About Us
Chris Penhall is an author of contemporary fiction, and a lover of storytelling in all its forms.
A member of The Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists Association, she has written six books published by Choc Lit/Joffe, the first of which, The House That Alice Built won the Choc-Lit Search for a Star Competition in 2019.
A former producer for BBC Essex, who made regular appearances on air she has worked on live programmes, outside broadcasts and produced and presented four one-hour radio documentaries. Chris also produced the Essex Business Podcast, was an Associate Producer for Jibba Jabba Pods on the Richard and Judy Book Club podcast for nine years and has written articles for local newspapers and magazines, press releases, marketing materials and e-commerce and web copy.
She has assessed manuscripts for the Romantic Novelists New Writers Scheme, run writing workshops, and interviews authors for the Essex Book Festival as well as hosting a free monthly buddy writing session in a local café with a fellow writer. She also presented and produced her own community radio show, Books and Tunes for two years.
You can find more information about her on her website www.chrispenhall.co.uk Instagram: christinepenhall or Facebook as ChrisPenhallWriter
Deborah Stephenson is a former BBC broadcast journalist, programme editor, and lifelong lover of stories with over twenty years experience in shaping compelling narratives, bringing stories to air and giving people a voice. During that time she supported and nurtured her team of reporters and programme producers in researching, writing and telling their stories.
She is a trained NLP coach, with a particular interest in mental health support and wrote a series of wellbeing blogs during the covid pandemic published in Psychologies Magazine Lifelabs online. She has a degree in English Literature and Drama, and a postgrgaduate diploma in Bi-media journalism.
She finished her first novel last year and has written a number of short stories, so understands how exciting and how daunting it can feel to turn an idea into a finished piece of writing. She is passionate about helping others through doubts and false starts by supporting and nurturing the creative process into the blossoming of ideas, and celebrating the satisfaction of words to the page.
Her aim is to make writing feel possible, energising, and rewarding, so that voices are heard and that stories don’t stay stuck, but make it out into the world.