THREE book club favourites are heading to the first-ever Salisbury Literary Festival later this month to talk about their work and lift the lid on what makes a successful author.

Books by Sarah Winman, Gail Honeyman and Jill Crouch are regular subjects of book club discussions all over the country and they are set to be three of the most fascinating guests at festival, which runs from October 27 to 29 and is supported by the Salisbury Journal.

Sarah Winman is an actress as well as an author, having had roles in host of popular TV dramas, including Taggart, Midsomer Murders and Prime Suspect. Her first novel, When God Was A Rabbit, was a best seller all over the world and earned her the new writer of the year honour at the Galaxy National Book Awards in 2011. She will be talking about her third novel, Tin Man, is a multi-layered love story written from two perspectives.

She will be at the Salisbury Playhouse on October 28 at 2.30pm, tickets are £5.

Gail Honeyman’s debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, has taken the publishing world by storm. It is a story of loneliness and isolation and the heroine seems, on the face of it, unremarkable. But the author uses humour and an understanding of the human condition to craft a uplifting, life-affirming story.

The author’s own story is every bit as inspirational as her heroine. She didn’t start writing until her 40s and her success has earned her the Observer Debut of the Year plaudit this year.

She will be talking about that rise to fame and what’s next for her at Sarum College on October 28 at 6.15pm, tickets are £5.

There are not many novelists who can claim to have created their own genre but that’s what former theatre director and playwright Julia Crouch has done. Her domestic noir novels paint a picture of suburban normality beneath which lay dark secrets, unexpected violence and savage recrimination. The latest, Her Husband’s Lover, a psychological thriller, is no exception.

She will be talking about crime writing and its pitfalls as well as her own approach at Sarum College on October 28 at 10.45am. Tickets are £5.

The festival, has grown out of the Salisbury Writing Circle’s love of storytelling. The circle was formed in 2015 and has steadily developed to the point where its organisers wanted to share their passion with the rest of the city.

The weekend will see more than 40 talks, workshops and events packed into three days across the city, including appearances by the historical novelist Philippa Gregory in Salisbury and a special pre-festival event with Neil Spring at the Guildhall on October 26.

Spring’s new ghostly tale The Lost Village, set in the Wiltshire village of Imber, will be published on October 19.

For more details and to book tickets go to salisburyliteraryfestival.co.uk