Several authors from the area attended a book festival organised by a Welshpool book shop in the town’s hall, with several talks and presentations.

On Sunday, September 1, Hardy’s Bookstore held its own ‘Bookfest’ at the Corn Exchange in Welshpool Town Hall, inviting a number of authors and speakers to come and discuss their work and writing process.

Speakers throughout the event covered a range of topics, from the process of putting a book together to the stories behind their own books, as well as the wider context of how they chose and studied their subjects.

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Carol Harris, from Leighton, who is an author and a member of the organising committee for Monty Lit Fest, spoke about her method of writing, self-publishing and inspiration.

She said: “I think of writing as an addiction. If you’re in the process of writing and find you have to discipline yourself to do it, I think it’s a sign that you would be better off finding something you really enjoyed doing. I think when you’re really inspired by an idea or a project it’s something you feel compelled to do.”

(Image: Josh Price)

Another speaker was Bruce Lawson, who became an author of non-fiction books at the age of 68 by writing books on Rolls-Royce and John Steinbeck, on the method of putting together non-fiction.

He said: “I’m currently working on a true crime book about a woman from Bishop’s Castle who murdered her husband in 1987. It requires a lot of research, which means going back to sources like local newspapers and speaking to people with first hand accounts of the event.

“If you pick the right subject, that’s new and interesting to you, then be sure to think it through and talk about it with someone. Write about what you know and build from there.”

Martin Hackett, in front of his books on Welsh battlefields and a model. (Image: Josh Price)

Stands in Welshpool Town Hall as part of a festival organised by Hardy's Bookstore. (Image: Josh Price)

Martin Hackett, author of ‘Lost Battlefields of Wales’ and historical model builder, spoke on the importance of preserving historical sites in the area.

He said: “There are six historical battlefields in the Welshpool area, but almost nothing to denote them or mark those spots. They’re significant historical sites and without a clear reminder of that we’d risk losing them.”

Eurwyn Pierce Jones delivered a talk on Sherlock Holmes and the famous fictional detective’s links with Wales, as well as the campaign to translate one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories into the Welsh language.