Past Events - St Helen's Enterprises
March 2024

An Evening with Adele Parks

Adele Parks, author of 24 novels and counting, joined our March Book Club for an evening of delightful intrigue.

Showcasing her explosive new novel Just Between Us, Adele shared how the mysterious disappearance of her own grandfather decades ago is what spurred her on to want to write around a missing person’s case. Adele describes the missing person at the heart of this novel as the “complex and hard to like” Kylie Bingham – a bigamist, who now has two husbands trying to track her down.

A question from our audience prompted Adele to share her distinctive process for character building. Once a loose plot is in place, Adele will “interview and interrogate” each character in her head with deeply probing questions, and she won’t stop until she knows them inside out! Adele revealed how referring to these “interview notes” were often what helped her to become unstuck at tricky points in the writing process.

Adele ended her talk with an announcement about the imminent release of a feature film based on one of her previous novels The Image of You, which will be in cinemas soon!

We’d like to thank Adele for uplifting our audience with her fascinating talk.

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March 2024

An Evening with Adele Parks

Adele Parks, author of 24 novels and counting, joined our March Book Club for an evening of delightful intrigue.

Showcasing her explosive new novel Just Between Us, Adele shared how the mysterious disappearance of her own grandfather decades ago is what spurred her on to want to write around a missing person’s case. Adele describes the missing person at the heart of this novel as the “complex and hard to like” Kylie Bingham – a bigamist, who now has two husbands trying to track her down.

A question from our audience prompted Adele to share her distinctive process for character building. Once a loose plot is in place, Adele will “interview and interrogate” each character in her head with deeply probing questions, and she won’t stop until she knows them inside out! Adele revealed how referring to these “interview notes” were often what helped her to become unstuck at tricky points in the writing process.

Adele ended her talk with an announcement about the imminent release of a feature film based on one of her previous novels The Image of You, which will be in cinemas soon!

We’d like to thank Adele for uplifting our audience with her fascinating talk.

View upcoming events
February 2024

An Evening with Howard Jacobson

Esteemed author Howard Jacobson joined us for our first Book Club event of the year, and it did not disappoint! Howard has had a compelling career having written 18 books and achieving accolades ranging from the Booker Prize to the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Award.

Our audience were treated to a closer look at the makings of his latest novel What Will Survive of Us – a slice of life story which poignantly tells the tale of love arriving in mid-life, and how this relationship opens unexpected new worlds for his main characters.

Howard shared that his own experience of being a sentimental boy growing up, often at odds with the expectations of society, is what inspired him to now want to write about and unashamedly explore love in this new novel.

During the audience Q&A, Howard shared that his favourite part of living a creative life was relishing not knowing where the words he writes come from – how his writing is formed by the authors he has read, but also a “mystical other place” where all art comes from.

A wonderfully entertaining evening with a literary legend!

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February 2024

An Evening with Howard Jacobson

Esteemed author Howard Jacobson joined us for our first Book Club event of the year, and it did not disappoint! Howard has had a compelling career having written 18 books and achieving accolades ranging from the Booker Prize to the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Award.

Our audience were treated to a closer look at the makings of his latest novel What Will Survive of Us – a slice of life story which poignantly tells the tale of love arriving in mid-life, and how this relationship opens unexpected new worlds for his main characters.

Howard shared that his own experience of being a sentimental boy growing up, often at odds with the expectations of society, is what inspired him to now want to write about and unashamedly explore love in this new novel.

During the audience Q&A, Howard shared that his favourite part of living a creative life was relishing not knowing where the words he writes come from – how his writing is formed by the authors he has read, but also a “mystical other place” where all art comes from.

A wonderfully entertaining evening with a literary legend!

View upcoming events
December 2023

Non-Stop Intrigue with Janice Hallett and Elly Griffiths

We were joined for a very festive Book Club by best-selling authors Janice Hallett and Elly Griffiths, showcasing their latest works, The Christmas Appeal (Janice Hallett) and The Great Deceiver (Elly Griffiths).

The authors shared a love for “writing what you know”, with both pinpointing the personal experiences which shaped and influenced their writing choices for these novels, from the locations to the vulnerable traits of certain characters. Janice delighted in bringing to life her Christmas panto themed murder mystery story, which she could richly lace with funny and sinister nuances from her decades of experience in the world of amateur dramatics. Whereas Elly revealed that she had set the murder scene of her novel in the exact house she grew up in during the swinging sixties in Brighton.

Both authors were asked about whether the label of “cosy crime” resonated with them and their writing; and they agreed that while they consciously avoided gruesome descriptions, readers might be surprised by the darkness in some of their plot twists and characters.

A spectacular evening, where the conversation between the authors could have carried on long after the evening came to close!

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December 2023

Non-Stop Intrigue with Janice Hallett and Elly Griffiths

We were joined for a very festive Book Club by best-selling authors Janice Hallett and Elly Griffiths, showcasing their latest works, The Christmas Appeal (Janice Hallett) and The Great Deceiver (Elly Griffiths).

The authors shared a love for “writing what you know”, with both pinpointing the personal experiences which shaped and influenced their writing choices for these novels, from the locations to the vulnerable traits of certain characters. Janice delighted in bringing to life her Christmas panto themed murder mystery story, which she could richly lace with funny and sinister nuances from her decades of experience in the world of amateur dramatics. Whereas Elly revealed that she had set the murder scene of her novel in the exact house she grew up in during the swinging sixties in Brighton.

Both authors were asked about whether the label of “cosy crime” resonated with them and their writing; and they agreed that while they consciously avoided gruesome descriptions, readers might be surprised by the darkness in some of their plot twists and characters.

A spectacular evening, where the conversation between the authors could have carried on long after the evening came to close!

View upcoming events
October 2023

An evening with Louis de Bernières

It was a wonderful evening in October as we welcomed top-selling and world-renowned author Louis de Bernières to our monthly Book Club event. You could hear a pin drop as he captivated the room by speaking about his writing process, sharing what inspires him and revealing how his passion for understanding the world around him is what drives him to write. It is this passion for researching and exploring various concepts which allows him to author complex stories built within vivid worlds which cause the readers to question reality.

Interestingly, though, while his latest novel, Light Over Liskeard, explores complex topics such as quantum computing and apocalyptic worlds, he explained that love is the central theme in all his books, and this one is no different. He believes that love is the most powerful and complex emotion. It can be a source of joy, pain, hope and despair and it is this along with its different expressions, such as romantic love, familial love, platonic love and even a love for animals, that he intertwines into his stories.

We were given a sneak preview into the Light Over Liskeard as he read two excerpts from the novel. This left our audience wanting to explore it further, evidenced by the long queue of people waiting to get their hands on a copy and have Louis sign it.

It was a very inspiring evening spent with a remarkable man.

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October 2023

An evening with Louis de Bernières

It was a wonderful evening in October as we welcomed top-selling and world-renowned author Louis de Bernières to our monthly Book Club event. You could hear a pin drop as he captivated the room by speaking about his writing process, sharing what inspires him and revealing how his passion for understanding the world around him is what drives him to write. It is this passion for researching and exploring various concepts which allows him to author complex stories built within vivid worlds which cause the readers to question reality.

Interestingly, though, while his latest novel, Light Over Liskeard, explores complex topics such as quantum computing and apocalyptic worlds, he explained that love is the central theme in all his books, and this one is no different. He believes that love is the most powerful and complex emotion. It can be a source of joy, pain, hope and despair and it is this along with its different expressions, such as romantic love, familial love, platonic love and even a love for animals, that he intertwines into his stories.

We were given a sneak preview into the Light Over Liskeard as he read two excerpts from the novel. This left our audience wanting to explore it further, evidenced by the long queue of people waiting to get their hands on a copy and have Louis sign it.

It was a very inspiring evening spent with a remarkable man.

View upcoming events
September 2023

An evening with Louise Doughty and Catherine Ryan Howard

In September we were joined by best-selling thriller authors Louise Doughty (A Bird in Winter) and Catherine Ryan Howard (The Trap). Both authors shared a window into their creative processes, and interestingly, how they took completely opposite approaches to one another. Catherine claiming to be a ‘plotter’ – with a well-defined plan before she begins writing; and Louise stating that she was a ‘plunger’ – with a tendency to dive into her story and figure it out along with her characters.

Both authors shared the delights and challenges of adapting their works for the screen, as well as revealing which of their works were currently in the pipeline, with production houses from ITV to Amazon Studios. Questions from our lively audience sparked conversations ranging from how modern reader appetites are changing, to how to believe in your own ability as a writer.

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September 2023

An evening with Louise Doughty and Catherine Ryan Howard

In September we were joined by best-selling thriller authors Louise Doughty (A Bird in Winter) and Catherine Ryan Howard (The Trap). Both authors shared a window into their creative processes, and interestingly, how they took completely opposite approaches to one another. Catherine claiming to be a ‘plotter’ – with a well-defined plan before she begins writing; and Louise stating that she was a ‘plunger’ – with a tendency to dive into her story and figure it out along with her characters.

Both authors shared the delights and challenges of adapting their works for the screen, as well as revealing which of their works were currently in the pipeline, with production houses from ITV to Amazon Studios. Questions from our lively audience sparked conversations ranging from how modern reader appetites are changing, to how to believe in your own ability as a writer.

View upcoming events
L
July 2023

Trust no one… An evening with Lisa Jewell

There was a real sense of excitement and expectation in the air as Lisa Jewell was welcomed onto the stage by our host Joe Haddow (presenter and host of the BBC Radio 2 show The Book Club).

Lisa is a world-renowned, best-selling, and highly accomplished author who has authored several popular books. Over the course of the evening, Lisa shared insights into her creative processes, revealed what inspires her and answered questions directly from the audience. There were more than a few laughs as Joe and Lisa recalled various moments from her books and Lisa revealed how those moments were inspired. The real highlight, however, was having Lisa read a section of her latest book, None of This is True, and based on the long queue for a copy afterwards, this left an impression on us all.

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L
July 2023

Trust no one… An evening with Lisa Jewell

There was a real sense of excitement and expectation in the air as Lisa Jewell was welcomed onto the stage by our host Joe Haddow (presenter and host of the BBC Radio 2 show The Book Club).

Lisa is a world-renowned, best-selling, and highly accomplished author who has authored several popular books. Over the course of the evening, Lisa shared insights into her creative processes, revealed what inspires her and answered questions directly from the audience. There were more than a few laughs as Joe and Lisa recalled various moments from her books and Lisa revealed how those moments were inspired. The real highlight, however, was having Lisa read a section of her latest book, None of This is True, and based on the long queue for a copy afterwards, this left an impression on us all.

View upcoming events