Bridget Collins in Conversation with Erin Kelly

A village haunted by stories. Two women bound by a secret.

A haunting gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention, from Sunday Times #1 bestseller Bridget Collins.

To celebrate the release of her fourth adult novel, The Naked Light, Bridget Collins will be joining us for an eerie gothic evening, hosted by author Erin Kelly!

• Date: Thursday 30th October
• Time: 7pm
• Venue: Sevenoaks Bookshop, 147 High Street, Sevenoaks, TN13 1XJ

'At once a moving study of women's lives after the First World War, an exquisite love story and a terrifying folk horror. So beautifully written that I could hardly bear to stop reading, this is Bridget Collins at her beguiling best' EMILIA HART

'A spine-chillingly scary romance and a heartwarmingly romantic horror novel... I raced through it at breakneck speed even as I wished it would go on forever. Beautifully written, thrillingly imagined, and a joy on every page' SANDRA NEWMAN

'Sublime and terrifying at the same time, sad, sometimes shocking, always utterly gripping' ROSIE ANDREWS

The Naked Light

Watching over the village of Haltington is an ancient carving in the ground, known to locals simply as the Face. It was first etched into the chalk when lives were ruled by superstition and stories; by fear of the unknown, of the shadows.

For centuries, the inhabitants of Bone Cottage have tended to it. But now that the Great War has decimated the population of even this most isolated of places, the Face stands neglected and overgrown.

When enigmatic outsider Kit moves into the cottage, the villagers are suspicious of her androgynous appearance and bohemian ways. In defiance of their disapproval, the vicar's unmarried sister-in-law Florence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kit, and the friendship that grows between them becomes a light in the dark for her.

But the Face calls things to it, and now Florence and Kit are in its path...

Bridget Collins

Bridget Collins trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after reading English at King's College, Cambridge. She is the author of seven acclaimed books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Fringe. She is the No. 1 bestselling author of THE BINDING and THE BETRAYALS. THE NAKED LIGHT is her fourth adult novel.

'Bridget Collins' writing haunts my dreams' Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She Said, Stone Mothers/We Know You Know, Watch Her Fall, The Skeleton Key and The House of Mirrors, as well as Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier crime novel of the year award, and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. The Skeleton Key was selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month in 2023, was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller and reached number one in the Times chart. Born in London in 1976, Erin lives in north London with her husband and daughters.