We’re delighted to be welcoming Mark Stay to Manchester to chat about THE WITCHES OF WOODVILLE his brilliantly smart and funny series of books full of war, mystery and magic. He’ll also be discussing his upcoming film UNWELCOME. Mark will be in conversation with Caimh McDonnell (The Stranger Times)

About the books:

The Witches of Woodville series currently composes of three books – The Crow Folk, Babes in the Wood and The Ghost of Ivy Barn – with a fourth due later this year. Set in a small village in Kent during WWII, they follow the adventures of a young girl called Faye Bright who, following the death of her mother, discovers she may be a witch…

About the author:

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstone’s in the nineties (back when it still had an apostrophe) and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He would write in his spare time and sometimes those writings would get turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome.

Mark is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener and writer Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens.

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Born in Limerick and raised in Dublin, C K (Caimh) McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer. He performed all around the world, had several well-received Edinburgh shows and supported acts such as Sarah Millican on tour before hanging up his clowning shoes to concentrate on writing. He has also written for numerous TV shows and been nominated for a Kid’s TV BAFTA. His debut novel, A Man With One of Those Faces – a comic crime novel – was published in 2016 and spawned The Dublin Trilogy books and the spin-off McGarry Stateside series. As C. K. McDonnell, he is the author of The Stranger Times series contemporary comic fantasy series. Caimh lives in Manchester.

Doors: 6.30, starts: 6.45

Tickets are £3.00. Books by Mark Stay and Caimh McDonnell will be available to purchase on the night and both authors will be signing copies after the talk. If you would like a signed copy but cannot make the event, please contact us on 0161 274 3331 or manchester@blackwell.co.uk and we can arrange this for you.