Jill Barklem

The mice of Brambly Hedge made their first appearance in 1980 when her first four beautifully illustrated stories were published. Since then Jill has sold over 5 million copies of her books, and they have been translated into fifteen languages.

Jill was born, and still lives in Epping. Her deep interest in natural history and her curiosity about traditional rural crafts and customs have spilled over into these chronicles of hedgerow life.

We are grateful that she has met many of our customers, and signed books for them, in personal appearances at the Bookshop over the last few years.

'The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge' (illustrated )celebrates this enduring popularity by bringing together the first four stories, introduced by a unique conversation with their creator, Jill Barklem. ISBN: 978-0-001840263

Contact us for a full list of Brambly Hedge titles.

Julia Golding

Julia grew up in Theydon bois and went to Davenant Foundation School then read Engish at Cambridge. She has worked as a diplomat and as a lobbyist for Oxfam, and is now writing full time. She has a doctorate in the literature of the English Romantic Period.

Her first novel 'The Diamond of Dury Lane' won Ottakar's Children's Book Prize and was shorlisted for two other prestigious awards. It is the first of the 'Cat Royal' series of novels.

'Secret of the Sirens' is the first of another very popular series; 'The Companions Quartet'

She has recently returned to her roots,speaking at the Loughton Litererary Festival.

Julia now has eight books in print - and more on the way. Email us for details.

Linda Newbery

Linda Newbery lived in Epping with her parents and younger brother from the age of eight, and was educated at Epping Junior School and at Loughton County High School for Girls. Now the author of many books for children and teenagers, she won the 2006 Costa Children's Book of the Year prize for her young adult novel SET IN STONE, has twice been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Linda was Highly Commended in the Essex Book Awards for THE SHELL HOUSE. This novel depicts a fictionalised version of Copped Hall, the eighteenth-century mansion near Epping which was gutted by fire in 1917.

Linda's latest titles - both for readers of about nine and up - are CATCALL (Orion) and ANDIE'S MOON (Usborne). As her parents, Ron and Iris Newbery, still live in Epping, she is frequently in the area, visiting the Epping Bookshop to sign her books, and occasionally giving talks at local schools.

Linda is happy to autograph books for our customers. Contact us for more details.

Paul Doherty

Paul has been Headmaster of Trinity High School in Woodford Green since 1981 - and somehow finds time to be a very succesful and prolific author! He writes both fiction and non-fiction books.

He has written a series of mysteries set in Ancient Egypt, featuring Amerotke, Chief Judge in the Hall of Two Truths.

January 2008. Paul Doherty has published a new book, The Templar. This novel describes the founding of the Templar Order in all its epic and brutal detail. It is the first of a series, following the knights as they travel to the Holy City.

Contact us if you would like a signed copy of the new book.

Jack Trelawny

The Kernowland adventure series for children was launched in September 2005, when young Tizzie and Louis entered Echo Cave on a Cornish beach and were transported to Kernowland through  The Crystal Pool.  The second book, Darkness Day , was published in September 2006, and saw Tizzie and Louis discovering more about Erthwurld, the terrible place in which they had found themselves.

'Kernow' is the old Cornish language name for Cornwall. Jack Trelawny has Cornish roots going back centuries. His parents moved to the Epping Forest area from Cornwall and he was born in Epping. Jack is now in great demand at schools around the country, where he presents a one-hour talk and Powerpoint slideshow (he calls it 'edutainment'), which has the children literally screaming with laughter and shouting for more.

The Kernowland titles have very quickly become class reading books in hundreds of schools.

Kernowland 3 Invasion of Evil was published in September 2007.

Contact us to arrange a Jack Trelawny talk at your school.