We've got a fantastic group of authors here at Legend Press and Paperbooks - each and every one is absolutely brilliant to work with. We're listing them here in alphabetical order by surname, we think you'll agree they're an interesting bunch!
Alot of our authors have their own website and write regular blogs, which are well worth a look! To see a list of our author blogs click here!
If you'd like to contact any of them either follow the links to their personal websites or blogs, or simply send us an email at info@legend-paperbooks.co.uk and we'll pass on your message.
LEGEND PRESS NOVELISTS:
Andrew Blackman
Andrew is the author of On the Holloway Road published by Legend Press in 2009. He recently moved back to the UK after spending six years in New York, where he worked as a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He has also written for newspapers and magazines across America, including Monthly Review, the Cincinnati Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Seattle Times and Tampa Tribune, and won the Daniel Singer essay prize. He has a Bachelor's degree in modern history from Oxford University and a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. Chosen from hundreds of entries Andrew Blackman was the first winner of the Luke Bitmead Writer's Bursary, winning a publishing contract with Legend Press.
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Luke Bitmead
White Summer was Luke's first published novel and received rave reviews nationwide. Luke tragically and suddenly passed away on 27th October 2006, aged 34. To honour his memory, enthusiasm and great talent Legend Press is working with Luke's family to continue promoting White Summer and other writing he had been working on. Royalties from his books will go to the Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund to support fledgling writers; more details can be found at www.lukebitmead.com. Heading South, a novel in two halves which Luke wrote jointly with Catherine Richards, was published in May 2007. We miss you Luke.
Reviews, blurbs and more information about:
White Summer
Heading South
Other links:
The Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund
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William Coles
William has been a journalist for over 20 years - which he thinks is probably the reason why he hates working in little pokey offices or libraries. Instead, he likes writing in coffee-bars and internet cafes with a wall of white noise and coffee on tap. William has worked for a number of the nationals, including The Sun, The Express, The Mail and The Wall Street Journal. William is pictured here with one of his two young sons.
William is the author of The Well-Tempered Clavier (2007), Lord Lucan: My Story (2009), Dave Cameron's Schooldays (2010), Mr Two Bomb (2010) and Simon Cowell: The Sex Factor (2011).
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
The Well-Tempered Clavier
Downloads:
Two-minute author video -- Bill talks about the book and plays Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier music on the piano.
Legend Press asks Bill some random questions:
Download bill_coles_spills_the_beans.pdf
Other links:
Bill's personal blog featuring the (fully fictional!) character of 'Idle Tom the publisher'
Writewords interview with Bill
Visit Lordlucan.org by clicking here!
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Matthew Crow
Matthew Crow was born in North Shields in 1987. At the age of 16 he moved in with family in Darlington to complete his A Levels at a better Sixth Form College. During his teens Matthew freelanced for several online magazines writing pop reviews, which lead him to move to London to work freelance. Matthew quickly secured a literary agent and is one of the most exciting young writers of his generation. Matthew is currently living in Darlington and writes regularly.
Matthew's debut novel Ashes was published on 24th April 2010
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Sophie Duffy
Sophie is the winner of the 2010 Luke Bitmead Bursary and the Yeovil Literary Prize. She currently lives in Teignmouth, Devon with her husband and three children. Sophie's debut novel The Generation Game is published July 2011. The novel is inspired by Sophie's childhood growing up in a sweet shop in Torquay.
Visit Sophie's website and blog
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Ruth Dugdall
Ruth studied a BA (Hons) degree in English and Theatre Studies at Warwick University, and then an MA is Social Work at UEA. She worked as a Probation Officer for almost a decade, working in prisons with numerous high-risk criminals. Ruth's debut novel The Woman Before Me (Legend Press, 2010) was informed by her experiences. Ruth’s professional background gives her writing authenticity and credibility. Ruth's second novel The Sacrificial Man was published in 2011.
Ruth is the winner of the CWA Debut Dagger and the Luke Bitmead Bursary and has been shortlisted for the New Angle Book Prize and People's Book Prize.
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Bonnie Greer
Bonnie Greer was born in Chicago where she later studied with David Mamet, before moving to New York to study at the Actors Studio with Elia Kazan. She has been living in Britain since the late 1980s where she has carved a reputation; she's won numerous awards, including the Verity Bargate and has been a judge on many prizes including the Orange Prize for Fiction. Bonnie regularly contributes articles to the Guardian, Telegraph, Independent and Marie Claire as well as appearing for comment on TV and radio. She is also just completing collections of short stories and essays and her latest play, Marilyn and Ella will be moving to the West End in 2009.
Bonnie is the author of Obama Music.
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Nick Griffiths
Nick graduated from King's College, London, in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. By mistake. He managed to turn this around, becoming a journalist, on the music press (Sounds, Select), then women's magazines (New Woman, Options), before settling as a TV writer with Radio Times and the Daily Mail. He has also written for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Time Out and others, and scripted the Sunday morning children's TV show, Dog & Dinosaur, for BBC Choice. His Doctor Who memoir, Dalek I Loved You, was published by Orion in 2007. He's a big fan of Bill Bryson and one day thought, "I could write something like that!", except he rarely travels anywhere, so he had to make it all up. In the Footsteps of Harrison Dextrose was the result. The sequel, Looking for Mrs Dextrose is published in May 2011.
Nick is also the author of Who Goes There a travel book with Dr Who at it's core, where Nick travels England and Wales seeking filming locations of the show both new and classic. The book has had extensive national media coverage including Time Out, Radio 4, Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
More information about:
In the Footsteps of Harrison Dextrose
Downloads:
Legend Press ask Nick some random questions:Download the_nitty_gritty_from_nick_griffiths.pdf
Other links:
Nick's personal blog and website
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Josie Henley-Einion
Josie grew up in the Midlands and attended Bangor University in North Wales, stuudying Psychology and Linguistics. In 2002-05, Josie studied for Manchester Metropolitan University's online MA in Creative Writing, during which her debut novel Silence was written. She now lives in Cardiff, South Wales, with her civil partner Alys, their son and a host of furry friends. Josie's short stories have been published in Seven Days, Eight Hours and 10 Journeys (Legend Press) and is described as 'author, blogger, legend in her own living room.'
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Lee Henshaw
Lee is credited by many to be the founding father of online PR. He started out with Way to Blue, a company which now has a team of over 40 and offices in London, Madrid, Paris, Rome and Berlin. As well as Queer Fish in God's Waiting Room, he also had an Oasis biography published in 1996. He plans to have at least one book published per decade and is currently working on a second novel. He lives in Stoke Newington with his wife, Claire, and two young children.
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
Queer Fish in God's Waiting Room
Downloads:
Audio recording of Lee reading from Queer Fish, with music from hip-hop artist Akira the Don: Download queer_fish_in_gods_waiting_room.mp3
Reading at the Queer Fish launch party
Other links:
Lee's 'Next to Hemingway' blogsite
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Zoe Jenny
Zoe's first novel The Pollen Room (1997) won her global critical acclaim and is the all-time best selling debut novel by a Swiss author. The novel has been translated into 27 languages since publication. Zoe has published numerous best-selling titles, including The Call of The Conch Shell (2000), A Fast Life (2002), and The Portrait (2007) and is widely regarded as one of the best writers of her generation.
The Sky is Changing (published by Legend Press in May 2010) is Zoe's first novel written in English - seeing her become one of first best-selling authors to write and publish novels in different languages in original form. Zoe Jenny was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1974. After years of travelling and living in New York and Berlin, she has now settled in London.
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Kevin Joslin
Kevin Joslin (aka. Mick Sturbs) has written the Janet & John scripts for the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show Wake up to Wogan for the last 5 years. The stories are based around the misadventures of John Marsh, a BBC Radio 2 Newsreader. Marsh once told Wogan on air that his wife was called Janet, and a series of "Janet and John" stories followed, read by Wogan during the breakfast show. Five CDs have been sold by listeners in aid of Children in Need and have raised over £3 million from all sales to date. The full collection of Janet & John stories entitled See John Run was published by Headline in October 2009. Kevin is the author of Twelve Good Reasons to Look Up Uranus, published by Legend Press in October 2010.
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Paddy Kelly
Paddy Kelly is the author of Operation Underworld published by Legend Press in October 2009. He is the son of a Sicilian mother and an Irish father, was born in Ireland, educated in New York City and lived in New York for over 30 years. Paddy has had many interesting life experiences including coaching the Icelandic gymnastics team for 2 years, where he also helped with the rescue efforts of the Heimaey volcano eruption and served in the Navy, helping to assist the 1975 evacuation of Saigon.
To date Paddy has directed over 20 professional theatrical productions, written half a dozen feature film scripts and is a regular contributor to various film industry publications. Kelly is also a restaurateur, has written and directed a cookery television programme and teaches cookery classes as an aid to reducing stress.
Visit Paddy's blog by clicking here
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Mark Kotting
Mark was born and bred in London, and moved to Sydney for a while to look at the surf. He is the author of Nappy Rash, published by Wrecking Ball Press in 2005. His second novel Babble and Squeak is published by Legend Press on 27th February 2010.
He has written TV and radio comedy including two plays for BBC Radio The Match, 2007 and Gulf, 2008. Mark is a London Cab Driver, who once played second division Rugby League. Mark recently embarked on a 10,000 motorbike ride from London to Beijing. Mark contributed to Legend Press's short story collection 8 Rooms in 2009.
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Philip Leslie
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Guy Mankowski
Guy was raised on the Isle of Wight before being taught by monks at Ampleforth College, York. After graduating with a Masters from Newcastle University and a Psychology degree from Durham, Guy formed a Dickensian pop band called Alba Nova, releasing one EP. After that he started working as a psychologist at The Royal Hospital in London, writing during any free moment he could get. Guy now works at a psychotherapy clinic in Newcastle. Guy's first short story was included in 8 Rooms (2009) and the setting and the mood of the story was inspired by the front cover of the Tubeway Army album Replicas. Guy's story 'The Willows' is published in Legend Press's 2010 collection 10 Journeys. Guy's debut novel The Intimates was published Spring 2011.
Visit Guy at http://guymankowski.blogspot.com/
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Sarah Ladipo Manyika
Sarah is the author of In Dependence published in 2008. She was raised in Nigeria and then lived in Kenya, England and France. She spent her undergraduate years in the Universities of Birmingham and Bordeaux and did her doctorate at UC Berkeley. She currently resides in San Francisco where she lectures in English literature at San Francisco State University, edits new works by African writers, and finds time for some writing of her own. She loves sunshine, laughter, and a good cappuccino. She loves playing basketball with her family, and she loves good stories - listening to them, imagining them, writing them, and telling them.
Visit Sarah's website here
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Damian McNicholl
Damian McNicholl was born and educated in Northern Ireland and attended law school at University College, Cardiff in Wales. A SON CALLED GABRIEL was published in America in 2004 and was an American Booksellers Association Booksense Pick and Lambda Literary Awards finalist. The book was published by Legend Press in 2008. He has appeared on CBS, WYBE Public Television, National Public Radio, Associated Press's syndicated BETWEEN THE LINES with Diana Jordan, Irish Radio Network USA's Adrian Flannelly Show among others to discuss his work. Currently living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he maintains a blog at http://damianm.blogspot.com and is at work on another novel.
Damian's second novel Twisted Agendas was published August 2011
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Candi Miller
Candi was born and educated in Africa, but now lives in England where she teaches Creative Writing. To research her first novel, Salt and Honey (2007), she undertook an expedition to the Kalahari Desert to visit groups of San people. There she was caught up in one of the largest veld fires ever to sweep the sub-continent, charged by a bull elephant and enchanted by Ju/'hoansi story-telling around a campfire. Further books can be expected shortly.
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
Salt & Honey
Downloads:
Candi's full-page biography:
Download author_biography_candi_miller.pdf
Legend Press asks Candi some random questions:
Download candi_gets_grilled.pdf
Other links:
Survival International, the human rights charity which Candi chose to support with the launch of Salt & Honey
Writewords interview with Candi
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Don Mullan is an Irish humanitarian worker and media producer. He has headed one well-known Irish aid agency and worked for another, spoken widely, and was co-producer of a film about Bloody Sunday. In addition, he is credited with writing the book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, which is credited with triggering the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. Don also attended the inauguration of Oresident Nelson Mandela in recognition of his work on behalf of the anti-apartheid movement and is involved in football legend Pele's football school in Brazil. Don is the author of The Boy Who Wanted to Fly, published by Legend Press in September 2010.
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Gary William Murning
Gary is the author of If I Never published by Legend Press in 2009. A writer from the north-east of England, I'm eclectic by nature - with an attention span that demands variety and high degrees of interest. My interests, writing aside, include literature, current affairs, music, the arts in general, skeptical enquiry - and anything that challenges (possibly flawed) widely accepted beliefs.
Visit Gary at www.garymurning.wordpress.com
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Heather Peace
Heather started her career working in touring theatre, commissioning and directing new plays. Heather's debut novel All to Play For is published October 2011.
She joined the BBC Drama Script Unit in 1989, later script editing productions in Drama Serials under Michael Wearing, and Comedy under Robin Nash, where she developed Lisselle Kayla's groundbreaking sitcom Us Girls. In 1991 she left the BBC to become Head of Comedy Development at Witzend Productions, returning in 1994 to edit one week in four of EastEnders for a year. From '94-'96 she was a senior script editor in Drama Serials, leaving to become a freelance editor and writer.
She wrote for the second series of Crossroads and has written a number of short stories; she trained to teach English in 2003. Heather is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University on the new Advanced Creative Writing course
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Mark Liam Piggott
Mark Liam Piggott's debut novel Fire Horses (2008) was described by author John King as 'a passionate, powerful, poetic and fine debut from an original talent.' His second novel Out of Office was published March 2010.
Mark Piggott has had short stories and poems published in anthologies, magazines and websites including Pulp Books, Aesthetica and 3AM; writes for Private Eye, satirical websites (including Home Defence) and various blogs; and as a journalist has had dozens of features published in the Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, Cosmopolitan and many more.
More information about:
Fire Horses
Downloads:
Legend Press asks Mark some author questions:
Download mark_piggott_tells_it_how_it_is.pdf
Other links:
http://www.markpiggott.com/
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Catherine Richards
Catherine is Head of English at a secondary school in Rotherham and has been writing in some form or other since she could hold a pen; be it epic stories at school, play and sketches to perform with friends, or just keeping a diary. Things took a bit of a twist for Catherine's writing when she met Luke Bitmead on the BBC Get Writing Forum. They decided to work on a novel together, despite never actually meeting in person, and Heading South, a highly entertaining dual-perspective comedy, is the result.
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
Heading South
Other links:
Catherine on MySpace
Writewords interview with Catherine
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Rebecca Strong
A passion for books and writing from a young age led Rebecca to study French and Spanish at University College London and then become an active member of the Society of Young Publishers (SYP), starting by writing articles for its magazine, InPrint, and subsequently editing the magazine and holding a committee position for two years. She got married in July 2005 and (somehow) found the time to write her first novel, Here or There, in 2006. Rebecca is one of the 8 authors included in our new shop story collection 8 Rooms published in April 2009.
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
Here or There
Downloads:
Download rebecca_gives_us_a_few_answers.pdf
Other links:
Rebecca on MySpace
The SYP
Writewords interview with Rebecca
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Jae Watson
Jae lives in London though it was while studying Theology at Manchester University that she developed an interest in world belief an human psychology, both of which are reflected thoughtfully and emotionally in Journey - her first novel. Jae carries out social work on a part-time basis, devoting the rest of her time to writing. She has also played saxophone in 'Hoodwink', an all-female indie rock-band, and travelled extensively. Jae's second novel Fragile was published in summer 2009.
Reviews, blurb and more information about:
Journey
Other links:
Jae on MySpace
Writewords interview with Jae
OUR SHORT STORY WRITERS:
Click here for reviews, blurbs and more information about the three titles in Legend Press' Short Story Reinvented series.
Jackie Blissett
Jackie is originally from the south of England but now lives in Sorrento, Italy, after having met her (now) husband while she was there on holiday. As a child and through school she wanted to be a writer and her choice to read English at the University of Plymouth reflected this. She now teaches English for business to various companies in Sorrento, and also English as a foreign language to private students. For the rest of the time she lets her creative writing take over her life - when she's not being a housewife or mother that is! She and her husband have three boys, twins Andrea and Antonino, and little George. Her story, 'Maria's Mother' in Eight Hours is the first work she has had published.
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Paul Burman
Paul was born in Northamptonshire, England, but currently lives in Victoria, Australia. Paul Burman's debut novel The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore was published by Paperbooks in 2008. Paul has worked in a wine-bottling factory, a deep freeze, a plumbing warehouse, the Post Office, as well as being a maize 'castrator' in the south of France and he once had a newspaper round until a neighbour's dog bit him. Having decided to never become a teacher, he became a teacher and has been learning how to teach English and Literature ever since. That he's been compulsively reading and writing fiction from the age of six may be the result of a childhood indiscretion in which he was caught inadvertently telling the truth. Making up stories has remained a happy obsession ever since.
Paul's story is included in 10 Journeys, published April 2010.
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CJ Carver
C. J. is half English and half Kiwi. She is the author of five novels published by Orion, including CWA Debut Dagger Award winning novel Blood Junction. She lived in Australia for ten years before taking up long-distance rally driving. She has driven London to Saigon and London to Cape Town, both with an all-female crews. Her story was inspired by a drive through the remote Xinjiang Autonomous Region in China, a beautiful area of wilderness that is home to countless gulags.
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Kevin Chandler
For over two decades Kevin has trained RELATE counsellors and, despite devoting much of his time now to writing, still sustains a successful private practice of couple and individual therapy and supervision. He says that one benefit of a career listening to others' private personal stories is the insight it affords into intimate attachments. This understanding has produced a powerful and gripping story - 'Fifty-Minute Hour' - in Legend Press' new collection, Eight Hours.
Link: Kevin's website
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Anne Devereux
Anne is a writer of contemporary, romantic and gothic/fantasy short fiction, has written a Young Adult fantasy novel and also writes poetry and song lyrics. Anne was born in England, but now lives on an off-grid organic homestead in Nova Scotia with her husband and two cats.
She identifies with Pierre Trudeau as a "citizen of the world". Her favourite things to do are write, read, sing, fiddle around on the guitar, scrabble about in her garden, sunbathe, and generally avoid work. Her story What If You Slept (10 Journeys, 2010) follows the journey of two strangers, both running from their respective daily lives, on a train to nowhere.
Visit Anne's blog at http://anne-devereux.tumblr.com
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Dave Foxall
Dave was born in the Black Country, he started commuting at the age of eleven and coming to appreciate the escapist value of a good read. Eager to see the world, he swapped his small town roots for the bright lights of Coventry (45 minutes down the road) and the seductive glamour of studying law. With degree in hand, Dave then took a four-week job in the Civil Service to make ends meet; 19 years later, the law career having been abandoned along the way - he finally managed to leave and live the dream of being a wealthy writer. The 'wealthy' bit still requires a little work. Dave's favourite authors might well be Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Haruki Murakami and if you can find anything of them in his work he would love to hear about it. Contrary to what his story, 'I'm afraid of flying...' may lead you to believe, Dave is actually very happily married.
Visit Dave's website at http://www.davefoxall.co.uk/
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Justin Elliott
Justin lives in Gloucestershire and after finishing school worked in banking and insurance before deciding to become a writer. As well as having his story published in The Remarkable Everday, he has written two novels: Theft, and Beneath the Southern Cross.
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Daniel Gothard
Daniel Gothard studied creative writing at Ruskin College, Oxford and Bath Spa University. His previous work has appeared in Mix and The Poet Tree. Before becoming a writer he worked as a producer with the company he co-founded Evolution Pictures Ltd. He lives in Oxford with his wife, Zoe, and their three children Jasmine, Joe and Nate. Daniel's story 'A Thousand Dreams' is the last in the Eight Hours collection.
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Josie Henley-Einion
Having studied Psychology and Linguistics at university, Josie has since worked in a variety of jobs including research, health and social care and computer programming. She lives in Cardiff with her civil partner Alys, who is also a writer, and their son. Josie is extremely interested in the history and incidence of lesbianism, and how attitudes have changed in general society as well as within the LGBT community. This is reflected in her story Sunday in Seven Days. She is also one of the authors in the new collection, Eight Hours, her story is the first in the collection.
Downloads and links:
Legend Press asks Josie some author questions:
Download josie_henleyeinion_in_the_spotlight.pdf
You can visit Josie's personal website at www.josiehenley.net and find her on MySpace at www.myspace.com/josie_henley
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Lea Hurst
Arriving in England just in time for the last of the swinging sixties, Lea worked as a teacher for children with special educational needs. After retiring, she turned to writing and her talent was immediately recognised, being shortlisted for a festival award before being published in The Remarkable Everyday.
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Sarah James
After her degree at Trinity College Oxford, Sarah became an award-winning journalist before taking a career break to have children. She now fits in writing short-fiction and poetry around looking after her two young sons. Sarah is a prolific writer and has had many of her short stories and poems published, including her story Monday in The Remarkable Everyday.
Downloads and links:
Legend Press gives Sarah our set of author questions:
Download sarah_james_speaks_to_legend_press.pdf
You can visit Sarah's prose and poetry blog, entitled 'The Mother of all Blogs', here.
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Anwar Khokar
Anwar is a writer, stand-up comic, and physician based in Minneapolis. He grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan, received his medical degree in Karachi, and moved to the United States in 2001 (just weeks after 9/11) for post-graduate training. His story Thursday in Seven Days reflects his experience of what it can be like to be caught between two cultures.
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Andrew Kirby
Andy has published a large number of short stories in a variety of media, including print anthologies, magazines and journals, on-line and as downloadable pod casts. He was awarded third prize in the Luke Bitmead Writer's Bursary competition 2008 judged by a panel including best-selling authors Deborah Wright and Zoe Jenny. He is currently engaged in writing a sitcom. Andy lives in Oakwood, Leeds, with his girlfriend and kitten, Eric who provided inspiration for the cat in his short story in 8 Rooms.
Andy's story The Curious Case of Jenni Wen is published in our 2010 short story collection 10 Journeys.
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Hilary Lloyd
Hilary is retired and writing furiously (in all senses of the word). She trained as a nursery nurse and then primary teacher, but her best-loved work came in later life when she spent fourteen years on a Shropshire smallholding rearing sheep, geese and hens. Though a life-long scribbler, it was during this time that she began to write 'seriously' on discovering it was the perfect antidote to the hard physical graft of farming. Hilary has had numerous articles and short stories published, and also been awarded several writing prizes. Her story, 'The Moon on a Stick', is included in Eight Hours.
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Sophie Mackintosh
Living in Pembrokeshire, Sophie is a young writer with a great future ahead of her. She has been writing for as long as she can remember and likes to challenge herself by writing from very different perspectives. This was evident in her story published in The Remarkable Everyday, which portrayed a mother coming to terms with the tragic loss of her daughter.
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Alistair Meldrum
Alistair was born in Edinburgh in 1976 and was brought up and schooled in Dunbar, East Lothian. Alistair studied Psychology at Edinburgh University and returned to studies in 1999 for a yearlong IT conversion course. Alistair now works as a computer programmer for an Edinburgh-based pensions company. Alistair married his wife Claire in 2002 and they have three young children. His story The New Head of Death (featured in 10 Journeys) is a story about the modern detachment many people have from the inevitability of death, and why that is a loss to us.
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Liilia Morrison
Liilia is a painter, poet and writer living in Homestead, Florida. She has travelled extensively, meeting scores of fascinating people many of whom have been characterised in her extensive work. She is also the founder and editor of newsletter Arttalks and has had both prose and poetry published. She has been influenced by the strong Mayan presence in Homestead and this has proved the basis for her main character in Tuesday, which is included in Seven Days.
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Victoria Mottram
Victoria is Legend Press' only Antarctica-based writer, currently working as an overwintering doctor at Halley Research Station. When still a medical student, she spent two months working at a medical centre for the homeless, and also did voluntary work with people living on the streets in Newcastle, the setting for her story Wednesday in Seven Days.
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Ari O'Connell
Ari has worked as a Journalist and in Communications and PR. She is currently a full time PhD/Writing student and is completing her first novel, a black comedy about contemporary working life, as well as working part time as a Researcher. Ari's experience living, working and travelling overseas informed much of her short story Ukini, Nageni featured in 10 Journeys (2010). Ari lives in Perth, Western Australia.
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Cassandra Parkin
Cassandra holds a Master's Degree in English Literature at York University and now works as a senior brand manager for a Healthcare company in Hull. Cassandra has been writing fiction on and off since she first learned how to write, mostly to order as Christmas presents for family and friends. Her story Interview #17 is a dark morality tale about the failure of capitalism, for everyone who's ever got to work and wondered what in the hell they're doing there.
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Brett Pransky
An American Midwesterner, Brett is a poet and short fiction writer with an admirable list of publishing and academic successes. As well as his story being chosen by Legend Press for The Remarkable Everyday, his work can also be found in Carnelian, Remark, The Gator Springs Gazette and Antimuse, to name just a few. Brett holds undergraduate degrees in English and Philosophy/Pre-Law and is currently teaching at Ohio University in exchange for free tuition and a modest pay-cheque, both of which he is using to obtain an advanced degree in Rhetoric and Composition.
Visit Brett's blog at http://brettpransky.blogspot.com/
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C L Raven
Cathryn and Lynsey are 25-year-old twins from Cardiff, writing under a joint pen-name. They find that being twins is great for team writing as their work blends seamlessly into one narrative voice, and no one can tell that two pens have been in operation. As Goths, they know what it's like to be subjected to abuse by teenagers and how a thirst for revenge is always present, and this is powerfully reflected in their story, 'End of Innocence', in Eight Hours. Bullying has left the twins socially phobic but they say that rarely leaving the house is great for their writing, they get to write all day surrounded by their many animals and don't have to waste their time with 'real' work.
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D E Rhylis
D.E was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and spent her childhood moving around Great Britain due to her father's job. She is a self confessed travel lover and has worked abroad as a head nurse in Saudi Arabia. As a qualified nurse, wife, mother and grandmother she has a different perspective on life and death. D.E. met her present husband whilst working abroad and got married in America.
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Anca Scott
Anca lives in America and graduated from Northwestern College in 2002 with a degree in youth ministry. Anca is a practicing Christian and part of the gothic subculture, two things that she has had to reconcile to one another as part of defining her identity. This struggle is thoughtfully illustrated through the protaganist in her story Saturday, which is featured in Seven Days. (Photo credited to Krista Wille).
Downloads:
Legend Press asks Anca some author questions:
Download anca_scott_answers_our_questions.pdf
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E C Seaman
Emma is Legend Press' only author to be published in all four short story collections in the Short Story Reinvented series. Having studied English at Oxford, she only began writing again a few years ago having given up 'working on her first novel' to start on her second instead. She has been widely published and has won numerous short story prizes. She lives in Devon with her husband and two young daughters.
Emma is currently part of the Arts Council sponsored Apprenticeships in Fiction scheme, and you can follow her work at www.emmaseaman.co.uk.
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Brendan Telford
Brendan despite having spent much of his adult life in urban settings is a country born boy from Queensland, Australia. He has always had an affinity with the written word and used to make up stories while pretending to read the phone directory. Brendan is a teacher, studied Creative Writing and Research as a Masters Degree, and has seen much of the world. His story Angel Wings is a road trip, involving love, loss, sex, death, hope - and butterflies. Brendan currently lives in London.
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Andrew Theophilou
A second-generation Greek Cypriot having grown up in North London, Andrew spent over ten years studying and working abroad, teaching English at various universities, fighting corruption in Latin America with an international NGO, and copywriting. He has now returned to London to work as a freelance journalist and is concentrating on his first novel while also writing short stories including Friday, the first in the collection Seven Days.
Andrew is on MySpace at www.myspace.com/theophilou
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Nick Tyler
Nick has written his entire life, always daydreaming and jotting notes down for story ideas in his classes (which didn't lead to terrific grades). A little over a year ago, he discovered fanstory.com. He admits to being extremely nervous the first time he posted his work on the site, but the feedback was better than he expected and he became hooked. After winning some contests, he decided he'd give the Legend Press Single Hour contest a go and his story, Needs was selected for publication in Eight Hours. Nick is married and lives in North Carolina. He and his wife are expecting their first child this April.
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Joel Willans
British born, Joel Willans has travelled throughout the world and lived in Canada, Finland and Peru. He has a degree in History and studied creative writing at The London School of Journalism. He currently works as a copywriter for a Helsinki ad agency. When not writing slogans, he writes fiction. As well as The The Remarkable Everyday, his short stories have appeared in four other anthologies and over twenty magazines. In the last year, he has also won prizes, been highly commended and shortlisted in more than fifteen short story competitions.
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Miranda Winram
Miranda lives in Yorkshire with a one eyed dog and a black fluffy cat, neither of whom approve of her new habit of ignoring them and typing madly away at fictional stories. Miranda's story was inspired by her own brief stay in a Yorkshire burns unit and by the wonderful people she once met at a Sheffield women's refuge. It is Miranda's first published fiction writing.
Visit Miranda at http://www.listedandcommitted.blogspot.com/
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Miguel Ylareina
Winner of the Legend Press short story competition for The Remarkable Everyday, run in conjunction with FanStory.com, Miguel is based in Canada and has written and lectured on technical subjects for over ten years. Growing up in an intensely multicultural setting, he developed a keen interest in cultural and racial issues, which often feature in his work.
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PAPERBOOKS NOVELISTS: Paul Burman
Author of The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore (2008) and The Grease Monkey's Tale (2010).
Paul was born in Northamptonshire, England, but currently lives in Victoria, Australia. He’s worked in a wine-bottling factory, a deep freeze, a plumbing warehouse, the Post Office, as well as being a maize ‘castrator’ in the south of France … and he once had a newspaper round until a neighbour’s dog bit him. Having decided to never become a teacher, he became a teacher and has been learning how to teach English and Literature ever since. He has been compulsively reading and writing fiction from the age of six – which may be the result of a childhood indiscretion in which he was caught inadvertently telling the truth. Making up stories has remained a happy obsession ever since.
Visit Paul at: http://www.paulburman.net/
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Author of Fat Tuesday (2008) and Streakers (2009)
Gary left school at seventeen and worked as a trainee land surveyor, a trainee site engineer and then a demolition estimator. Feeling restless he left England to go backpacking with his girlfriend (now wife) through Asia and Australia doing various jobs including fruit picking, packing electrical goods and stock taking at Elizabeth Arden. After a brief period in the UK as a civil engineering quantity surveyor Gary travelled the world again. In the year 2000 on their way back from America, Gary gave up smoking and took up writing and now works part-time to devote himself to writing.Visit Gary at: http://gary-davison.com/
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G.S. Mattu
G.S. Mattu graduated from Oxford University and works as a Commissioning Editor in publishing. His debut novel Sons and Fascination was published by Paperbooks in February 2011.
Follow Gurdeep by clicking here
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Author of A Blues for Shindig (2007)
Mo has performed poetry and written for the theatre. She taught creative writing for a number of years and has run writers’ groups. She now writes full time – including journalism for a number of publications.
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Jessica Gregson
Author of Angel Makers (2007) and The Ice Cream Army (2009)
Jessica Gregson, 28, has a degree in Anthropology from Cambridge and a Masters in Development from LSE. Jessica has worked as a policy advisor for the home office and a humanitarian worker in Sudan. Jessica has just started a PhD at SOAS in London.
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Mark Hayhurst
Author of Friday at the Nobody Inn (2007) and Psychotic Escaping Justice (2009)
Mark was brought up in and lives in Yorkshire – realising its only widespread representation so far was four old men in a tin bath and a farm that a plane crashed into, he knew that a flipside was needed. He doesn’t see the point in writing anything that doesn’t provoke a response so don’t be surprised to feel repulsed, shocked, offended and a little ashamed at yourself for what you end up finding funny. Hayhurst was inspired by the comedy troupe, The League of Gentlemen, to write comedy sketches. Friday at the Nobody Inn began as a comedy sketch, lengthened into a script and then finalised as a novel. Hayhurst is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band, P.L.U.K., formerly known as Planet Lounge. P.L.U.K has toured with Shed Seven, Kaiser Chiefs, and Corinne Bailey Rae.
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Jon Haylett
Author of The Cry of the Justice Bird (2007) and Black Mongoose (2009)
Jon was born in East Africa and after being educated in England travelled and worked in the Caribbean and north, central and southern Africa. He now lives in the Scottish Highlands with his wife and four children and takes an active part in community life.
He has been writing for eighteen years and has completed ten novels and forty short stories. He has won the 2003 Bridport International Short Story Prize and the 2005 Royal Society of Literature VS Pritchett Memorial Prize.
Visit Jon at: http://www.jonhaylett.co.uk/
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Michael Marr
Author of Baber's Apple (2007) and Three Jumpers (2008)
Michael was bornand raised in Weston-super-Mare. After graduating from Hull University he worked for many years in computer systems and then in insurance marketing before deciding to give it all up for a proper career in writing. Michael is a part-time lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and is just completing a PhD in Creative Writing. Michael relaxes by playing bowls, swimming and finding excuses for research trips.
