THE LOW HOUSE Mini LITFEST Remarkable Journeys: a post-lockdown celebration

FRIDAY 25TH JUNE 20.00 – 21.00 Luke Wright, Poetry Night The Ballad Seller Bungay’s answer to John Cooper Clarke struts his stuff with these tawdry tales of life in Georgian England.

SUNDAY 27TH JUNE Main marquee (all events followed by signings in Pavilion)

11.00 – 11.45 Pathways to Publishing: Ask the Agent - Meet the Publisher

Emma Shercliff / Phoebe Morgan / Camilla Balshaw

Written a book but not sure how to get it published? Want to know more about the role of a literary agent? Suffolk-based literary agent Emma Shercliff and publisher Phoebe Morgan, editorial director at HarperFiction, are here to answer your questions about the publishing process. They are joined by author Camilla Balshaw, a graduate of Goldsmiths Creative & Life Writing MA, to talk about how to embark on a pathway to publishing. 12.00 – 12.45 Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War – moderated by Rob Nisbet Victoria Panton Bacon, author of Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer and Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War, has spent years documenting the memories and testimonies of WW2 veterans, a literary journey that began with the discovery of her grandfather’s memoirs in a garage. Wendy Holden is the author of more than 40 books, including Sunday Times bestsellers One Hundred Miracles and Born Survivors, which documents the experiences of three mothers sent to Auschwitz and their ‘miracle babies’ born in the camps. Wendy has her own remarkable story, moving in with Captain Tom Moore and his family under lockdown to help Captain Tom write his autobiography Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day. Victoria and Wendy reveal their research processes and what drives them to capture other people’s stories.

13.00 – 13.45 Jenni Keer & Lesley Kara – moderated by Phoebe Morgan Bestselling authors Lesley Kara and Jenni Keer – who both publish their third books in 2021 - discuss their paths to commercial success. Lesley’s first novel The Rumour was the highest selling print crime fiction debut of 2019, has been optioned for TV by Cuba Pictures and sold in over 18 territories. Jenni’s first book, The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker was shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award – a happy ending for an author who wrote four full-length novels before finding a publisher. Lesley and Jenni talk about their publishing journeys with crime author and commercial fiction publisher Phoebe Morgan. 14.15 – 14.45 Judging the (Laxfield) Booker Prize Laxfield Book Club Supremo Bill Shuttle has spent more than a decade trying to corral the unruly members of his local book group, even developing a scoring system used to decide the annual Laxfield Booker Prize. He compares notes, and awards ceremonies, with Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the (actual) Booker Prize. Paddy O’Connell presides. 15.00 – 15.45 Turning the Boat for Home: Richard Mabey Richard Mabey has been a pioneering voice in modern nature writing for five decades. His latest book, Turning the Boat for Home, is a collection of pieces from his rich writing life that reflect on how his ideas evolved as well as the profound changes in our environment. In conversation with Paddy O’Connell, Richard will reflect on his work, and how limitations on travel have encouraged many to engage more closely with the nature around us. 16.00 – 16.45 Esther Freud – in conversation with Emma Shercliff Esther Freud’s nine novels include two set in Suffolk - The Sea House and Mr Mac and Me, winner of Best Novel in the East Anglian Book Awards - and the semi-autobiographical Hideous Kinky, inspired by childhood travels to Morocco. Her latest novel, I Couldn’t Love You More, is the story of three generations of women and their journeys through love, marriage, pregnancy and motherhood, from the 1960s to the present day. Set in multiple locations in London, Ireland and France, it explores changing attitudes to love and sex across the decades. Esther talks about her writing life, her literary inspiration and her attachment to Suffolk. 17.00 – 17.45 Louis de Bernières – in conversation with Paddy O’Connell Louis de Bernières is one of the UK’s most well-known authors, having achieved worldwide success with his international bestseller Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Much of his work draws on his experience living and working abroad – and his novels are set in locations as diverse as Colombia, Australia, Turkey and Greece. Louis talks to Paddy O’Connell about his career and travels, his poetry and prose, and the global appeal of his writing.

Louis plays us out with his classical guitar...

** 6pm close **

Litfest Books List

Luke Wright – The Feel-Good Movie of the Year (Penned in the Margins) Luke Wright – The Toll (Penned in the Margins) Luke Wright – Mondeo Man (Penned in the Margins

Phoebe Morgan – The Babysitter (HQ) Phoebe Morgan – The Wild Girls (HQ) Phoebe Morgan – The Doll House (HQ) Phoebe Morgan – The Girl Next Door (HQ) Victoria Panton Bacon – Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer (Penguin) Victoria Panton Bacon – Remarkable Journeys of The Second World War (The History Press) Wendy Holden – Captain Tom Moore, Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day (Michael Joseph) Wendy Holden – Captain Tom’s Life Lessons (Michael Joseph) Wendy Holden – One Hundred Miracles: Music, Auschwitz, Survival & Love (Bloomsbury) Wendy Holden – Born Survivors (Sphere) Jenni Keer - The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker (Avon Books) Jenni Keer - The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows (Avon Books) Lesley Kara – The Dare (Bantam Press) Lesley Kara – The Rumour (Corgi) Lesley Kara – Who Did You Tell (Corgi) Richard Mabey – Turning the Boat for Home: A Life Writing About Nature (Vintage) Richard Mabey – Nature Cure (Vintage) Esther Freud – I Couldn’t Love You More (Bloomsbury) Esther Freud – The Sea House (Penguin) Esther Freud – Mr Mac & Me (Bloomsbury) Esther Freud – Hideous Kinky (Penguin) Louis de Bernières – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – The Dust That Falls From Dreams (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – So Much Life Left Over (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – The Autumn of the Ace (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – Red Dog (Vintage) Louis de Bernières – Birds Without Wings (Vintage)