Showcasing Books by Indie Authors

Books 1-3 of 5

At last, there’s an initiative for self-published writers. The Rhapsody Coffee & Company on the historic High Street, the Old Town, Bridlington, has liaised with local authors to sell their books. And Hornsea Writers are the first to take advantage.

A through room from the coffee shop displays books, both fact and fiction, often featuring places in Yorkshire, especially the East Riding. The genres include crime, romance, historical and family saga. Specifically, all the books are self-published and you won’t find them in the large chain bookstores.

On the first Saturday of each month, a featured author will be there 2-4pm to talk to readers and sign copies. On 1st February Joy Stonehouse will be there to launch the initiative with her popular series of novels set in nearby Reighton in the early 1700s. She will be happy to talk about the background to the stories, the research involved, and explain her ongoing work—a new novel set in Filey during Regency times titled The Boy with Mussel Shell Eyes.

In the coming months, other members of Hornsea Writers will take a turn. Linda Acaster is booked for 1st March when she’ll be there to discuss the writing process, give advice to writers and sign copies of her contemporary suspense novel The Forever House.

As well as a welcoming atmosphere and high quality coffee at Rhapsody, there is a variety of loose-leaf teas, homemade soup, toasted sandwiches and cakes—the perfect place to browse a few books. We hope to see you there. 

If you are too far away, check out her Amazon page. 

Happy New Year!

Image by Vilius Kukanauskas via Pixabay

Here we are, on the cusp of the New Year, the time of looking back to what has been achieved, and forward to goal-setting and new ventures.

For Hornsea Writers the past year has meant building on skillsets learned through experience - between us we’ve plenty – and embracing different, and sometimes up and coming, areas of writing.

Shortform – in fiction, creative non-fiction, straight non-fiction, and journalism - has found favour, often for the simple reason that it can be fitted around longer projects. With judicious planning these shortforms can also be collected into longer works. No longer is creative output to be thought of as single-use.

In this respect, three members are successfully experimenting on the digital platform, ‘Medium’, where words and images work hand in hand behind a paywall. ‘Substack’, a somewhat rival platform, beckons with its integration of words, images, video, and audio.

Regardless of newer mediums, book-length works remain the mainstay of members.

After being headhunted by history publishers Pen & Sword, April Taylor is putting the finishing touches to a third title, and looking forward to embracing her novel-writing once more.

Joy Stonehouse, whose fiction springs from her genealogical research, launched the final book in her Yorkshire coast quintet, and is working on a collection of short stories and a epistolary historical drama.

Karen Wolfe is intent on completing the third novel in her Georgie Crane comi-crime trilogy, and is eyeing a non-fiction book – dog-related, of course, while Stuart Aken is currently polishing his latest SF novel.

The one sentiment that binds all members is the old favourite…

There’s never enough hours in the day,
either for the writing or reading we wish to indulge.

Perhaps that should be our 2025 priority.

How about you?

Wishing all our readers a very Happy New Year.

Humber SFF Returns to Beverley

 

Writers in the East Yorkshire and North Lincs region have the opportunity to meet one of the most pro-active publishers in Northern England during their open submission call.

On October 25th revolutionary publisher and Northodox Press will be joining Humber SFF in Beverley.

Writers can discover what to expect in the submission process, while readers can follow the journey from idea to finished book. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror fans can pick up novels inspired by Yorkshire and other northern counties. Those aspiring for a publishing career can learn how to get started.

Northodox Press have been breaking the publishing norms since 2020. 

An independent publisher based in Sheffield and Manchester, they are on a mission to represent the range and quality of writing from the North of England.

November’s special guest will be Allen Stroud, Author, Game Writer, Musician, and Creator.

Allen Stroud is best known for his sci-fi fantasy novels and video game writing – especially games like Elite Dangerous and Baldur’s Gate III. However, he is also a researcher and lecturer at Coventry University. He was the editor of the British Fantasy Society Journal until 2019, and is now Chair of the British Science Fiction Association. Tickets for 22nd November will be released via the Humber Speculative Fiction website.

The final event of the year will see the return of their popular open mic. Local genre writers will have the chance to share their work.

Run entirely by volunteers, Humber Speculative Fiction is a group of readers, writers, and authors who love Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror. Organised by Michelle Horst, the group has regular guests and Q&As with authors, creatives and publishing professionals.

The events are open to all. Humber Speculative Fiction aims to meet monthly at Chugg Coffee House on Railway Street in Beverley.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, and entry is just £5 which includes a hot drink.

Tickets are available online: Humber Speculative Fiction Presents...