A HOST of celebrity authors and playwrights will be taking part in the Liverpool Daily Post's online literary festival this week.
LiveRead, an exclusively web-based five-day event, will be hosted on the newspaper's website from Mar 15-19. and features contributions from big name authors including Joe Hill,Frank Cottrell Boyce, Linda Grant and Ramsey Campbell.
Horns author Joe Hill - Stephen King's son - is a last minute addition to the festival and is taking part in a live blog interview with LDP readers.
Frank Cottrell Boyce joins the line-up just months after his 2009 novel Cosmicwas nominated for the Carnegie Medal. The Millionsand 24 Hour Party Peoplescreenwriter will be participating in a live web chat on the Daily Post website (Friday, 11am) and will be reading an extract from his shortlisted book.
Award-winning novelist, playwright and journalist Linda Grant will also be taking part in a web interview (12.30pm Monday), giving readers the chance to ask her questions about her main influences - her Jewish background, family history, and Liverpudlian heritage.
A third live chat will feature Ramsey Campbell, the acclaimed horror writer who served as inspiration for his American counterpart Stephen King (Tuesday, 6pm).
Other well-known literary talents lending their names to the billing include former Brookside actor and Liverpool stage regular Neil Caple, crimewriter Martin Edwards, bestselling romantic fiction author and Daily Post columnist Jane Costello, EastEnders scriptwriter Fred Lawless and Wirral-based author Caroline Smailes.
Devised and programmed by Daily Post arts editor Laura Davis, with support by InFUZE participant Susannah Birkwood and the Daily Post & Echo digital team, LiveRead will also feature author readings, live video debates, a daily literary quiz, an interactive story, a writer's clinic with literacy consultancy BubbleCow, e-books, a poll to discover Liverpool's favourite novel and much more.
All LiveRead content will be available online at www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liveread and updated daily March 15-19.ENDS
