Books

Aside from being a rock star as Queen’s guitarist, Sir Brian May has a number of other prominent interests from animal rights campaigning to astrophysics and the 3D illusions of stereoscopy. Today, the 77-year-old made a surprise appearance at AstroFest, the world’s leading astronomy festival, held in London’s Kensington Conference …

Pendle Hill is surrounded by myths and legend (Image: Getty) It’s been more than four centuries since 12 men and women were put on trial after being accused of witchcraft in the Lancashire district of Pendle Hill. One died in prison and one was judged innocent, but 10 more were …

Veronica Roth skyrocketed to fame in the early 2010s with the smashing success of her debut series Divergent in 2011 which quickly racked up enough interest across the globe to put a Hollywood blockbuster into production. 13 years later and the author is well aware of the impact her series …

Many of us dream of getting a book published one day – whether it be a novel or stories based on true events in our life. But landing an agent or publishing deal is just the start of things – as it takes much more than this to be successful. …

It’s been 14 years since George RR Martin last published a novel in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Since then, the Game of Thrones TV shows have come and gone, with the final seasons relying on the other’s outlined plot points. The 76-year-old is still working on …

It’s been eight years since Dan Brown published Origin, the fifth novel in his best-selling Robert Langdon series. The novels about the Harvard symbologist, especially 2003’s The Da Vinci Code, have proven to be widely popular, selling over 120 million copies worldwide. Tom Hanks starred as Langdon in three movies …

Irvine Welsh has been revealed as one of the special guests at the world’s most prestigious celebration of crime writing this summer. The Trainspotting author joins the likes of Lee and Andrew Child, Val McDermid, Kate Atkinson and Mark Billingham at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, supported by …

Slow Horses creator Mick Herron has been honoured with the highest accolade in crime writing – the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. The prestigious award recognises authors whose careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre. Newcastle-born Herron, 61, who …

Luke Arnold, centre, as Martin Scarsden in hit BBC adaptation of Chris Hammer’s Scrublands against b (Image: BBC / Easy Tiger / Getty / AP) Being a political consultant is a high-risk job. Careers can be short and brutal. But former journalist Chris Hammer might just hold the record for …

Andrew Scott played the brilliant, evil Jim Moriarty in the BBC’s 2010 series Sherlock (Image: BBC / Hartswood Films /Colin Hutton) Was there ever a greater description of a fictional villain than the “Napoleon of crime”, as Sherlock Holmes brands his arch-rival Professor James Moriarty? “He is the organiser of …