The readers at our 15th October 2026 meeting:
Reena Kumarasingham
- Reena read from the atmospheric opening pages of her forthcoming novel where we were transported to a hot Malaysian land of myth and legend. Aria, a young woman has just woken from a recurring nightmare and seeks cleansing in the neighbouring landscape and her favourite tree. There she is comforted by a dearly loved, and much missed, old man.
- When Reena was a little girl in Malaysia, she would open crisp pages and immersed herself in enchanted forests, where animals could speak. Entire worlds opened up to her, filled with fairies, elves and toys that came alive at night. Her grandmother, wrapped in cotton sarees, would sit for hours with her, a raspy voice educating Reena on Hindu mythical beings from ancient lands where deities and devotees coexisted. Every book was a promise of another adventure, another life to explore. And she devoured every one of them, hungry for more. A fire ignited within her… she wanted to create such worlds too. Alas, the older she got, this boring, practical world got the better of her. She went to school, achieved her degrees in psychology and an MBA, had a corporate career in the Asia Pacific that paid the bills … all the while suppressing that burning desire within. Until she couldn’t do it any longer.
- Supported by a husband who understands that when she stares off into space for hours at a time, she’s actually working. She has two white fluffy writing companions and wonderful writing friends who have encouraged her to stop lurking in the shadows and come out to share her own stories….
Sarah Jane Taylor
- Sarah read six of her poems which, with fine economy and style, conjured atmosphere, feeling and personal history:
- The Glass Cupboard – a personal history in odd glasses.
- The Isle Rose Mills – observations from a walk along a path.
- Nativity Bells – a bell ring event evokes warm memories.
- Crital Windows – a very chilly bedroom.
- Fun With Advertising – old advertising slogans evoke the past.
- Pilgrimage – thoughts from a famous walk.
- Sarah is a former District Nurse from Bath. She has attended residential writing courses with Arvon, Monica Mhor and Swanwick, Lapidus International. She has an MA in Creative Nonfiction with the Open University.
- Sarah has been walking medieval pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela, in both Europe and the UK for six years. She has also volunteered in a pilgrims’ hostel. This year Sarah led a group pilgrimage to her local St James’ Church on St James’s Day, in part tribute to the release of her A Pilgrims’ Guide.
- Her five publication/anthology contributions have all been sold in aid of various charities.
- This year Sarah was given a highly commended at the Page is Printed event in Taunton Arts Centre for her poem The Glass Cupboard. She is currently working on a collection of life poetry and photography and researching how pilgrimage can inform expression through writing.
- She is also interested in pottery, painting, swimming, rowing and running having rowed the Thames River Marathon, and completed six London Marathons.
Mark Rutterford
- Mark read his short story She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not which cleverly and amusingly recounts the history of the relationship between the protagonist and his beloved Clare. His doubt and uncertainty in reciprocated love being entirely relatable
- Telling stories to an audience has been Mark Rutterford’s recreational drug of choice since 2014. Mark is a happy addict.
- Mark has told stories in some expected and unlikely venues – a barn, pizza kitchen, nightclub, shopping centre, on stage at the Bristol Old Vic and outdoors too. Mark loves that he gets to tell stories to branches of the Women’s Institute and with his writing group, he hosts, the Talking Tales event, now in its 11th year.
- Mark has appeared at Literary and Fringe Festivals with his one-man show, ‘Love Stories’ – where he gets the audience to make dodgy decisions, recommend terrible music and share their own love stories in the show.
- With the help of The Novelry, Mark completed the first draft of a novel at the end of August. He is starting to edit now and has asked that you keep him in your thoughts at this difficult time.
Samantha Hill
- Sam read the opening of her forthcoming novel No Strings Attached. In a very amusing ‘meet-cute’, Lara, having fled Paris, is taking her dog for a walk in the countryside. They encounter another dog that has slipped into a deep pit and become stranded. Lara attempts an unsuccessful rescue when the dog’s handsome, yet rather patronising, owner appears.
- Samantha comes from a long line of theatricals and trained as an actor at the Guildford School of Acting. She has worked in theatre, film and television, but not successfully so you won’t have heard of her.
- While she was mostly not working as an actor, she somehow ended up working in TV production, most notably as the stalwart ‘temp’ for ITV’s The Bill.
- Armed with a deep knowledge of police procedure and the ability to quote a caution, she then did a BBC Script Editors’ course, which kept her busy while her children were young. During this time, she picked up work for a TV producer/director, Franc Roddam, who is also the creator of Masterchef. When he started a small publishing imprint, she fell into being the editor, and he still keeps her busy.
- She has continued to try to bother the acting community, occasionally as a Voiceover artist; it was this that led her to a curry in Brick Lane with members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, where she had such a good time that she determined to write a romantic novel. Begun in 2011, she finally finished this in 2025. She now also types work for other writers, occasionally proofreads, runs a small actors’ agency and is a fully paid-up Sam-of-All-Trades.
- She lives in Warminster with her husband and two dragons, sorry, cats.
Veronica Cossanteli
- Veronica read her clever and amusing story The Bear Bones, a fine and loving tribute to some childhood favourite stories. Here, Paddington and Pooh set out on a walk, intending to have a picnic. They encounter many familiar characters and have typical mishaps.
- Veronica started early and arrived late, achieving her first rejection slip at 11 and her first publishing contract at 50. She has had two children’s fantasy novels, The Extincts and The Halloweeds, published. These were followed by a commission to adapt The Marvellous Land of Snergs, originally published in 1927.
- She’s currently working on a mid-grade time-slip story, partially set in the upper Palaeolithic world of the last Neanderthals, forty thousand years ago. Her research ranges from the arid academic to the more digestible. If anyone’s interested, she can tell you how many calories there are in an average mammoth…
Photos by John Bruce lightanddarker.com