio of products.
Jane set up Lulu Consulting, a communications company specialising in sustainability issues, helping to raise awareness of environmental, social and economic issues and providing support in businesses development.
She can help with all forms of the written word – journalism, blogging, press releases, copywriting for marketing materials, social media – as well as develop and implement your communications strategy. She also runs workshops on developing an online presence – ideal for writers.
You can find Jane on Twitter as @luluconsult, and follow her blog.
Jane Holland is a Gregory Award-winning poet, novelist and screenwriter. Her first novel KISSING THE PINK was based on the women’s pro-snooker circuit, where she herself was a champion player, ranked 24th in the world.
Since turning from sport to writing, she’s published six collections of poetry and dozens of thrillers, historicals, romances, romcoms, and feel-good fiction with major publishing houses, under various pseudonyms including Victoria Lamb, Elizabeth Moss, Beth Good, and Hannah Coates. She’s recently turned her hand to television writing too – watch this space!
Jane’s first thriller GIRL NUMBER ONE hit #1 in the UK Kindle store in December 2015, catapulting her into a life of crime. Her fourth and latest thriller is FORGET HER NAME. She lives in Devon and enjoys encouraging new writers. You can find her on Twitter as @janeholland1
Jane writes a blog and is also on Facebook.
Felicity Goodall is a freelance writer with a background in newspapers, radio and television, and a passion for history.
Her most recent book, published by the History Press is Exodus Burma (now out in paperback), the story of the British escape from Burma as the Japanese invaded in 1942. You can hear an interview with Felicity about the book on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and also on Radio 4’s Excess Baggage.
Felicity worked as a presenter and producer for BBC Radio 4 for 15 years, mostly on their literary output such as A Good Read, Poetry Please! , With Great Pleasure, Fine Lines and Dear Diary. A former foreign correspondent, she appeared on The One Show and the ‘expert’ on a BBC TV documentary on conscientious objectors. Felicity also worked on historical series such as The Year 1000 and the Diaries of King George V with Robert Lacey, and stand-alone programmes, such as docudramas about Bhopal and PTSD.
Felicity is an experienced public speaker; she has spoken at The National Army Museum and to groups such as the Devonshire Association, U3A, Devon Archives and a large number of local history groups. She is occasionally called on to write articles for the press connected with her books, and is an experienced interviewee on radio and television at local and national level.
Felicity was a panellist at the Waterstone’s Mann Booker awards in Exeter, and wrote and directed a play for Radio 4, A Change of Heart, about the first woman war correspondent to be accredited to the British Army.
hats: as ScrivenerVirgin, and as the RedPen Mentor. Anne’s blog on www.scrivenervirgin.com encourages writers to use Scrivener, the sophisticated writing tool, which can take an author from blank page to self-published book. Her website is also the door to RedPen through which Anne offers online training for writers in self-editing, marketing and self-publishing. For a few students at a time, this provides access to her RedPen Mentoring scheme.
