Write on the Tyne

Jeff Stephenson

Jeff Stephenson is from North Tyneside. A qualified personal trainer and mindset coach, Jeff has used fitness and well-being as a tool throughout his career. After joining the Royal Marines at 17 years old, Jeff served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland. Leaving the Marines, he worked off-shore until embarking on a 25-year career in the fire service. His debut novel, DUTY, is a memoir spanning his career, his family, his community, and the duty that has been his life-long motivation.

DUTY – Relase date: 17th November 2023

Brigid Griffin

Brigid Griffin was born and grew up in Macclesfield, Cheshire. In the late 1980s, she moved to Sheffield, graduating from Sheffield City Polytechnic with a degree in Historical and Cultural Studies. She has since lived in Newcastle, Melbourne, and now lives in Northumberland.

She has worked in a variety of jobs including in a textile mill, as a potato picker, barista, farm hand, dishwasher, and lab technician. She currently works in administration at a local university.

Her writing is inspired by personal experiences, her interest in history, animals and nature, and the landscape and people of the north of England.

Alongside writing, her interests include fell running, growing vegetables and horse riding.

Brigid’s novel, “When the Small Creatures Wake” is set in a mill town in the north west of England in 1982. As the recession bites and unemployment rises, a group of young people begin to navigate early adulthood in a changing world. At the same time, a group of adults must face their own past, their mistakes and secrets. “When the Small Creatures Wake” explores themes of poverty, violence and conflict, but also of hope, love, humour and resilience.

When the Small Creatures Wake – Release date: 29th November 2024