Adventure
Duncan SaundersAdventureYoung Adult (11+)AdventureSci-FiYoung Adult (11+)
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Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a chari...Show more
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either. Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!
Author page
2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Duncan SaundersAdventureYoung Adult (11+)AdventureSci-FiYoung Adult (11+)
member
Website
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a chari...Show more
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either. Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!
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2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Edward J ChristieAdventure
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Edward J. Christie has lived his life immersed in a love of
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Edward J. Christie has lived his life immersed in a love of
books and reading. He spent more than two decades in the
world of book publishing, working with many of the UK’s
bestselling authors.
In a moment of inspiration (or madness),
he undertook a sudden and dramatic career change and
retrained to become a GCSE English teacher. Edward has
always loved and lived close to the River Thames, the setting
and his inspiration for Stick or Twist. However, he rarely
swims in the water!
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1 Book in the Bookstore – Details
Comics
Amy LettsFantasyComicsHumourOther
Website Support
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Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival...Show more
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival, StART Art Classes, and is a co-ordinator for Oxfordshire Artweeks.
She is currently working on an autobiographical migraine comic.
Author page
5 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Fantasy
Amy LettsFantasyComicsHumourOther
Website Support
Website
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival...Show more
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival, StART Art Classes, and is a co-ordinator for Oxfordshire Artweeks.
She is currently working on an autobiographical migraine comic.
Author page
5 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Richard SmithFantasy
Webmaster
Website
I was introduced to fantasy early, through The Hobbit and then Lord of the Rings, arguably the origin story of modern fantasy. After that I started re...Show more
I was introduced to fantasy early, through The Hobbit and then Lord of the Rings, arguably the origin story of modern fantasy. After that I started reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, as well as the more traditionally styled Deverry> series from Katharine Kerr, and Wheel of Time> from Robert Jordan. You’ll see echoes of Kerr’s time-slicing in the structure of Serian novels. More recently I’ve read Mistborn and Stormlight Archive books from Brandon Sanderson.
You might also see some sci-fi and modern geopolitical fiction from me, and technical writing relating to my work in digital preservation and software development.
I live near Oxford, but I was brought up in North Yorkshire, near the moors. You might feel some of the same landscape in Seria as I became familiar with in the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales, thanks to my parents who took us out to enjoy them regularly. I still like to go out exploring on foot, especially around the coast and hills.
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1 Book in the Bookstore – Details
Historical
Amanda RobertsHistorical
Secretary
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Author, bookworm and history lover, Amanda grew up in Derbyshire but has lived in Oxfordshire since 1997.
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Author, bookworm and history lover, Amanda grew up in Derbyshire but has lived in Oxfordshire since 1997.
Her first novel, The Roots of the Tree, was published in 2014. Based on a true family story, that one was close to her heart, but her real love is historical fiction.
She published her second novel in September 2023. The Woman in the Painting is a time-slip, set in 1645 and 2019 in the Oxfordshire village where she lives. It won a silver medal in the Coffee Pot Book Club’s 2023 Historical Fiction Book of the Year Awards in the Time Slip/Dual Narrative/Time Travel category.
Her latest novel, Lady of the Quay, is the first of a series, set in Berwick upon Tweed in 1560. It won a bronze medal in the Coffee Pot Book Club’s 2025 Historical Fiction Book of the Year Awards in The Tudors & The Stuarts category.
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3 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Christina HardymentHistorical
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Christina Hardyment is the author of many works of non-fiction and specialises in literary geography.
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Christina Hardyment is the author of many works of non-fiction and specialises in literary geography.
Recent books include "Writing the Thames" and "Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwelling", "Novel Crime scenes: Twenty Deadly Landscapes" and a series of history mystery novels based on Alyce Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk (1404-1475), the real-life granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer.
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3 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Linda ProudHistorical
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Linda Proud is an English author best known for her novels set in Renaissance Italy. She was a freelance picture researcher before teaching creative w...Show more
Linda Proud is an English author best known for her novels set in Renaissance Italy. She was a freelance picture researcher before teaching creative writing to US students studying in Oxford, UK, which she did for twenty years, working mainly for Sarah Lawrence College. Her first novel, A Tabernacle for the Sun, published by Allison and Busby in 1997, was long-listed for the Booker Prize. It also won a bursary from Southern Arts and a month's residence at the writers' retreat of Hawthornden Castle. It was the first part of The Botticelli Trilogy which has drawn praise from authors and academics as well as the general reader, and is considered as best of its kind by many reviewers, including Lonely Planet Guide to Florence and Tuscany: 'The historical detail in all three is exemplary, and each is a cracking good read.'
In 2018 she published Chariot of the Soul set in Rome and Britain in the first century AD. The sequel, The Albios Way, was published October 2025. The third and final volume of the series is now in progress.
She lives in Wolvercote with her husband.
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6 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Mary McClareyHistorical
Membership Secretary
Website
I'm a local author, living in Headington. I have published three novels and several short stories and my particular interest is writing about ordinar...Show more
I'm a local author, living in Headington. I have published three novels and several short stories and my particular interest is writing about ordinary people in extraordinary times.
This results in a genre of historical fiction, but the history is fairly recent ( ie 20th century ).
I am the new members' secretary for Oxia and happy to welcome new or prospective members.
My more recent interests are in writing short stories, flash fiction and prose/poetry.
I am also a recently joined member of Writers in Oxford.
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3 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Humour
Amy LettsFantasyComicsHumourOther
Website Support
Website
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival...Show more
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival, StART Art Classes, and is a co-ordinator for Oxfordshire Artweeks.
She is currently working on an autobiographical migraine comic.
Author page
5 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Sue ClarkHumour
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Website
Sue Clark’s brand of comic fiction mixes heart and humour. Lots of laughter and a few tears. She is a former BBC radio and TV scriptwriter.
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2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Memoir
Cathy WieldMemoir
member
Website
I am a recently retired emergency physician, but I have lived experience of many years labelled with ‘treatment resistant depression’ when I was s...Show more
I am a recently retired emergency physician, but I have lived experience of many years labelled with ‘treatment resistant depression’ when I was subjected to the worst excesses of psychiatry, often detained against my will, prescribed multiple psychiatric drugs and I survived over 100 electroshock treatments (ECT), and also psychosurgery.
My memoir ‘Unshackled Mind; a doctor’s story of trauma, liberation & healing’ reflects my change of perspectives from believing that psychiatry helped to facing up to the real root causes of my distress. My passion is to inspire hope and enable choice for distressed people and their families
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1 Book in the Bookstore – Details
Sci-Fi
Duncan SaundersAdventureYoung Adult (11+)AdventureSci-FiYoung Adult (11+)
member
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Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a chari...Show more
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either. Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!
Author page
2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Sci-fi
Kevin ElliottSci-fi
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With an Irish passport and an English accent, Kevin has worked for weather forecasters, a bunch of politicians, and a range of other jobs. Some of his...Show more
With an Irish passport and an English accent, Kevin has worked for weather forecasters, a bunch of politicians, and a range of other jobs. Some of his experiences will surely appear in future writings.
A passion for science and the English language mutated into an interest in science fiction, which created his debut anthology, 'Go When the Light Turns Red', and his first novel 'Lightmaker'; both lurking on Amazon.
He's appeared in Oxford Writing Circle's anthology 'Love with a Twist', also available on Amazon, and future writings seem inevitable. He's also spoken at major science fiction conventions, including Worldcon, Eastercon, and FantasyCon.
Major career goals involve a desire for infamy and getting you to read to the end of this sentence. He muses on his blog at https://writerssecrettoolkit.com/blog
Author page
1 Book in the Bookstore – Details
Young Adult (11+)
Duncan SaundersAdventureYoung Adult (11+)AdventureSci-FiYoung Adult (11+)
member
Website
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a chari...Show more
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either. Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!
Author page
2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Duncan SaundersAdventureYoung Adult (11+)AdventureSci-FiYoung Adult (11+)
member
Website
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a chari...Show more
Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either. Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!
Author page
2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Other
Amy LettsFantasyComicsHumourOther
Website Support
Website
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival...Show more
Amy Letts creates comics and zines, particularly "Epic Fail" a fantasy-comedy about hapless adventurers based on D&D. She runs Caption Comics Festival, StART Art Classes, and is a co-ordinator for Oxfordshire Artweeks.
She is currently working on an autobiographical migraine comic.
Author page
5 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Rachael AdamOther
Website
Hi, my name is Rachael. I live in East Oxford. I have always enjoyed writing and have written things all my life, whether it is full length stories or...Show more
Hi, my name is Rachael. I live in East Oxford. I have always enjoyed writing and have written things all my life, whether it is full length stories or short flash fiction.
In 2023 I wrote a book, Sangre De Toro, which I self-published in 2024 and is available on Amazon, which I hope will be the start of a detective series. I was pleasantly surprised by what a positive response I have had for the book, which has had several positive reviews.
Sangre De Toro is a detective story set between Spain and England. It is about a bull, Pepelito, who escapes from a Spanish bullfight and ends up hiding in the house of a police detective, Rita Silvera, who is investigating several murders. Rita is estranged from her family for various reasons and Pepelito becomes a substitute for a family member. At the same time, she falls in love with the vet who she seeks out to treat Pepelito’s injuries. Not only does she have to do her usual job, but she now has to look after an injured and deeply traumatised bull within her own house, and develops a caring relationship with him.
It soon becomes clear that the serial killer case that Rita is investigating is linked to the bullfighting industry and a sinister group of bloodsports enthusiasts.
As well as this, the matador who was set to kill Pepelito, Javier Castella, decides to send his minions after the bull so that he can bring him back to the arena and complete his ‘masterpiece’. This leads to a series of twists and turns and increasingly shocking events until the conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the book and found these parts very exciting to write, and hope that you will too.
I had the idea for this book after researching an article about prominent politicians who are involved in supporting bullfighting, and writing a story about the subject was something of a catharsis for me. One bullfighting aficionado stated in an article I read for research that if a story about bullfighting was written today, then it would likely be extremely negative. However, I could not find any stories like this, so I decided to write one myself. The bull’s perspective is rarely included in stories about bullfighting, and this was one of the motivations I had for wanting to finish the book.
Recently, Sangre De Toro was praised by campaigner and researcher Jordi Casamitjana in a lengthy review which can be found here: https://veganfta.com/2025/02/12/sangre-de-toro-a-novel-about-the-reality-of-the-bullfighting-mafia/ In the review, he stated, ‘Some elements move into the magical realism to help the narrative, but altogether the experience of reading the book will educate you, and give you a new perspective about the world of bullfighting and the connection between that world and the world of violence toward humans.’
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2 Books in the Bookstore – Details
Sue WhisstockOther
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Sue Whisstock author, is a Wallingford resident and a keen watercolourist when she is not writing. She was born in Woodbridge Suffolk, where her fathe...Show more
Sue Whisstock author, is a Wallingford resident and a keen watercolourist when she is not writing. She was born in Woodbridge Suffolk, where her father was a boat-builder. After a teaching career ,she studied part-time at Oxford University for the Diploma in Creative Writing and went on to study for her Masters in Creative Writing at Brunel University under the professorship of the late Fay Weldon.
In 2017 Sue published her family memoir, a 'niche' book which sold amazingly well. It appears there are a lot of classic wooden yacht enthusiasts about!
‘A History of Whisstock’s Boatyard ’
a photographic archive, portraying 60 years of a family boatyard, building classic wooden yachts. She gives regular talks in her native Suffolk.
In 2024, Sue launched her novel:
‘Crosswinds’
Inspired by Sue’s mother-in-law, a Wren in WW2, this historical novel is set in England and America, crossing continents and spanning generations during the second half of the twentieth century. Sue explores the challenges facing a mother and daughter separated by an ocean set against a fast moving political and social landscape.
£6.50 Wallingford Bookshop, other Oxfordshire Bookshops and from www.suewhisstock.com
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crosswinds-historical-fiction-England-America-ebook/dp/B0D689ZXRW
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Vanessa BairdOther
Vanessa Baird has had non-fiction books published on global issues such as population, environment and LGBTIQ+ rights. She is now concentrating on fic...Show more
Vanessa Baird has had non-fiction books published on global issues such as population, environment and LGBTIQ+ rights. She is now concentrating on fiction and is aiming to get this work published shortly.
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