Word 2009 - Wigan and Leigh Festival of Words

Saturday 25th April 2009

10am - 12pm

Location: Derby Room, Leigh Library, Turnpike Centre, Civic Square, Market Street, Leigh, United Kingdom.

See full brochure here http://www.bewrite.net/WordsFestival2009.pdf

Page 14 has more information with regards to events on the 25th

A chance to meet authors, poets, buy books, chat with fellow writers and publishers (including BeWrite Books). Plus the chance for free books and lots of information about the book world!

Read an eBook Week - Adventure - Free to Download Now

Tuesday 10th

Adventure - Available to Download Now

To celebrate Read an eBook Week, March 8th - 14th, we will be giving away a selection of eBooks to download for free.

More details on Read an eBook Week can be found here

Click the cover image to go directly to the download page

Matabele Gold by Michael J Hunt

Also by Michael J Hunt:
The African Adventures of Petros Amm
Two Days in Tehran




Deep Ice by Karl Kofoed

Also by Karl Kofoed:
JOKO






The Stones of Petronicus by Peter Tomlinson

Also by Peter Tomlinson:
The Time of Kadrik
The Voyages of Delticos

Review: Two Days in Tehran

I'm always interested in reading books about Iran. I would like to know what others write about my country and I get disappointed most of the time because they are not showing the true Iran… they just write some stereotype stories to have their books published.

This book was different. The story just took place in Iran and had some Iranian characters but I was very happy to find out it's not like the other books. Airyaa
______

I am not a user of superlatives, so I shan't be exactly mirroring the reviews of other readers of this new Michael J Hunt novel. However, I can echo one comment: when told that a story is "based on a real life journey" I too wonder what aspects of the novel are thus based.

It doesn't matter, however, as I feel that in this novel Michael Hunt has reached a new level of conviction. His first person narrative reads just as you would expect from a genuine journal - it has an almost homely touch, no obtrusive "literary" tricks and devices. Incidentally, however, I did relish his occasional italicised "Thinks-bubble" comments, one-sentence soliloquies, reminding you that behind the narrative there is a narrator.

One element that readers enjoy in any kind of fiction is the provision, in the earlier stages of the narrative, of hints about significant detail - details that will be crucial later on. This is a well-known feature of the best detective stories, but its importance generally is evidenced by one's irritation when the final "solution" to a plot involves a deus ex machina - the introduction of characters of whose existence one has had no hint preciously. In Two Days in Tehran, Michael Hunt actually draws attention to details that will, or may, have significance later on. Unfortunately my memory is so poor that I forgot the detail and so could not mentally say "Ah, so that's what ....."! On the other hand Hunt makes skilful use of the author's licence to spring surprises - on characters in the story as well as on the reader.

Bucking current trends, the novel earn a very favourable rating from me on sex and violence. The inevitable violence is reported but not dwelt lovingly on, and the reader might be (dare I say?) as disappointed as one of the characters in the studied avoidance of physical intimacy!

The central figure is presented as modest about his own role, correctly, one feels. So the triumph of Good over Evil is a shared achievement, multi-national at that. This is just one of the pleasantly distinctive features of a very readable, and increasingly gripping, tale. DJ Gosden
______

Normally a slow reader I read this book in 4 days. It keeps you interested and keen to turn the next page. Michael obviously knows the area and history. A perfect piece of fiction which also gives an insight in to the history of Iran. V J Croft
______

This adventure calls upon the author's extensive foreign travel and intimate knowledge of the turbulent era when the Shah of Iran was replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini. The main character in the book, Greg, also on a cusp in his life gambles on a new travel business by taking five westerners on an overland Land Rover trip across Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Iran to India. Caught up in the Iranian revolution the group see sights too horrible for the usual touristy trip, but worse, they are kidnapped and held in gruesome conditions. Poor Greg realizes he should have researched his geopolitics more carefully but tries to look after his clients even though he becomes suspicious of each one's real identity and motivation. That's all the dry plot summary I'm giving but don't go yet.

Few travel fiction books carry the reader along on the journey as well as Michael Hunt does in his books and in this one you feel the heat, the tension, see the landscape and take away the feeling you've been there in person. You smell the odours and feel the fear in this page turner; a damned good read. On the other hand, do they reach India? Does Greg grab the woman he fancies on the trip? Why does he have to endure the stench of blood for hours at a time? What is a VIP woman doing on a trip to a volatile part of the world, and can Greg keep her safe? Does anybody believe him when he finally tells the truth although does he really know what that is? Read Two Days in Tehran to find out. Geoff Nelder
______

Starting your own adventure vacation company – good idea. Wandering into Iran as it's about to experience a massive revolution – bad idea. "Two Days in Tehran" follows Greg Alexander as he finds himself caught between two sides of the revolution, and may be facing a third side of hostility from the very crew he was guiding. His only goal is to escape with his life and his passengers' lives intact- a goal that's more trouble than it seems. An intriguing tale straight through, "Two Days in Tehran" is highly recommended. Midwest Book Review
______

An elegantly written thriller. As each page turns faster than the last, the tension is palpable and claustrophobic. The only disappointment is that the book has to end. I would recommend it as the perfect novel for readers who enjoy a meticulously crafted adventure of epic proportions. If you enjoyed the twists and turns in the film "In Bruges ", this is a must read. Sue Plover
______

Michael J Hunt's new book 'Two Days in Tehran' takes him from his usual stomping ground in Africa to the wilds of the Iran-Afghanistan border. Wherever he chooses to land though, Mr Hunt has an unerring ear for a good story.

This first person romp follows the Adventure Tour operator Gregory Alexander on an overland trip to India with a Land Rover full of fellow travellers. As the title suggests, it's when they arrive in Tehran that things go awry and they all get a lot more adventure than anyone would ever have dreamed of.

Mr Hunt's fast moving narrative keeps you on the hop right through to the very last page with the exciting twists and turns of events surrounding the revolution of the Ayatollahs and what happens when innocent European travellers become involved ... or are they? By my book, it's the read for this summer. Ray Busa
______

Greg Alexander is taking a party of five on an overland journey by landrover to India. Plenty of scope for incident and adventure you may think, but you could not imagine what befalls the group in terms of alarm, excitement and terror.

They journey across Europe to Iran. Prior to entering the city of Tehran they have no knowledge of the imminent revolution, leading to the deposition of the Shah. The party find themselves unwittingly caught up in the morass of Middle Eastern politics and the dichotomies of opposing factions. Problems swiftly arise, compounded by the mistrust that arises amongst themselves, Greg hardly knowing who or what to believe.

Despite Greg's efforts to continue the journey, the expedition falls foul of the Shah's secret police, in the shape of Saktari, who is fond of saying 'things may not always be as they seem' - and so it is, throughout this remarkable story.

As well as a story of high adventure, it is also revelatory about events in Iran at that time, which previously you may not have been aware of. Michael Hunt's knowledge of foreign politics and foreign countries is extensive, as we learned from his previous books. Read this well written novel yourself, with it's unrelenting pace and tension. Kate Edwards
______

Michael Hunt is a well known exponent of the narrative art who has written a fast moving story with sufficient twists and turns to keep the reader fully engrossed. The story is set against the backdrop of the fall of the Shah of Iran and the subsequent horrors and turmoil that beset the region. The story follows a group of holidaying adventurers who are inevitably caught up in the frightening uncertainties. However, as the story unfolds we discover that the holiday makers are not all they seem.

Michael Hunt has led an adventurous life and has travelled in the volatile Middle East on numerous occasions. It is clear that he knows the area and the trails that traverse it. And if you read this book you will travel those trails with him. Highly recommended. Peter Tomlinson, The Petronicus Legacy
______

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was drawn into a story of dangerous subterfuge where the central characters, on the surface seasoned travellers, are innocents abroad at the mercy of murky factional wrangling. Suspense mounts as they learn some hard and brutal lessons. I was struck by the beautiful descriptions of the desert landscapes in which the heroes must act or die. s6456
______

Brilliantly written adventure book with vivid characters, which grabbed my attention from its first pages till the last one. Middle Eastern history, politics and culture are well presented, the author definitely knows the subject.

I felt like undertaking the journey together with Greg on his the Land Rover tour. My husband and I love traveling and we may possibly consider going to the Middle East next year (booking our trip through a proper travel agency though :-) Natalya Popova
______

A huge welcome to Michael J Hunt's latest book. It is different from the previous two but it is most definitely equal to them for excitement and interest. It is a good, gripping, adventure yarn and, as always, very well written.

Michael obviously knows the area and has a good understanding of the politics of Iran at the time of the Revolution and removal of the Shah.

The story builds slowly as we get to know the characters, all of whom are well drawn and believable. It then explodes into action. I had to read the last seventy-five pages in one sitting (much to the annoyance of my wife!)

I am left wondering which bits are the true story and which the fiction!

Well done, Michael, and I'm looking forward to your next one. Marcus Woodhouse
______

Having read both Michael J. Hunt's previous novels, I was determined to read the next as soon as it was released. I have just finished Two Days in Tehran and it is every bit as exciting as its predecessors.

I knew very little about the geography, politics and machinations in the Middle East but now I know a little more, painlessly, sustained by a tense, thrilling narrative.

The characters are real, believable, with human flaws; bluff and double bluff is subtly conveyed as we doubt the motives and allegiances of each as the plot develops. I was engrossed to the end. Michael Hunt is a master teller of tales. G Wood
______

Greg Alexander sets up the ultimate adventure vacation company ... and accidentally treks into the bloody revolution to overthrow the Shah of Iran.

Not only does Greg face treachery on either side of the bitter struggle for power and survival, he soon finds that he can't even trust the seemingly innocent western travellers in his own party.

His life and those of his passengers swing in a precarious balance as Greg tries to make sense of the murky and muddled politics, alliances and feuds of the Middle East and navigate the twisting road to safety.

Based on a real life journey and a bloody revolution that changed the face of Islam, sending out shockwaves that rock the world three decades later.

Read an excerpt from Two Days in Tehran

Watch Two Days in Tehran book trailer

Click here for more information about Michael J Hunt

Also by Michael J Hunt: Matabele Gold | The African Journals of Petros Amm

Michael J Hunt in the news

Michael J Hunt, author of the soon to be released Two Days in Tehran, has been featured in the Wigan Evening Post newspaper.

The article refers to the book trailer, which uses photographs from Mike’s real life journey which inspired the novel.

Read the article here: Author uses net to launch novel

Watch the book trailer

Two Days in Tehran up for grabs!

BeWrite Books has again teamed up with Bibliophilia.org to offer a lucky reader the chance to win a signed copy of Michael J Hunt's latest novel, Two Days in Tehran.

This exclusive contest is open to Bibliophilia members only. But joining Bibliophilia is free and easy to do.

If you can answer this simple question, then simply sign up to Bibliophilia.org and send in your entry.

Author Michael Hunt lives in a town in the north of England made famous by three Georges – a music hall comic, a man of letters and a ukulele player.
What is the name of the town?

Two Days in Tehran Book Trailer:

Bibliophilia.org is a free online members-only writers’ workshop where critique is exchanged and a place for writers and readers of all interests and skill levels. They publish artistic and literary works on all subjects - anything that is apt to be attractive to the web visitor and that evinces a love of the arts and language.

Congratulations to Delph_Ambi, who won the first Bibliophilia/BeWrite Books competition. They will be receiving a signed copy of Good Americans Go To Paris When They Die by Howard Waldman.

The Desert Road to Wigan Pier

Michael J Hunt is a very full-time writer … though it took him a lifetime to get there.

These days he has acclaimed published novels to his credit, more books in the pipeline, runs a busy writers’ group, edits work for other authors and publishers, and even organises a hugely successful annual literary festival.

But, unknown to him at the time, his earlier life was a whirl of research and preparation for the many literary hats he now wears; a hectic history of global travel, adventure, study, diverse work – and a double brush with death.

Now settled in the down-to-earth northern English town of Wigan, he can conjure up memories of scorching desert heat in the depths of a Lancashire winter, of snow-capped mountain peaks as he runs a muddy canal towpath, or of a ten thousand-mile trek around the Australian bush when he’s stuck in a motorway traffic jam.

And at the keyboard in a quiet terraced street, he can re-live days in African hotspots, his time as a policeman during a state of emergency, as a banker, as a tobacco planter, as a probation officer in the tough East End of London … and even has total recall of the vivid and often horrific hallucinations he suffered as he fought months-long battles, paralysed and helpless in hospital beds.

He said: “In a way, my whole life has been one long research project in preparation for my work as an author.

“I left school at fifteen and went to Africa because my father lived out there. I got jobs that allowed long leaves with pay. I was single and had no responsibilities.

“I preferred being in wild country rather than cities and loved desert travel most of all because of the solitude and the luxury of sleeping under the stars. My second book, The African Journals of Petros Amm, is very much a ‘travelling’ book, so I suppose much of what I wrote is taken from those experiences.

“When I served in a Rhodesian infantry regiment, we spent time on counter-insurgency manoeuvres and I always seemed to be selected as a ‘guerrilla’ (I suppose because I was pretty useless to the Company). This allowed me lot of freedom, since it was my job to set ambushes and not get caught. I learned about bush-craft from an Afrikaner ‘fellow-guerrilla’, some of which I was able to write into my first book, Matabele Gold. I also borrowed the river where we’d operated.

“I worked on tobacco estates, in a bank, became a Reserve Police Officer during the State of Emergency in Nyasaland, and I witnessed independence and the birth of Malawi; all the time, laying down knowledge of and a deep respect for Africa.

“I made overland journeys through the Middle-East three times. I travelled once through India. I trekked around Australia – 11,000 miles up through the centre and over to the east coast. And I went from South Africa to London in a Bedford truck. That trip took four months … and we climbed Kilimanjaro and Nyiragongo in Rwanda, a very active, fourteen thousand-foot volcano, on the way.

“I was stranded in the middle of the Sahara because the Algerians decided to arrest my German and Dutch companions and put them on trial in Oran on trumped up charges. They wouldn’t let us buy petrol and we couldn’t move, so we spent three weeks sleeping rough in the desert until they came to their senses and released them.”

But the time came to cool his heels. Michael applied for university and won a place on the strength of his experience, in spite of not having the A-levels usually necessary.

He said: “I struggled academically. I was competing against youngsters straight out of sixth form college, and I’d left school with no exams at all, although I’d gone back to school in Rhodesia for a few months when I was seventeen and got some O-level equivalents.

“After four years at Keele University, I scraped a third-class honours degree. It was a terrific course, which included a Foundation Year, where you experienced every department in a series of lectures, tutorials and essays. The experiment has now been abandoned; I suppose it cost too much.”

By now, Michael had met Jo in London, the girl who was to become his wife. He’d qualified as a probation officer and had begun his career in Stepney in the East End of London.

“It was a great place to start,” he said. “I was thrown in at the deep-end. But it turned out to be no tougher than County Durham and Wigan, where I recently finished my career after thirty-three years.

“Perhaps I learned the basics of writing by doing so many court reports. I always believed in being as concise and precise as possible, and it’s these habits that I’ve carried forward into my fiction writing. My motto is ‘less is more’. Kind of Orwellian, eh?

“My two books were mostly written at night, at weekends and on holidays. They never clashed with my daytime job because, as a probation officer, you learn not to bring your work home with you – either in a brief-case or in your head – otherwise you’d become a gibbering wreck.

“That’s probably why I’ve never ever considered writing anything based around my time in the probation service and the people I met through it.”

But Michael had not nursed a lifelong love affair with fiction writing. That dream was sparked by misfortune in 1986 when he was turned overnight from a keen sportsman to a bed-ridden, paralysed hospital patient fighting for life against the horrific, neurological illness, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

“My main interest had been sport,” said Michael. “I’d been a rugby player up to when I was twenty-six, when I took up squash. Then the illness struck. It came out of the blue, just as I was recovering from a bout of ’flu, as is often the case.

“One moment I was fit, the next I was in an intensive care unit for six weeks – tubes and everything – although I was unconscious and I don’t remember a thing. Then, I came to and lay inert for several months.

“And this happened to me twice – it was put down as the opposite of being a double-winner in the national lottery. There’s nothing like having to learn to walk three times in a single lifetime to put things into perspective.

“It’s so difficult to remember what I was actually feeling when I was going through it. I tried to piece my life together, but I’d done so many long journeys that they always seemed to blend into a hotch-potch, especially my earlier African travels.

“I hallucinated all the time I was in intensive care. The difference between hallucinations and dreams is that you know when you’ve been dreaming. Hallucinations are all too real and, because I never woke, I suffered from them continuously … they became as real as true life memories.

“I was being hunted … and I was killed three times. Once, I was executed in a giant cheese wire by North Korean terrorists and cut into cubes. I actually watched my body being sliced up. The guy next to me in the hallucination was also cubed. He said: ‘For God’s sake, don’t move, else they won’t be able to sort us out when they put us together again!’ You don’t forget something like that.

“My friends were my enemies and my sister was plotting to kill me. It was all pretty frightening.

“When I had a character in my first book blasted unconscious by a German mortar in the First World War, I had him hallucinating … no experience should ever be wasted.

“It took me a while, when I was conscious again, to work out that none of it had really happened. It couldn’t have, since I was totally paralysed. They even had to close my eyes for me at night. The only thing I could do for weeks during my recovery was to curl a little finger a millimetre by rubbing my tongue on the roof of my mouth. That was my sole entertainment for about three weeks. I can’t do it now, though.”

Michael shares his GBS with Catch Twenty-two author Joseph Heller.

He remembers: “I saw Heller being interviewed by Melvyn Bragg and Melvyn asked him: ‘How much did the illness cost?’ (In America, of course, absolutely everything has to be paid for as you receive it, neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, day nurses, night nurses, treatment, drugs – the lot.) There was a long pause, and then the great Joe gave a wry smile and said: ‘Quite a bit more than my divorce.’

“I was lucky. Because of the British National Health Service, I was able to have GBS free of charge … twice! And now I’m about 90% recovered.

“When I felt steady enough, I started to run the Wigan canals – yes, right over George Orwell’s famous Wigan Pier – and the surrounding countryside. During the last nine years I’ve covered over six and a half thousand miles. I know because I keep a record of every run. I started with half-marathons, did just about every one in the North West, and I’ve also managed two full Marathons; the last being New York at the millennium.”

It was when the illness put paid to Mike’s squash ambitions that he discovered his new aim in life … to become an author and full time writer.

He said: “When it became apparent that I’d never play squash again, I realised I’d have to do something to exercise my mind, if not my body, and a chance meeting with a friend, who was about to start on a creative writing course, was the trigger that turned me into a compulsive writer.

“Spurred on by his ambitions, I tried poetry and short stories, but I had a strong urge to do some more long-distance stuff, and I wrote two plays, which led on to novels.

“There was only one subject that would interest me for such a long haul, and that was African history. I’d lived and worked in Central Africa for fourteen years and I had numerous reference books, so I didn’t have to do any research away from home. I used my knowledge and imagination to create two lost worlds; the first in Southern Rhodesia shortly after the First World War and the second beginning in South East Africa in 1814.”

Michael’s first two novels were published by BeWrite Books. Currently, he is working on two more; the first, Two Days in Tehran (BeWrite Books, April 2008), about the problems faced by a group of travellers stranded in Iran during the overthrow of the Shah in 1978/9, and the second, The Tea Time War, about the Second Boer War, which is loosely based on his grandfather’s experiences in the Manchester Regiment at the siege of Ladysmith and beyond.

Much like his own colourful early life, Michael writes in freefall rather than slavishly following blueprints.

He explained: “I didn’t outline either of my successful books before I wrote them. I tried that once, and by the time I’d planned it through to the end, I’d lost interest in actually writing it. So, I always write now without knowing where I’m going from one day, or even one scene, to the next.

“I started my 140,000-word African saga with a title and a blank sheet. Originally I was going to write a humorous book (it was going to be ever so funny) about a sleepy little mythical Central African country in the back-of-beyond. My character was to be called ‘Amm’ and the country he creates, ‘Ammnesia’ … and after the first page I couldn’t think of any more funny things to write.

“I scrapped the idea the same day, but kept the name, forgot about the humour, and started a What If?’ story. What if a white man was stranded in South East Africa at the time when Shaka, the future Zulu king, was just beginning to impress himself on the continent. What if they met?”

But although a story may develop itself, Michael advises anyone setting out to write historical fiction to have a sound grounding in what he or she needs to know to make the manuscript credible.

“Get to know the country and its history,” he said. “If you can’t visit the country, read as much as you can about it. Fashion your story around some actual historical event or events. Research before you sit down to write – a research-led story – or research as you go along – an events-led story. I do the latter. But, whatever you do, pay close attention to sound research. Get your dates right and your factual actors behaving in character.”

But as well as vast world-experience, imagination plays a vital part in important part in Michael’s work.

“It’s really not too difficult for me to write desert scenes of 100F plus whilst wrapped in a duvet and wearing a woolly hat with my feet on a hot-water bottle at 1:30am in a very draughty top-of-the landing study,” he said. “The real secret is to be totally wrapped up in the characters you create.

“The longer you live with them, the more real they become. I lived with mine for years during the creative process … writing every day – without fail! So, I guess characterisation is the most important single element in fiction writing. If you don’t get the people right, no matter how brilliant your story and scene setting is, you lose your reader’s interest.

“There were times when my characters actually lived in my head. We’d have conversations and arguments. Once I woke up in a sweat. My female character was saying: ‘No way would I do that.’ She was right, of course, and I was able to take a much more interesting route.”

Michael J Hunt is no stranger to offering such sage advice to developing authors. He is chairman of his thriving local authors’ circle and, nine years ago, helped create a co-operative community press, Towpath, to paperback publish the work of budding writers.

“I’m particularly proud of that,” he admits. “We started off with a £300 grant and when I left, two years ago, Towpath had £2,500 in the bank – enough to produce a book and a half.

“It’s a simple model; everyone mucks in to help everyone else and all surpluses, after costs of production are covered, go into the next production. Towpath Press meets every fortnight for two hours in various places. We established good relations with printers and illustrators from the local College. Towpath has done about thirty books at the last count – all for a total outlay of a mere £300.”

Now that he’s officially retired from the very last and longest-lasting of many day jobs to become a full-time writer, Michael is busier than ever.

He continues to help run the annual literary festival in Wigan and Leigh (this year in April) as chairman of its committee, and also chairs the local writers’ group in nearby Ashton-in-Makerfield.

And as if that and completing his two books-in-progress isn’t enough, he also holds novel writers’ workshops at the festival and a novel writers’ support group that he’s recently started.

On top of all that, he’s now in demand as a freelance fiction and non-fiction editor with a webpage on Google and Yahoo.

“I offer a service for students or professionals who are writing in English as their second and sometimes third language,” he explained. “But I’ve also been approached by a publishing house to work on some of their novel titles.”

Michael is also secretary of the North West GBS Support Group, which offers personal contact to sufferers and carers during and after the illness.

So how does he keep all these balls in the air?

“Simple,” he says. “I’ve got a great backup team. Every writer should have one. In my case, undoubtedly, my wife, Jo, and my four children – now grown up, but not exactly gone.

“Writing can be a very solitary occupation, even with a full house, and there must have been times when Jo felt that she and the kids were being neglected. But we’ve never had a single argument over it … although I’ve just had the thought that she might have been only too glad that I was otherwise occupied.”

Interview by Alexander James

Interview first appeared in Twisted Tongue Magazine

Click here for Michael J Hunt's biography

Two Days in Tehran - Book Launch

Two Days in Tehran is based on a real life journey and a bloody revolution that changed the face of Islam, sending out shockwaves that still affect the world three decades later.

Release date: 4th April 2008

Greg Alexander sets up the ultimate adventure vacation company ... and accidentally treks into the bloody revolution to overthrow the Shah of Iran.

Not only does Greg face treachery on either side of the bitter struggle for power and survival, he soon finds that he can't even trust the seemingly innocent western travellers in his own party.

His life and those of his passengers swing in a precarious balance as Greg tries to make sense of the murky and muddled politics, alliances and feuds of the Middle East and navigate the twisting road to safety.

Excerpt

As part of the Words 2008 festival author, Michael J Hunt, will be launching his new novel, Two Days in Tehran and signing copies of the book.

Location: Santos Coffee Shop in Mesnes street in Wigan, Lancashire, UK.

When: 10.00 until 2.30

All invited to this free event.

More information

Words Festival 2008

26 letters in the alphabet,

tens of thousands of words,

1 Leigh & Wigan Literary Festival, showcasing some of the best use of words in the region.

The 5th Annual Leigh and Wigan Words Together Literary Festival

Monday 24th March - Saturday 5th April

Tuesday 1 April, 6:30pm

Waterstone’s Local Author Evening

Waterstone’s, Grand Arcade, Wigan

A special event organised by Waterstone’s. To celebrate the wealth of creativity in Wigan, Waterstone’s will be hosting a local author evening. There will be talks and demonstrations by several local authors and a chance to meet and support the local literature scene. Free refreshments will be provided.

Featuring: BeWrite Books author, Michael J Hunt, will be doing a sneak preview reading of his soon to be released novel Two Days in Tehran.

£1. Tickets from Waterstone’s, Wigan.

Friday 4 April, 10:00am - 12:30pm

Book Launch by Local Author Michael Hunt

Michael J Hunt will be upstairs at Santos to sign copies of, and talk about, his new book, Two Days in Tehran (BeWrite Books) about a party of travellers caught up in the 1978 revolution when the Shah of Iran was deposed. Michael Hunt is Chair of the Words Festival Committee; he also runs novel writers’ support groups that meet in the Santos Coffee Bar. Michael’s first two books, published by BeWrite, and available on Amazon, are Matabele Gold and The African Journals of Petros Amm.

FREE.

Saturday 5 April, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Networking Event

This is where writers can receive up-to-date information regarding all aspects of publishing and meet other local writers. Towpath Community Press will display their most recent books and the international publishers, BeWrite Books, will offer a free paperback, ‘First Chapters’, which features an exclusive selection of their published work. This is your opportunity to meet local and national writers and publishers.

Featuring: BeWrite Books authors; Michael J Hunt, Sam Smith and Carol Thistlethwaite. Plus BeWrite Books team members; Cait Myers and Alex Marr.

FREE.

Saturday 5 April, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Hear the Word

Derby Room, Turnpike Centre, Leigh

Please join our local writers and poets and share your poetry and prose at this open-floor event. If you want to share your work with an audience for the first time, or even if you are experienced, then come along and join in.

Featuring: BeWrite Books authors; Michael J Hunt, Sam Smith and Carol Thistlethwaite.

FREE.

To download the complete Words 2008 programme (pdf), click here.

More events featuring BeWrite Books authors can be found here.

Exhibition 5 March - 5 April Hannah Lobley - Paperwork

Words Programme
Monday 24 March Day of Folk
Tuesday 25 March Tyldesley Writers’ Open Day & Workshop
Tuesday 25 March Visit by poet and performer Steve Morris
Tuesday 25 March Alan Hayhurst - Jack the Ripper; His True Story
Tuesday 25 March Orchestration of Waves by John Togher & Paul Bibby
Wednesday 26 March Jim Eldridge - Scriptwriting Workshop
Wednesday 26 March Life in Wigan - Rafiki and the Traveller’s Project
Wednesday 26 March Rosie Lugosi Unwigged
Wednesday 26 March Robert Lloyd Parry: One man show and storytelling event
Thursday 27 March Author visit by Ian Gray
Thursday 27 March Leigh and Atherton Writers Social Evening
Thursday 27 March Open Floor Poetry Extravaganza
Friday 28 March 24 Hour Arty People
Friday 28 March Towpath Press & Local Authors
Saturday 29 March George Alagiah
Saturday 29 March The Wigan Launch of ‘Bookcrossing’
Saturday 29 March The Poetry Picnic
Saturday 29 March Calligraphy for Adults
Saturday 29 March Poet Chris Tutton
Monday 31 March Author visit by Geoff Lee
Monday 31 March Vincent Smith - ‘The Love Poems of Thomas Hardy’
Tuesday 1 April Waterstone’s Local Author Evening
Tuesday 1 April Author visit by Dr Cecil Helman
Tuesday 1 April Sheila Aspinall and Sandre Clays
Thursday 3 April An Afternoon with Stuart Maconie
Thursday 3 April Martin Gurdon - Writers’ Workshop
Thursday 3 April David Gaffney - Powerpoint stories
Friday 4 April Jon Oxendale - A One-Man Under Milk Wood
Friday 4 April Author visit by Ferzanna Riley
Friday 4 April Book launch by local author Michael Hunt
Saturday 5 April Networking event
Saturday 5 April Hear the Word
Saturday 5 April Willpower Youth Theatre