Historical Fantasy Panel - Covent Garden

Join authors Anne Corlett, A. Y. Chao, Chris Sudgen, Emma Sterner-Radley and Sarah Brooks as they discuss the intricacies of writing historical fantasy.

Anne Corlett decided to abandon the world of legal aid after 16 years as a criminal defence lawyer for a - worringly - more stable and viable career as a writer. Since then, her short fiction has been published in various magazines and anthologies and has won or been shortlisted for several awards. Her first novel, The Space Between the Stars was published by Pan Macmillan in the UK and Random House in the US, and her second novel, The Theatre of Glass and Shadows came out in May with Bonnier. It’s set in an alternate version of London where a vast theatre district has grown up around an immersive show that’s been running for centuries, and it was inspired by the vast immersive creations of theatre company, Punchdrunk.

Alice Chao is a Taiwanese Canadian fantasy writer resident in the UK who enjoys exploring the intersections of identity and belonging in her writing. A recovering lawyer and xiaolongbao enthusiast, Alice now lives in London with her family. Her debut Shanghai Immortal was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller, and its sequel, Paris Celestial out in early 2025. Find her online at aychao.com.
Chris Sugden is the Sunday-Times-bestselling co-author of High Vaultage and one of the creators of the audio drama podcast Victoriocity. He was born in Yorkshire and lives in Oxford with his conveniently located co-author Jen Sugden, their son, and two intermittently obedient terriers.
Emma Sterner- Radley is an ex-librarian turned fantasy writer. Originally Swedish, she now lives with her wife and two cats in the UK. There's no point in saying which city, as they move about once a year. She spends her time writing, reading, daydreaming, lifting weights, and overthinking.
Sarah Brooks has lived and worked in China, Japan, and Italy, before settling in Yorkshire. She won the Lucy Cavendish Prize in 2019 and a Northern Debut Award from New Writing North in 2021. She works in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds, where she helps run the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing, and she is co-editor of Samovar, a bilingual online magazine for translated speculative fiction. Her debut novel The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands was published in June 2024 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in the UK and Flatiron Books in the US.
Unfortunately we do not have disabled access to our events area as there are no lifts in the building, but staff are available to help those with mobility issues.

Host or Publisher Waterstones