£66.00

Literary Lunch – 7 October 2025

Description

The Literary Lunch, founded by Sue France, is back for 2025 under the steer of new owners, Siân-Elin Flint Freel and Kirsty James.

Address

Owen House Wedding Barn, Small Lane, Mobberley, Cheshire, WA16 7NU

Event Timing

Tuesday 7th October 2025, 11am - 3.00pm

Event Details:

The Literary Lunch 2025

Following the success of prior Literary Lunch events, The Literary Lunch is back for 2025!

The 2025 The Literary Lunch will be held on Tuesday, 7th October at the beautiful Owen House Wedding Barn, in the heart of the Cheshire countryside at Small Lane, Mobberley, Cheshire, WA16 7NU.

The Literary Lunch was founded by Sue France in 2013. Although 2024 was the last lunch she would organise directly, this incredibly popular and treasured event will continue.

The organisation and hosting of this annual lunch is now in the hands of book mentor and editor Siân-Elin Flint-Freel and networking speaker, trainer and event host Kirsty James. Together they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge and, of course, Sue is right behind them, providing her support and guidance.

Both Siân-Elin and Kirsty are delighted to be continuing the legacy of The Literary Lunch. These events will continue to be a celebration of writing and reading, supportive and nurturing, inspiring people to unleash their creativity.

LOCATION

Owen House Wedding Barn, Small Lane, Mobberley, Cheshire, WA16 7NU

The barn is a bespoke venue set on a working farm that is family run and offers a truly unique experience. The barn was converted in 2013 (the same year as the first Literary Lunch!) yet still maintains its rustic and countryside charm and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Travel by car:

For environmental reasons, please car-share if you can or consider rail travel where possible. We can put you in touch with others to car-share if you wish.

Parking is available onsite and near the venue. Further details will be shared with attendees via the final joining instructions.

Travel by rail:

Mobberley Railway Station (2 min taxi or 10 min walk)

Ashley Railway Station (5 min taxi)

Directions:

View Directions

PROGRAMME TIMINGS (subject to adjustment):

09.30: Arrival for stall holders, speakers, sponsors (separate parking will be allocated and instructions sent by email)

10.30: Main car park opens for attendees (speakers, stall holders and sponsors will receive separate instructions)

10.45-11.30: Registration, complimentary welcome drink, bar also available, books stalls open, book signings available, open networking

11.30-11.45: Call to seats, Welcome and Introductions

11.45-12.45: Speaker Programme

12.45-14.00: Lunch

14.00-15.00: Speaker Programme

15.00-15.30: Stalls remain open, book signings, open networking

SPEAKERS

Jane Costello

Jane Costello is the internationally bestselling author of 16 novels – ten romantic comedies and five emotional love stories published under the name ‘Catherine Isaac’.

Her novels have been translated into 26 languages, selected by the Richard and Judy Book Club, optioned for film and she has won a Romantic Novelists’ Award twice.

She was born in Liverpool, where she still lives with her husband and three sons.

Her latest most recent novel, It’s Getting Hot In Here, is a romantic comedy with a forty-something main character who is juggling perimenopause, single motherhood, the to-do list from hell and some steamy thoughts about a handsome new colleague at work.

You can read more about Jane Costello here

Sally-Anne Martyn

Sally-Anne Martyn is an Amazon best-selling author of three novels, all dark thrillers set in the north of England.

Sally grew up in a small village just outside Sheffield. Before becoming a writer, she tended bars, worked as a film and television extra, worked in the props department for the film Gladiator. She also provided care in one of the last Victorian asylums in England which became the inspiration for her first novel, The Clinic, which explored the madness of the diet industry and our relationship with our bodies.

Coming from a working-class background, her writing is inspired by those women who are constantly left on the sidelines and ignored. She takes the underdog and gives her the freedom to do what she wants (good or bad) and see where that takes her. With a diet of Hammer House and Tales of the Unexpected as a child, along with a love for the ridiculous, it is no surprise that her books have chilling themes with a hint of dark humour.

After living all over the UK and USA, she is currently residing back in the North of England and living alongside a menagerie of animals, including three pet pigs.

Sally-Anne has published three dark thrillers and is currently writing her fourth. Her novels, The Clinic, The Home, and her latest, The Beauty Queen, are all published by Joffe Books.

You can read more about Sally-Anne Martyn here

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Genevieve Pegg

Genevieve Pegg has spent over twenty years in publishing, working with authors from Belle de Jour to Stuart Maconie, Kate Mosse to Scott Mariani.

As publisher at HarperNorth, HarperCollins’ Manchester-based imprint, she acquires and publishes fiction and non-fiction from across the north for national and international audiences.

In her reading and her acquiring, she is always in search of page-turners, from book-club stories to crime thrillers, and from memoir to personal growth. Incorrigibly nosy, she will ask you what the book you most want to read is…and given half the chance, encourage you to write it.

You can read more about Genevieve Pegg here

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Suzan Holder

Suzan Holder is an author, journalist, TV presenter, producer and playwright. She has woven her love for music and talent for comedy into her rockin’ rom-com books published by HarperCollins. Suzan draws on her own real-life adventures when writing her heart-warming and hilarious books: Shake It Up, Beverley, Rock n’Rose and newly published What Would Dolly Do?

Suzan trained as a newspaper journalist and worked on regional and national newspapers before moving into TV. She produced a variety of television news and lifestyle programmes and was executive producer of ITV’s daytime network show Loose Women. She is a monthly columnist for Cheshire Life Magazine and also appears regularly on radio and television as a news reviewer and discussion panelist. A popular guest speaker at book shops, literary lunches, social clubs and events, Suzan reveals the crazy true life experiences that inspire her stories: like being rescued by Mississippi motorcycle cop; a weird link to a Russian Elvis impersonator; an embarrassing encounter with Sir Paul McCartney; and a Dolly related mishap.

As a woman in her fifties, Suzan is a great advocate for women reinventing themselves and finding more confidence later in life. She was inspired by Dolly Parton’s wise words ‘Find out who you are and do it on purpose!’ Suzan has one grown-up son, two step-daughters and two step grand-children. Originally from the West Midlands, she now lives with musician husband Noddy Holder in Cheshire; they have been together for 35 years.

You can read more about Suzan Holder here

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Kate Jenkinson

Dr Kate Jenkinson is an award-winning HR leader, Creative Executive Coach and Business Poet at Next Step HR Ltd (now a finalist in Doncaster Chamber’s Micro-business of the Year Awards). Kate embodies her purpose of inspiring true connection and believes that poetry never abandons us – the central tenet she shared in her 2022 TEDxWarrington talk of the same name. In 2024 she published 3 books: ’30 Neurodiversity Poetry Writing Prompts’, her first poetry collection ‘Un/Broken’ and an anthology, ‘Poetry for Coaching Transformation through Verse’.

Kate is both a page poet and a stage poet. On the page you can find her poetry published in Steel Jackdaw, Flight of the Dragonfly and Iamb a Poet, and as a stage poet, Kate especially enjoys creating and performing her signature poetry service the Spoken Word Finale at conferences and events internationally.

Her neurodivergence and aphantasia shape her distinctive voice and collaborations. She co-hosts the Prickly Pear Open Mic and is the founder of the groundbreaking Poetry in Business Conference, aimed at creating a career path for creatives and more paid jobs for poets. She has been recognised as Business Personality of the Year in South Yorkshire and is a Finalist in this year’s SheInspires Champion of Culture for this work, which is her lifelong passion.

She joins us to share her story, during National Poetry Month, of crafting and creating 3 different routes to publication and the poetic, playful insights she gained along the way.

You can read more about Kate Jenkinson here

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Lisa Williams

Having decided she wanted to be an illustrator while still in primary school, Lisa has been illustrating children’s books, magazines and educational material for over 30 years. The variety of authors she has worked with has been a constant inspiration. Each book has its individual slant, as she is always happy to adapt her style to fit in with what feels ‘right’ for that particular book.

Authors often request that a family member or their pet dog be subtly included in the artwork, or maybe a favourite fluffy toy. This is what makes the commissions so personal. Building a rapport and understanding is key to helping authors bring their stories to life, and this is something Lisa takes enormous pleasure in achieving.

Lisa can usually be found at home with her iPad doodling away avidly or wandering down to the seafront for an ice cream and a walk with her little dog Cookie on a sunny afternoon.

You can read more about Lisa Williams here

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TBC

EVENT SPONSORS

Kingswood Group

Kingswood offers financial planning advice, aimed at providing their clients with a complete wealth management service combining financial advice with their in house investment offering.

The Literary Lunch connection is with Kingswood’s Chartered Wealth Manager, Joann Mackreth, who was an English teacher in a former career and wished to support this literary event.

You can read more about Kingswood here

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Sarah Halsall

TBC

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Further sponsor details to be announced

EVENT PARTNERS

TAUK Publishing, led by Estelle Maher

MOJA Publishing, led by Sophie Milliken.

Please review their offers below.

There are further opportunities available for those wishing to become event partners. If you are interested, please email kirsty@kirstyjames.co.uk.

TICKET TYPES

Early Bird – £56 including booking fees via this site – AVAILABLE ONLY UNTIL Friday 18 July.

Standard – £66 including booking fees via this site (from 18 July until sold out).

Group tables of 6, 8 and 10 available at group discount rate – please email kirsty@kirstyjames.co.uk for details and prices.

STALLS / LITERATURE / BANNERS

Would you like to take a stall or banner at this event or share your promotional materials with attendees?

Maybe you have a business related to the world of literature which would be particular relevant to this audience?

Prices start from just £10. If you are interested, please email kirsty@kirstyjames.co.uk and we will provide an order link to make payment for the items you require.

Literature – ie flyers or brochures or bookmarks – is a £10 with you supplying and adding the items on the day to either a literature table or into bags if we use them.

Banners – ie a pull-up display roller banner provided by you – is £20 for placement in the room which would be caught on our pictures and videos.

Stall – ie a table for you to display and sell your books – is £30. With this option, a banner can be place behind it and literature put on your display.

DIETARY NOTES:

If you have any food allergies, please ensure that you have added these during the booking process.

CHARITY/COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS:

To be announced

REFUNDS, CANCELLATION & COVID:

Refunds will not be possible within 28 days of the event.

Should you need to cancel your place, we will issue a refund if we are able to find a find a replacement attendee to take your place.

This event will run in-person. In the event of having to cancel or postpone the in-person event due to Covid or other logistical changes, we would endeavour to run an alternative online event. Attendees would be contacted and given the option to cancel for a full refund, to carry forward their ticket to the rescheduled event or to attend online with a credit for the reduced event content and applicable price difference.

Pre-booking only

EVENT ORGANISERS:

Siân-Elin is a book mentor and editor who has twelve years’ experience in realising people’s dreams of writing and publishing a book. She works with both fiction and non-fiction authors and is a passionate supporter of new talent.

Over the years, Siân-Elin has helped almost 150 authors in topics ranging from homecare to happiness, horseracing to fantasy, and romantic comedy to accountancy.

As well as running her own business, Siân-Elin also established a book group over twenty years ago in the Peak District, where she lives. She has also been an author interviewer at the Wrexham Carnival of Words and is a member of Buxton Fringe Committee.

Siân-Elin is an avid reader and is proud to say that she has always finished reading a book she has started. Her reading tastes are wide and she is always on the lookout for a new book recommendation.

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Kirsty is a Networking speaker, trainer and event host specialising in connection, relationship-marketing, personal branding, and community-building.

Outside of her family, her proudest achievements include her TEDx talk ‘Building a Legacy: The Power of Collective Achievement’, curating TEDxWarrington, and obtaining a Prime Minister’s award for her community work.

Wife and mum of three, Kirsty lives in Lymm, Cheshire and has a strong sense of social responsibility. Her commitment to connecting with purpose and humanity is integral to how she leads her business and life. Kirsty is generous with her time and her ventures embody her three core values of connection, collaboration and community.

She has a passion for supporting people to grow, including authors and aspiring authors. Her passion for adventure, learning and connection is reflected in her love of writing and a bedside reading list that spans travel, business and personal development content.

EVENT PARTNER OFFERS

TAUK Publishing

Led by Estelle Maher, TAUK Publishing Writers’ Retreats are a beautiful blend of creativity, calm, and connection. Set in Snowdonia National Park, they allow writers to fully immerse themselves in their work. There is time to write, rest, attend workshops and share stories with like-minded people. Some come to progress a specific project, others simply to reconnect with their creativity. With an exclusive space and private chef, all attendees feel part of something special.

Due to demand, TAUK is planning further retreats. So, if you’re dreaming of space to focus on your writing in an inspiring setting, drop them a message here to register your interest as there may be more than one retreat in the works for next year!

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MOJA Publishing

Led by Sophie Milliken, Moja Publishing is a dynamic print and online publisher, specialising in helping both individuals and businesses to write business, how-to and self-help books.

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a book but are struggling to get started, or perhaps you have ideas swirling in your head but no clear structure to bring them to life, the Moja Writing Retreat at Telfit Farm in the Yorkshire Dales is designed to take you from concept to creation in a focused, inspiring environment.

Click an upcoming 2025 date for more information and to book.
27th-29th June OR 22nd-24th September