DEVON Book Club, the new forum for book chat of all kinds will be coming to Crediton on Saturday, November 14.

Mostly conducted online, this growing group of book lovers and writers will be visiting Crediton Library and the Crediton Community Book Shop from 11.30am to 1.30pm in the latest of its Indie Book Shop and Cake Crawl around Devon.

The event will be starting at the Library with talks by local authors, and then moving to the bookshop for cake and book give-aways.

The Book Club is for anyone who lives in, works in or just loves Devon and who loves books – so that is probably you. Unlike a reading group, the Book Club does not commit you to reading a set book – it is a network of friends who are “joining the literary dots in Devon”.

Sharing news and views about books of all kinds, offering recommendations, talking about books into film or TV, the joys and challenges of writing, great bookshops and anything else that people want to share or discuss. And, making new friends right across the county from all age groups, from different cultures and with every reading interest.

Four local authors will be joining the Book Club at the Library and Crediton Community Bookshop on the day: Virginia (Ginny) Bailey, Michael Jecks, Kathy Shuker and Elizabeth Ducie.

This great line-up of authors, who will all introduce their work, includes prize-winning and best-selling writers and covers a wide range of genres.

Virginia Bailey, from Exeter, is a prize-winning author whose latest novel, “Early One Morning”, came out in the UK this summer to critical and public acclaim.

Set in Rome in the 1940s and 1970s, it is “fearless, witty and full of flair” (The Guardian) and “as gripping as any thriller” (Daily Mail). It was Waterstones, Goldsboro Books and Hatchards’ “Book of the Month” in August, hit the “Sunday Times” bestseller list that month and is currently being dramatised on BBC Radio 4. Virginia’s first novel “Africa Junction,” set in Devon and West Africa, won the McKitterick prize in 2012.

Elizabeth Dulcie, from Chudleigh, published her debut novel in 2014 and was runner-up (but top placed novelist) in the “Writing Magazine’s” Self Published Book of the Year Awards. Her second novel, “Counterfeit”, will be launched at the end of July, 2016. It is set primarily in Africa and is based on dodgy goings-on in the world of pharmaceuticals.

Michael Jecks, "The master of the medieval murder mystery", has written one of the longest running crime series, set against the turmoil of the 14C, a century that began with the arrest and torture of the Knights Templar.

Michael’s books are based on Dartmoor (where he now lives). His first book, “The Last Templar”, was published in 1994.

In 2007 Michael’s 21st novel, “The Death Ship of Dartmouth” was short-listed for the Theakston’s Old Peculier prize for the best crime novel of the year - a rare accolade for a medieval novel.

Kathy Shuker’s first novel, “Deep Water, Thin Ice” (set in South Devon) was published early in 2014 and the second, “Silent faces, Painted Ghosts” (set in Provence) is also now available.

Kathy writes "character-driven mysteries, stories of intrigue and suspicion, tales of bitter family secrets, deceitful friends, thwarted ambitions and unspoken desires - because sometimes people tell lies; sometimes they just hide the truth; and sometimes the nicest people are actually the most dangerous. And because most of us only hear what we want to hear, which is the most dangerous thing of all".

You can find out more or join Devon Book Club through its’ “Facebook” Page https://www.facebook.com/devonbookclub?fref=nf or through Goodreads.com https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/148434-devon-book-club

A warm welcome awaits you, both online and at the event.

Alan Quick