THE HEATH BOOKSHOP LITERATURE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL –

(please note this is a closed event for students at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls only)

Authors Barbara Havelocke and Elle Machray will be discussing all things historical fiction and especially Great Expectations, having both written books inspired by Dickens’ classic novel. This is this a special event for students at local school, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls. Barbara and Elle are Birmingham locals and Elle is a former student of Camp Hill!

Barbara Havelocke writes gothic historical thrillers. Her debut in this genre, Estella’s Revenge, is a Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award 2025 nominee, and is inspired by Great Expectations. It’s follow-up, Estella’s Fury, was released in November 2025. As Barbara Copperthwaite, she is an international bestselling author of contemporary psychological thrillers, including her Amazon Number 1, The Perfect Friend. She started as a journalist, and has written for The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Marie Claire, Woman, Chat, and many more. She uses her experience to create complex characters, and loves to explore moral grey areas.

Elle Machray grew up in Birmingham to Caribbean and Scottish parents. Elle is an Observer Top 10 Debut Novelist, winner of the Somewhere: For Us Culture Award and featured on The List’s Top 100 influential people of 2024. In 2025, Elle founded The Lithouse, a bookish travel venture connecting readers to iconic literary locations around the world.

Elle’s debut novel Remember, Remember was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Prize, judged by Dame Hilary Mantel and was shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Award. Elle’s second book, Havisham, reimagines Dickens’ iconic jilted bride in a tale of romance and revenge and will be published in 2026.

This event is part of The Heath Bookshop Literature & Music Festival and is supported by National Lottery Grants Funding through Arts Council England.