For our final author event of the year we were delighted to welcome Devon crime writer Stephanie Austin to The Bookery, who was joined in conversation with veteran Devon historical crime author Michael Jecks. Together they provided a wonderful evening of insight and inspiring conversation.

Stephanie has recently launched Death On Dartmoor Edge, the eighth in the ‘Devon Mystery’ series set in the Dartmoor town of Ashburton, featuring amateur sleuth and reluctant antique shop owner Juno Browne. In her introduction to the book Stephanie explained how her publisher had helped shaped the series to be regarded as rural cosy crime books that are perfect for summer or winter reading, set within the dramatic and diverse landscapes of Dartmoor.

Guiding our audience through the evening was Michael Jecks, a fellow member of the South West Crime Writers’ Association and Dartmoor resident who led the conversation in which we learnt of Stephanie’s varied career that has included working as an artist, an antiques trader as well as also for the Devon Schools Library Service. Stephanie entertained the audience with the tales of being confronted by a man with a knife, her experiences as a director and actor in amateur theatre and the process she goes through when developing the ideas for her books. Having completed the free-flowing conversation, Stephanie read a passage from the book from which we heard more about some of the characters, including protagonist Juno who is feeling overworked and underpaid. Clients are demanding more of her time and staff absences at the shop she owns are making life difficult. But she is not the only one with problems, very serious problems. Among her friends, Elizabeth is being blackmailed and Ricky’s errant nephew, actor Eddy Carstairs, is on the run from criminals in London.

To get to the bottom of all these disturbing events, Juno finds herself drawn from an isolated manor house on Dartmoor to London’s glamorous but shady theatreland. Can she avoid being fatally entangled in a web of deception and murder?

Michael and Stephanie then responded to a variety of questions from the audience ranging from how who creates the covers of the books, how long it takes to write the books, the places within her books that have established their own identity and the process they both go through developing a synopsis for their books which may sometimes bear little resemblance to the book they subsequently write!

Stephanie and Michael were generous with their time signing books for the audience and for us – we have copies available online HERE or from visiting the bookshop. We thank all of our customers who joined us for the evening.

We will be back with more Events in 2025!