Four best-selling authors from Kent will appear at Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival to discuss their work and routes to publication. This amazingly talented panel will explore why women are drawn to both writing and reading crime fiction and speak honestly about their individual journeys and the challenges they faced balancing their creative endeavors with the demands of daily life.

This fascinating discussion with Laura Marshall, Lesley Kara, and Holly Seddon, chaired by Nicole Kennedy, will take place in The Amelia Scott, the cultural hub named after one of Tunbridge Wells' most pioneering women who campaigned for social reform and women's suffrage.

Book Local Crime Fiction Author Panel
Sun 12 May, 2.00pm

Lesley Kara is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour, Who Did You Tell?, The Dare and The Apartment Upstairs. The Rumour was the highest selling crime fiction debut of 2019 in the UK, and a Kindle No.1 bestseller. Lesley is an alumna of the Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' course. She lives in Kent.

Holly Seddon is the international bestselling author of Try not to Breathe, Don't Close your Eyes, Love will Tear Us Apart, The Hit List, The Woman on the Bridge and The Short Straw. After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. She has an MA in Creating Writing and lives in Kent with her family. Alongside fellow author Gillian McAllister, Holly co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast

Laura Marshall is the Sunday Times top ten and Kindle No. 1 bestselling author of four psychological thrillers. Her books Friend Request, Three Little Lies, The Anniversary and My Husband's Killer have sold over half a million copies in the UK and been translated into twenty-five languages. Her fifth novel A Good Place to Hide a Body will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2024. Laura grew up in Wiltshire and studied English at the University of Sussex. She lives with her family in Tunbridge Wells.

Nicole Kennedy is the author of two commercial fiction books Everything's Perfect and After Paris which explore relationships, with a focus on friendship. She has recently completed her first book club suspense novel, about a rumoured wild cat stalking a suburban street in Sevenoaks, which will be published in the UK and US in Summer 2025. Nicole grew up in Essex and studied Law at Bristol University. She lives in Sevenoaks with her husband and three sons.

The Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival is generously supported by Arts Council England (ACE), Royal Tunbridge Wells Together, Maxipay Accounting Services, and Berry and Lamberts Solicitors.