A wealth of life experience and fun on display at the Chiswick Book Festival 2026 Local Authors night

The local authors in the Boston Room of George IV

Photographs by Roger Green

You know that phrase ‘All life is here’ …

The 18th Chiswick Book Festival opened last night (Wednesday 9 September) with the Local Authors night – a showcase for some of the many people who live locally who have produced a book during the past year.

They get two minutes to make their elevator pitch to the audience in the Boston Room at George IV pub on the High Road.

It is such good fun. The authors really step up to the mark. They take great trouble writing their pitch; they have clearly rehearsed; the jokes are funny; and the books sound interesting. You don’t expect to enjoy a book based on the postcode of the author, but they are of a very high standard. This year I had read and reviewed about a third of them and they are really worth reading.

The authors come from a variety of interesting backgrounds – a Professor Sir somebody, a retired social worker, several teachers, an evolutionary biologist, an AI specialist, people with a theatre background, a vicar …

Host of the Local Authors Showcase Jojo Silva and Chiswick Book Festival director Torin Douglas 

What makes the event work is its theatricality, established by the Book Festival’s former programme director Jo James, who took great delight in cutting the authors off dead on two minutes with her hunting horn, to eliminate waffle. It gives the evening a game show vibe.

Jo left the Book Festival last year, but the tradition was carried on this year by Festival director Torin Douglas – though we can do better than the cheap plastic squeaky thing he was using last night to regulate the timing.  I think we should have a whip round for a Jo James memorial hunting horn.

Capital Xtra DJ Jojo Silva stepped admirably into Jo’s shoes, presenting the evening with panache and wit.

The authors and their books

Dan Batchelor

Dan Batchelor – The Jack Palmer trilogy

First up was Dan Batchelor, a teacher at Grove Park Primary School and author of “dystopian sci-fi” for Young Adults. He told the audience he had got married in this very room a year ago and had a 14 day old baby at home – a brilliant ploy for winning over the audience, creating an immediate warm fuzzy glow of goodwill towards him.

He is very likeable, to be fair, and his books have been very successful. I interviewed him about them in June:

READ ALSO: Chiswick teacher who battled dyslexia as a child has second Young Adult Fiction book published

Jack Palmer: A New Order was the first book of a trilogy. The second, Jack Palmer II: The Resistance is out now.

“It’s meant to be funny”, he told the audience in the Boston Room. “It sounds weird, because the cover is full of aliens, but it is relatable. It’s about the first contact aliens make. There are some deeper themes too – such as how to cope with loss”.

The Jack Palmer trilogy is available here: Jack Palmer Series

Rev. Martine Oborne

Rev. Martine Oborne – The Trials of Jessica Lovegood

Next up was Rev. Martine Oborne, vicar of St Michael’s Church, Elmwood Road in Grove Park. Her book is about a woman vicar who finds after her husband has died that she has a miraculous gift for healing.

“It’s a blessing and a gift”, said Martine, “but very quickly it starts to overwhelm her life and threaten her relationship with her 16 year old daughter Em. She also has a really annoying boss who wants to take the credit for her gift”.

READ ALSO: The Trials of Jessica Lovegood – new book by Rev. Martine Oborne

There were a smattering of vicars in the audience, who I imagine were there to support her, and also husband Peter Oborne, the author of many books himself, mainly on cricket and politics, who will be talking about his latest book Full Circle, A History of Cricket at the Chiswick Book Festival on Saturday morning.

The Trials of Jessica Lovegood is available here: Amazon

Simon Thomsett

Simon Thomsett – The Angry Widow

Then we heard from Simon Thomsett, who described his book The Angry Widow as a “psychological suspense thriller”.

READ ALSO: The Angry Widow – a new book by Chiswick author Simon Thomsett

It starts with “a horrifying crime after which nothing will be quite the same”, he said. The angry widow of the title has to carry on and cope, she has children to support, but there is guilt as well as anger as she uncovers family secrets and conspiracies.

He just managed to add that his reviewers online had called it “gripping” and “a page-turner” and said they couldn’t put it down, (I concur) before the squeaky thing squoke.

The Angry Widow is available here: Foyles

Christopher Jarvis

Christopher Jarvis – Life Keeps Lifeing

Christopher Jarvis, who works as a community development officer for Hounslow Council, spoke about his book Life Keeps Lifeing, a collection of poems which he described as “a companion for difficult days.

“If you’ve ever loved or been hurt, questioned your worth, or smiled in public while inside you’re quietly falling apart, I see you, I understand”, he said. “Keep going”.

Life Keeps Lifeing is available here: Amazon

Alwyn Hamilton

Alwyn Hamilton – The Notorious Virtues

Then it was back to fiction with Alwyn Hamilton’s fantasy thriller for Young Adults, The Notorious Virtues. Alwyn is a New York Times best-seller who has filled rooms of readers keen to hear about her latest book all over America.

READ ALSO:  The Notorious Virtues – A new book from Chiswick’s best-selling author Alwyn Hamilton

The Notorious Virtues was “part family drama, part murder mystery”, she told the audience, based on the well-worn fairy tale format of a king who sends his would-be heirs on quests to find out which of them is worthy to succeed him.

The Notorious Virtues is available here: alwynhamilton.com 

Jack Waddington

Jack Waddington – See You, Sam 

Back to reality with a bump with the next speaker – Jack Waddington, talking about his book See You, Sam, which starts with a journey on a train:

“I wrote the first part on a journey home by train the night my brother died”.

He carried on writing, expressing his grief through conversations with his brother. It is, he says an “honest, mundane, at times funny” account of sibling grief, which is often overlooked.

See You, Sam is available here: jackwaddington.co.uk

Nick Bromley

Nick Bromley – Cry Havoc

Nick Bromley has taken part in the Local Authors night before, when he published his book Stage Ghosts and Haunted Theatres five years ago, having acquired tales of supernatural happenings in West End theatres over his long career as a company stage manager since 1971.

READ ALSO: Stage Ghosts and Haunted Theatres

On Wednesday he was talking about his new novel Cry Havoc, the memoirs of Roger Farquhar, who had led “a long life, littered with good intentions, and tripped over most of them”.

It is set in Cologne, Germany, on New Year’s Eve 1919 and his adventures tear through episodes as a smuggler, fugitive, and army deserter before eventually he becomes a spy”.

Cry Havoc is available here: Amazon

Natalie Hay

Natalie Hay – The Parent Carer

Another dose of hard reality from Natalie Hay and her book The Parent Carer, a handbook for parents written from her experience of looking after her son who became bed-bound eight years ago after contracting Lyme disease.

“It’s the book I wish I’d had eight years ago” she said. All parents of children with chronic needs face battles – practical, logistical, medical, educational, financial, sometimes legal. In her case, taking the Department of Education to court and winning, she said.

She left the audience on a positive note. Her son is now fully recovered and going to university.

The Parent Carer is available here: Amazon

Matt Barber

Matt Barber – Nora the Nerdy Neanderthal

For my money, the best presentation of the night came from Matt Barber, talking about his children’s book Nora the Nerdy Neanderthal, though he had an unfair advantage being an actor with, as JoJo pointed out, a wonderful voice and the book, from which he read us a passage, is in rhyming couplets.

“I have very small children myself”, he told the audience, and likes children’s books that have “a strong, competent moral message but hide it in really great story telling”.

His character Nora sounds brilliant. She is bullied for being nerdy – Neanderthals aren’t supposed to be nerdy. The book is not ready to be published yet as he is trying to find an illustrator. So if you’re a children’s illustrator and you like the sound of Nora, get in touch.

Nora the Nerdy Neanderthal is still in production, but you can contact Matt through his website – mattbarber.co.uk

Sue Elliott

Sue Elliott – Trent Park House

Sue Elliott reeled off a list of names of luminaries who have been a part of the history of Trent Park House in Enfield, which has recently opened as a museum – Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Lawrence of Arabia, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson and some top Nazi generals amongst them.

“The House of Secrets at Trent Park really is something”, she said, “but my book tells the whole story”.

Trent Park House is available here: Pen & Sword Books

Rowan Hooper

Rowan Hooper – Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life’s Greatest Collaborations

If there was one important idea to take away from the evening, it was probably Rowan Hooper’s thesis that we have been looking at life the wrong way – it is not just about the survival of the fittest but about the importance of collaboration.

A broadcaster, journalist and writer, Rowan is the New Scientist’s Podcast Editor. He is also an evolutionary biologist, so it is not as if he doesn’t grasp the importance of the survival of the fittest as a concept.

“Cooperation and symbiosis is just as important” he told the audience, to every process: “how life began, how it evolved and how it operates”.

He cited examples of leafcutter ants and fungi; beans, peas and legumes and bacteria; orchids and fungi. There is such a thing as a ‘wood-wide web’ – a hidden underground system of roots and fungi that connects trees and plants in a forest.

Cooperation between species in the natural world has been key to survival and will continue to be so.

Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life’s Greatest Collaborations is available here: Penguin Books

Nadim Sadek

Nadim Sadek – Quiver, don’t Quake: How Creativity Can Embrace AI

In the week when one AI expert has told us there’s a strong chance AI may kill us all (he estimated it as a ten percent chance), Nadim Sadek, a columnist for The Bookseller who also writes about the psychology of motorcycling and has written books for children, told the Chiswick audience not to be afraid of AI, at least not in the context of creativity.

“In the era of super intelligence we retain the ability to think reflectively”.

Humans bring emotion to the mix, and we should think of AI in terms of companionship rather than as a threat, at least in the sphere of creativity, he said.

His book has been very successful, having been taken up as a text book by universities.

Quiver, don’t Quake: How Creativity Can Embrace AI is available here: Amazon

Dr Karen Liebreich MBE

Karen Liebreich – Chiswick Fruit Timeline: A History in Apples and Pears

The book which disappeared the fastest at the end of the night was the Chiswick Fruit Timeline: A History in Apples and Pears, by director of Abundance London Karen Liebreich, beautifully illustrated by local artists Jonathan Mercer and Kate Fishenden.

READ ALSO: From orchards to Apple Day: Chiswick’s fruity history

Did you know that the American apple and pear industries were based on stock which originated in Chiswick? Or that what became the Royal Horticultural Society and the Chelsea Flower Show both originated here?

It is a beautiful little book full of such nuggets, available from Abundance London for only a fiver.

Chiswick Fruit Timeline: A History in Apples and Pears is available here: abundancelondon.com

Denys Graham

Denys Graham – Building The Inquiring Mind: A journey through the history of thinking

Denys Graham has undertaken a mammoth task – a history of thinking. Denys, who spent 32 years as an emergency health social worker before turning to writing, takes his readers on a journey through philosophy, theology and psychology to come up with “an integrated view of the enquiring mind”.

Building The Inquiring Mind: A journey through the history of thinking is available here: Amazon

Sam Stephens

Sam Stephens – The Joy of Games

Sam Stephens’ book The Joy of Games sold out at the end of the night. He persuaded the audience they needed a copy for the perfect Christmas. He talked about the magic of games, how playing them can transform an evening, connecting us with each other, allowing us to be playful, ridiculous and ruthless all at the same time.

The games in his book were uncomplicated, he said, but had brought many hours of joy.

The actress, comedian and writer Miranda Hart has described Sam’s book as “a literal permission slip to have such fun”.

Christmas sorted.

The Joy of Games is available here: hachette

Mariesa Dulac

Mariesa Dulac – The Ice Cream Crocodile

If I had small children, I would certainly have bought Mariesa Dulac’s books – she talked about two:

There’s a Tiger on the Train is about a child who takes a train journey with his father. On this train there is a tiger in a top hat and a whole host of other interesting characters, but daddy misses them all as he is engrossed on his phone.

The Ice Cream Crocodile is her new one, about a crocodile who longs to be a circus performer like his friend Flossie the flamingo. The problem is, the circus ringmaster does not allow animals with scales or spikes to take part in his circus, only those who are fluffy or feathery.

The Ice Cream Crocodile is available here: Faber & Faber; and There’s a Tiger on the Train is available here: Faber & Faber

Pablo Hepworth Lloyd

Pablo Hepworth Lloyd – The Financial Times Guide to Business Ethics

The range of knowledge and expertise on display at the Local Authors night was mind blowing. These are our neighbours! They walk amongst us.

Having had presentations on AI and evolutionary biology, we were next treated to Pablo Hepworth Lloyd’s FT Guide to Business Ethics. He had spoken to 50 business leaders – “both good and bad; the bad ones anonymous” and concluded “90% of businesses are sociopaths.

“They are self-interested, unkind and unimaginative”. His book is “a toolkit for how to do business properly”.

The Financial Times Guide to Business Ethics is available here: pearson.com

Professor Sir Robert Lechler

Professor Sir Robert Lechler – Restoring La Casa Rotta

Next up was a professor of immunology. Professor Sir Robert Lechler is Professor Emeritus at King’s College London. He was talking not about immunology though, but about how he and his Italian wife have restored a ruined remote farmhouse in Umbria.

Robert’s book, like Genesis drummer Chris Stewart’s best-selling memoir Driving Over Lemons or Peter Mayle’s hit A Year in Provence, shows the magnitude of such a project. He described how they had fallen foul of natural disasters – including an earthquake – man-made disasters, and a run-in with the local tax authorities.

“Italy surpasses every other country I know in unparalleled sensual pleasure”, he said – the scenery, the art, the music, the food … but it also has no rival for the complexity of its bureaucracy.

Tim Marriott

Tim Marriott – Revelation

Tim Marriott’s book Revelation is also an homage to a beautiful Mediterranean place where the key character has found solace – the Greek island of Patmos, the final ferry stop in the Dodecanese. Tim painted a picture of a man on a beach, who has been made redundant and has gone through a divorce. In a summer of despair, he finds peace and a revelation.

“My literary agent friend tells me it’s beautiful, lyrical and poetic, and as such it won’t sell, but someone might read it and think it might make a good film”.

Revelation is available here: Foyles

Hillie Marshall

Hillie Marshal – Playing Cupid

Last of the evening – and freshest in the minds of the audience when it came to selling books on the way out, so not such a bad thing – was Hillie Marshall, who built a business in the 1980s out of her experience of going through a bitter divorce and bringing up two small children as a single parent.

Her Dinner Dates introduction agency began with two telephone lines and piles of paperwork in the pre-internet age and grew to a membership of 17,000. She started with large group dinner parties and progressed to organising black tie balls and group holidays and became an agony aunt and a radio and TV pundit on the strength of her dating expertise.

She knows all about “stalkers, bounders and re-bounders”, she says. A career made for writing a memoir, if ever there was one.

Playing Cupid is available here: hillie.com

Chiswick Book Festival goers at St Michael & All Angels Church, Bath Road

Chiswick Book Festival this weekend

Some of these books are available from local bookshops, some aren’t as they are self-published. I have put in links to where they can be bought where I could find them.

The main Festival events take place over the weekend – some sessions have sold out but there are still tickets available for others and, as Torin Douglas pointed out, it is worth adding your name to the waiting list if you want to go to something which has initially sold out. There were a few people in the audience tonight who had bought tickets last minute having been on the waiting list.

Chiswick Book Festival – chiswickbookfestival.net