Crossing the tees book festival

18 June 2026

I was delighted to visit Hartlepool for the Crossing the Tees Book Festival. It is the furthest I have gone ‘up north’ speaking about my debut book, Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence.

Compared to other book festivals, this celebration of books and their authors is truly unique because it is based in libraries and spread across the entire Tees Valley region: Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington, and Redcar & Cleveland.

It is also the first time a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter was present. I wonder how many other festivals offer this? If they don’t, they really should, as book festivals are for everyone.

A huge note of thanks to Drake Bookshop who supported the event. It was lovely to meet the owner, Mel, and talk about the important role independent bookshops play in local communities.

There are a handful of signed copies in the shop in Stockton-on-Tees, or you can visit the shop website: drakethebookshop.co.uk