Burnham Book Festival 2026: Write the Scary Idea & Life into Fiction

I’m heading to Burnham Book Festival!

I’m very excited to be taking part in Burnham Book Festival 2026 at The Princess Theatre on Saturday, October 17th - and I’ll be doing not one, but two events.

Write the Scary Idea

At 10am, I’ll be leading a workshop called Write the Scary Idea.

I’ve come to believe that the idea we’re most tempted to avoid is often the one we should be paying closest attention to.

It might be the subject you’re not sure you’re brave enough to tackle. The idea that makes you think, Who am I to write this? Or perhaps simply the one that feels so ambitious that you’re already imagining all the ways you could get it wrong.

In this practical workshop, we’ll look at those daunting ideas and explore why they scare us - and whether that fear might actually be telling us something useful. I’ll share some of my own experiences of following ideas that felt risky, and we’ll work through exercises designed to help you find the story underneath the fear.

You don’t need to have a finished idea, or even to know exactly what you want to write. Just bring your notebook, your imagination and perhaps one idea you’ve been quietly avoiding.

Book tickets for Write the Scary Idea

Life into Fiction

Then, at 12.30pm, I’ll be back for Life into Fiction, a behind-the-scenes look at my journey as a writer.

I’ll be talking about my own path to becoming a successful author, how real life has fed into my fiction, and what I’ve learned along the way about finding ideas, writing books and building a career.

Whether you’re an aspiring writer, a long-time reader, or simply curious about what goes on behind the scenes of a published author’s life, I’d love to see you there.

Book tickets for Life into Fiction

And, of course, if you’re coming to the festival, there are plenty of other fantastic events taking place throughout the day.

I hope to see some of you in Burnham-on-Sea on October 17th!

Burnham Book Festival
Saturday, October 17th 2026
The Princess Theatre & Arts Centre, Burnham-on-Sea