Northampton event for historical books from local authors happening this weekend

A literary event is taking place this weekend to give readers the chance to meet three Northampton authors of historical books.

Happening from 2 to 4pm on Saturday August 13 at the Central Library, authors Michael J. Lowis, Tony Berry and Pat Jones will be attending.

Michael, who has recently published his tenth book, Djoser and the Gods, said: “We encourage anyone interested in reading local authors to come and put a face and voice to a name.

“We hope this cultural event will not only help us as authors, but the reputation of the town.”

Published by Stairwell Books, who organised the upcoming event, Michael’s historical novel is set in ancient Egypt – which has ‘always interested’ him.

He will be giving a short reading of his book this Saturday (August 13) and says ‘it promises to be an interesting event for local book worms’.

“I’ve always been interested in ancient civilisation and there’s nothing more interesting than Egypt,” said Michael. “Having visited and found odd souvenirs, it inspired me to do some research, which led the story to unfold.”

Tony Berry writes about Cromwell and the royalist history of this country, and Pat Jones has written both children’s books and a historical fiction novel based on Nigeria.

The three authors know each other well, and look forward to meeting readers at the event.

Michael published his first of 10 books in 2014, after retiring as a practising academic at the University of Northampton, which he did for the final 10 years of his career.

Since then, he has published roughly one book a year.

Michael said: “Writing is all about observing life and seeing a story in things.

“I’m always continuing to look for inspiration for the next story.

“In retirement, you are physically not able to do much any more, so it’s very important to keep your brain going.”

Michael hopes when readers embark on his stories they think ‘wow, did that really happen?’ – which he hopes for his next historical novel on ancient Egypt, a separate story from Djoser and the Gods.

As well as being an author, Michael is also a member of the U3A Dixielanders – a jazz band formed of 10 men.