Literary Escape Festival

Literary Escape Festival Books, Authors, Creators - the whole literary world in one place

08/03/2026

DUNDEE THANK YOU 🤩

What a wonderful successful day, huge thank you to our incredible independent authors, talented creative vendors, and everyone who came along to browse books, chat stories and support indie voices. Events like this are only possible because of the amazing bookish community that shows up and makes them so special.

We are so grateful to everyone who joined us in Dundee and helped make the day such a success.

Next stop on the Literary Escape tour…

đź“Ť Bath
đź—“ 21 March 2026
🕙 10:00 – 14:30
đź“Ś Percy Community Centre, New King Street, Bath

The Literary Escape Festival brings together independent authors, small creative businesses and book lovers for a wonderfully bookish day out.

We hope to see some of you there.

Meet Nicole Czarnojan at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨Earlier this year, Nicole Czarnojan published her debut ...
27/02/2026

Meet Nicole Czarnojan at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

Earlier this year, Nicole Czarnojan published her debut novel, Gen Z Girl, a story set right here in Dundee and inspired by her time as an English with German undergraduate at university.

Blending personal experience with fiction, Gen Z Girl captures student life, identity, and the challenges of finding your place in the world. Currently available as an eBook, with paperback and hardback editions on the way, this is just the beginning of Nicole’s writing journey.

📚✨ Come along, meet Nicole, and discover a fresh new voice rooted in Dundee.

✨ Fantasy Book Club Scotland at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨So you’ve rediscovered your love for fantasy… you...
27/02/2026

✨ Fantasy Book Club Scotland at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

So you’ve rediscovered your love for fantasy… you’re knee-deep in morally questionable love interests… and you just need people to scream about plot twists and dragon-sized tension with?

Welcome home, babe. You’ve found your gang.

Fantasy Book Club Scotland is co-hosted (chaotically and gloriously) by Amy and Becca — two bisexual, neurodiverse romantasy lovers with a passion for emotional devastation, shadow daddies, and an unhinged group chat.

What started with six friends, a Glasgow pub, and a bottle (okay, two) of fizz has grown into a 120+ member strong community across Scotland. With monthly meetups, three books a month, guest hosts, merch, and just enough structure to keep the chaos contained (barely), this is not your average book club.

It’s loud. It’s passionate. It’s fantasy nonsense at its finest.

📚🔥 Come meet your fellow book babes in Dundee, scream about your latest obsession, and join the Council of Chaos.

✨ Meet Mamie Philp at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨Born and raised in Ayrshire, Mamie Philp has always been dr...
27/02/2026

✨ Meet Mamie Philp at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

Born and raised in Ayrshire, Mamie Philp has always been drawn to storytelling. A former civil servant and history teacher, she’s written non-fiction and commissioned memoirs but when asked what she wanted to be at eight years old, the answer was clear: a writer.

A lifelong lover of crime and thrillers, Mamie naturally gravitated towards murder mystery. Her debut novel, Mr Murdoch is Dead, set in her beautiful home county, introduces readers to DI Kim Berry. The gripping investigation continues in Lilianne is Dead, DI Berry’s next compelling case.

After spending twelve years living and working across England, Mamie returned to Scotland and now calls Edinburgh home. When she’s not crafting crime plots, she can be found walking the dog, reading, attempting to declutter (with varying degrees of success), and enjoying time with family and friends.

📚✨ Join us in Dundee, meet Mamie, and discover Scottish crime fiction that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

✨ Meet Thistle & Fox Crafts at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨Come along and discover Thistle & Fox Crafts, brin...
24/02/2026

✨ Meet Thistle & Fox Crafts at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

Come along and discover Thistle & Fox Crafts, bringing creativity, charm, and handmade magic to the festival.

Whether you’re looking for something unique, thoughtful, or a little treat for yourself, be sure to stop by and say hello.

📚✨ Pop over, browse, and support a brilliant local creative.

✨ Meet Ryan Mcdonald at the Literary Escape Festival ✨Ryan MacDonald grew up in Dundee and went on to serve nearly thirt...
24/02/2026

✨ Meet Ryan Mcdonald at the Literary Escape Festival ✨

Ryan MacDonald grew up in Dundee and went on to serve nearly thirty years across the Royal Air Force and Police Scotland. From operational tours in Iraq to leading high-risk counterterrorism operations and major crime investigations, his career was defined by courage, leadership, and relentless public service.

But behind the uniform, the toll was building.

After decades witnessing the darkest parts of human experience, murder investigations, child deaths, suicides, and serious crime, Ryan was diagnosed with PTSD. Following medical retirement, he faced the loss of identity, purpose, and stability that so many in frontline roles experience but rarely speak about.

From rock bottom, Ryan rebuilt his life and found a new mission.

His memoir, Blue Lights, Dark Mind, published in October 2025, has seen incredible success, climbing the bestseller charts with its raw and honest account of the psychological cost of service and the path to recovery. It’s not just a book, it’s a conversation starter.

Now a motivational speaker and advocate for mental health awareness, Ryan speaks across the UK about resilience, leadership, and life beyond the uniform. His message is clear: resilience isn’t about never falling, it’s about rising every time you do.

📚✨ Come meet Ryan and discover a story of service, survival, and strength.

✨ Meet Lynn B. Mann at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨A storyteller from the very beginning (she asked for a typ...
24/02/2026

✨ Meet Lynn B. Mann at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

A storyteller from the very beginning (she asked for a typewriter for her 10th birthday), writing has always been part of Lynn B. Mann’s life. While she’s only committed to it in a focused, structured way in recent years, the creative spark has never faded.

Her journey to authorship has been anything but predictable. With 22 different jobs across her twenties and thirties — from aerobics instructor and lab technician to TV researcher and director — Lynn eventually found her vocation as a counsellor and stress management therapist. During a career break, she also co-founded a now multi award-winning food business on her family farm, producing cold-pressed rapeseed and infused oils supplied across the UK and beyond.

An Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland, Lynn lives on the outskirts of Edinburgh, balancing writing with walking, yoga (badly), volunteering with a homeless charity, and a healthy appreciation for sleep.

📚✨ Come along, say hello, and begin a reading journey that’s only just getting started.

24/02/2026

Calling all book lovers, readers & creatives, it’s almost here! 📚✨

The Literary Escape Festival is landing in Dundee next week for an unforgettable one-day celebration of stories, creativity, and community and you won’t want to miss it!

Join us on 7 March 2026 at the Steeple Centre for a vibrant day filled with:

đź“– Inspiring independent authors
Beautiful handmade goods
Creative energy & bookish conversation
A welcoming community of readers and writers

Whether you’re a passionate reader, an aspiring author, or simply love discovering something new, this is your chance to immerse yourself in a truly special literary experience.

Part of a touring grassroots book festival travelling across the UK in 2026, and Dundee is next!

đź“Ť Steeple Centre, Dundee
đź—“ Saturday 7 March 2026

Secure your ticket now:
www.literaryescapeco.co.uk
or find us on Eventbrite

✨ Come meet Manic Pixy Dream Sewist at the Literary Escape Festival ✨
09/02/2026

✨ Come meet Manic Pixy Dream Sewist at the Literary Escape Festival ✨

✨ Meet Emma Hine at the Literary Escape Festival – Bath ✨Emma Hine’s love of writing began with poetry when she was just...
09/02/2026

✨ Meet Emma Hine at the Literary Escape Festival – Bath ✨

Emma Hine’s love of writing began with poetry when she was just a child. In recent years, that passion has expanded into photography, leading her to create poetography, a unique blend of poetry and original photography that brings her words vividly to life.

Before poetography, however, Emma took a leap into fiction. In her late twenties, she moved from poetry to novel writing, crafting what would become her debut novel The Power of the Wouivre: Fiorenza. Though published in 2025, the story itself was written back in 2004, a testament to the power of stories waiting for the right moment.

Fascinated by time travel and deeply drawn to research, Emma naturally gravitated towards historical fiction. A lifelong lover of Italy, especially Florence, she chose to set her novel in the Middle Ages, long before the Renaissance transformed the city into the Florence we know today. The story found its home in the Young Adult genre as the characters took on lives of their own and shaped the narrative along the way.

📚✨ Come meet Emma, discover her beautifully layered work, and find out exactly what a wouivre is…

✨ Meet Sugar Dreams at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨Sugar Dreams is the beautiful result of courage, resilienc...
09/02/2026

✨ Meet Sugar Dreams at the Literary Escape Festival – Dundee ✨

Sugar Dreams is the beautiful result of courage, resilience, and creativity. Founded by Anastasiia, who came to the UK from Ukraine with her beloved cat Sugar, the business was born from the determination to rebuild life and create something meaningful after unimaginable change.

Starting from scratch wasn’t easy, but every step of the journey was fuelled by passion and purpose. Sugar Dreams reflects Anastasiia’s experiences, talents, and love for creating products filled with care and intention, each one a small celebration of hope and new beginnings.

By supporting Sugar Dreams, you’re not just discovering something special, you’re becoming part of a story of strength, renewal, and turning adversity into opportunity.

📚✨ Come along, meet Anastasiia, and celebrate creativity that rises, even in the face of the hardest chapters.

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