Writing retreat with William Sutton

Date and Time: Friday 14 – Saturday 15 March, 10am–1pm
Location: Portsmouth Central Library lower ground floor
Cost: £9 (£4.50 concession)

Welcome to our Writing Retreat, which you can attend for one morning or both, via Zoom link (sent before event) or in person. Buy just one ticket: same link both days. William offers goal-setting targets, encouragement, one-to-one mentoring – and the camaraderie that such a solitary calling often lacks.

“I edited 5,000 words in a weekend” – previous attendee

It Ends With Us at Southsea Cinema

Date: Saturday 9th March

Time: 6pm

Location: Southsea Cinema

Cost: £5
(Children and students £3)

Lily believes she’s found true love with Ryle, but when a painful incident triggers past trauma, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. However, things are complicated when her first love returns to her life

Christine Lawrence – Grace

Date and Time: Sunday 9th March, 4.30pm–6pm
Location: Southsea Library
Cost: Free (booking required)
Christine Lawrence introduces her latest novel which is based on research into life in the Portsmouth Borough Asylum during World War 1. If you enjoyed reading Emily, you will love Grace as she follows her passion to be a nurse during World War 1 and begins her training in Portsmouth Borough Asylum

Crime Bites 4: Simon Mayo

Date and Time: Sunday 9th March 2pm–3.30pm
Location: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Cost: £2

BookFest is thrilled to welcome Simon Mayo to the festival for the first time as part of the launch of his exciting new thriller Black Tag. Bestselling author and legendary broadcaster Simon has created a captivating contemporary thriller, weaving a story ripped from today’s newspapers that will take Famie into a murderous family saga stretching back over centuries.

Where did their money come from? And what will they do to keep it?

Simon Mayo MBE is a writer and broadcaster. His previous books include the Sunday Times bestseller Knife Edge, the Times Thriller of the Year Tick Tock, Mad Blood Stirring, Blame and the Itch trilogy, filmed for TV by the ABC. He hosts Drivetime on Greatest Hits Radio and hosts the ‘The Take’ film-review podcast with Professor Mark Kermode.

Duncan Minshull: Globetrotting – A walk and talk

Date and Time: Saturday 8th March,10.50 for 11am start, till 12.30pm
Location: Meet at Southsea Library to start the walk
Cost: £6

‘There was nowhere to go but everywhere’ – Jack Kerouac

Enjoy a stroll along the Southsea waterfront with Duncan Minshull, editor of Globetrotting: Writers Walk The World.

Take in the views and listen to Duncan read extracts from his latest book and also talk about the joys of ‘footing it’ with his fellow travellers.

Why do you go walking?

Dogs on leads welcome

Crime Bites 3: Blood Spatter, Boats and Bodies with crime author Pauline Rowson

Date and Time: Saturday 8th March, 10.30am-12pm
Location: Portsmouth Central Library
Cost: : £12 (£6 Leisure card holders)

Join best-selling crime author, Pauline Rowson, and hear how she plots, researches and writes her popular crime novels featuring Portsmouth detective, DI Andy Horton in the Solent Murder Mysteries, her 1950s Inspector Ryga mysteries and her Art Marvik mystery thrillers.