TOM BLYTH

Tom Blyth has a background in the Army and in business and has a lifetime of writing and editing experience, principally in technical subjects. About 10 years ago he moved into the wider fields of lifestyle and human interest writing, and now covers everything from the arts to archaeology, and ideas to industry. He travels with his camera and often supplies the pictures that accompany his articles. 

Tom was Editor of Reflections Magazine between mid-2006 and early 2009, leading the team of excellent freelance writers who contribute to the rich and varied feature writing that is the hallmark of the magazine. He relinquished the role in order to write a book on the history of the County Regiment, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, due to be published in late 2009.

JOHN HOLLOWAY

John Holloway is a practised writer with a diverse portfolio of writing over many years. Give him a pen or a pc and he’ll write anything! Throughout his professional life as a careers adviser, business administrator and senior marketing manager he turned to writing as a creative outlet. Comedy material for television, greetings cards, video scripts, corporate publications, magazine features and funding applications for community groups count amongst his experiences. He has recently published his first book and is currently working on a collection of poems for young children.

ROY SMITH

Roy Smith spent many years working in Telecommunications and Project Management in both the Public and Private Sector before taking early retirement. A genealogist and researcher he specialises in the lives of historical figures and their achievements. He is just as comfortable however writing about contemporary subjects. 

Roy has recently published his grandfather’s diaries from the 1898 war in the Sudan and is busy compiling a comprehensive one-name study on his maternal family, the Broughtons.

JANE CROFT

Jane Croft’s background is in education in schools here and overseas, and as a part-time tutor for the Open University. She is now a full-time writer. Apart from producing various non-fiction articles she is an amateur poet and a novelist. Her poem, Frost, recently won a prize in the Thomas Hardy Society Competition and another was short-listed in Writing Magazine. Jane’s first book, a historical romance, comes out in America next February and in England in September 2009. Meanwhile, work on the next novel is underway.

LYNN LUDDITT

Lynn Ludditt is Chesterfield born and bred and is a freelance writer and trainer. She is a founder member of the Pomegranate Theatre Playwrights group and has had a number of plays performed at the theatre. In 2007 she won the Pomegranate New Playwriting Festival with her musical play entitled Shuffle. Having an Open University qualification in playwriting, Lynn designs and delivers bespoke creative writing workshops for adults and young people throughout Derbyshire.

REBECCA STARK

Rebecca Stark has a background in European and UK grants research, and has written on this subject for the past 13 years. More recently, she has capitalised on her interest in the local area, and has extended her portfolio to researching and writing about industrial heritage, local history and people and environmental issues. 

Her diverse professional writing services can be seen here.

JILL ARMITAGE

Jill Armitage trained as a photo/journalist and continues to write articles alongside her principal interest in romantic fiction. Over the past five years she has also produced five books on the paranormal. On Valentine's Day 2008, Romantic Haunts of Derbyshire was launched, combining her three favourite genre and demonstrating her interest in the supernatural, history and the customs of Derbyshire. Although writing and research takes up most of her time, her life revolves around her family and her three adorable Shih Tzus.

JACKIE THOMPSON

Jackie Thompson grew up on a farm in Leicestershire and she still retains an interest in rural affairs. However, her enduring passions have been for history and travel and she has been fortunate to have lived and worked ‘her dream’. After spending many years working in the business travel industry, Jackie moved abroad, first to America and then to France, both of which she describes as wonderful experiences. Although now firmly based in Derbyshire, Jackie and her husband still have a house in France. 

Jackie writes regular features for local publications, combining her interests in history, people and places. Her skill in researching her subjects often unearths the unusual detail that illuminates her writing.

GODFREY HOLMES

Godfrey Holmes describes his interests as all beginning with the letter R : Reading, Writing, Rambling, Religion, Railways and Rchitecture. His love of buildings is that of an enthusiastic amateur, uncluttered by too much training. He is a great collector. Godfrey writes for other newspapers and magazines and speaks to all sorts of audiences in the North Midlands about a whole variety of subjects. More recently, he has been writing speeches for other people faced with a dinner, a wedding or a business presentation.