An Evening with Ben Aaronovitch and Mark Stay at Staines Library

Join us for an evening with bestselling authors Ben Aaronovitch and Mark Stay!

Discover the magic behind Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series and Stay's "The End of Magic" as they discuss their creative processes and latest works, answer your questions and sign copies of their books.

Whether you're a long-time fan or new to their books, this event promises captivating stories and lively conversation!

Key information about booking:

• The event starts at 6pm to 7pm
• The event is suitable for adults and young people aged 16+
• Please purchase a ticket for each person attending.
• There is a charge of £7 per ticket
• Booking is essential, so be quick to avoid disappointment
• Refreshments will be available
• Please arrive 10 minutes early
• Ben's books will be available to purchase on the day, courtesy of Waterstones, Staines
• Mark Stay will be bringing copies of his latest book to purchase on the day.

About the Authors

Ben Aaronovitch was born and raised in London and had the sort of unrelentingly uninteresting childhood that drives a person to drink or Science Fiction. The later proved useful in his early career when he wrote for Doctor Who (before it was fashionable), Casualty and the cheapest soap opera ever made - Jupiter Moon. Alas his career foundered in the late 1990s and he was forced to go out and work for living. It was while running the Crime and Science Fiction sections at the Covent Garden branch of Waterstones that he conceived the notion of writing novels instead. Thus was the Rivers of London series born and when the first book proved to be a runaway success he waited all of five minutes to give up the day job and return to the bliss that is a full time writing career. He still lives in the city that he modestly calls 'the capital of the world' and says he will leave when they prise London from his cold dead fingers. He promises that he is already hard at work on the next Peter Grant novel and not computer games - honest.

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstone’s in the nineties (back when it still had an apostrophe) and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He would write in his spare time and sometimes those writings would get turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome. Mark was also co-presenter of the award-winning Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener and writer Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens.

If you have any additional needs or require any special assistance, please let us know prior to the event by contacting library.events@surreycc.gov.uk (this inbox is managed Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

If you are not able to or do not wish to provide us with any contact details (landline or mobile number and email address) you won’t be able to purchase a ticket online. Please visit the library that is hosting the event to purchase a ticket in person.