Fiftysomethings: The Story So Far

Both Linda Kelsey and Judith Summers have written about lives turned upside down. Here they will talk about the process of putting it all on paper, about how much of yourself you put into a novel and how you protect your loved ones when you write an autobiography. In Linda’s novel, Fifty is not a Four Letter Word , Hope turns fifty and then loses her job, her husband and her mother in the space of a few months but bounces back with gusto. In Judith's memoir, My Life with George, she writes about her own experience of untimely widowhood and a feisty dog which helped her and her son through their bereavement. So whatever your age, come and listen to these two writers talk about facing adversity with courage and a good dose of humour.

Linda Kelsey is a former editor of Cosmopolitan and SHE, and was twice awarded Editor of the Year. She was also launch editor of Wedding Day and Executive Editor on the launch of In Style. She is now a freelance journalist and Contributing Editor to In Style and Easy Living magazines, writing on travel and books as well as general features. Her work appears regularly in a variety of magazines and newspapers ranging from Brides and Saga to the Daily Mail and Jewish Chronicle. In 2002 she wrote Was It Good For You, Too? 30 Years of Cosmpolitan (Robson Books).

Judith Summers is the author of four novels and a prize-winning non-fiction book, Soho, A History of London’s Most Colourful Neighbourhood. Born and brought up in London, she studied Fine Art in Bristol and Manchester, and trained as a film editor with the BBC. After becoming a tourist guide, she discovered a passion for historical research. She has written widely on London. Her latest book is My Life with George, Surviving Life with the King of the Canines

Kerry Fowler is the Books Editor for Good Housekeeping and is also a freelance journalist. She set up the Good Housekeeping Book Awards in 2007 and the prestigious GH Books Day at the Mermaid Theatre. She is one of the judges for this year's Romantic Novelists' Association Awards. 

In association with Good Housekeeping: www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk