Mosse, Jones and Noble are among the line-up for the 2023 Guildford Book Festival

Kate Mosse, Dan Jones and Elizabeth Noble are among the line-up for the 2023 Guildford Book Festival, which returns to venues across the town between 1st and 17th October.

Now in its 34th year, the festival opens with History Day at West Horsley Place, where historians including Alison Weir and Tracy Borman will discuss Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and key events of the 20th century. History Day also includes an opportunity to visit Grade I-listed West Horsley Place, the location for the BBC One series, "Ghosts".

Mosse will discuss her new novel, The Ghost Ship (Pan MacMillan), while Jones will return to the festival with his Essex Dogs (Head of Zeus) sequel, Wolves of Winter (Head of Zeus). 

This year’s Readers’ Day, taking place at West Horsley Place for the first time, will feature fiction bestsellers Noble, Eva Rice and Freya Berry, alongside debut authors Georgina Moore, Jyoti Patel and Ola Mustapha.

Meanwhile, football journalist and Woman Up author (Hero Press) Carrie Dunn will shine a light on the evolution of women’s football and the gender gaps that still persist. There will also be an opportunity to hear from Judy Murray, former Scottish international tennis player and "Strictly Come Dancing" contestant, who comes to the festival with her debut novel, The Wild Card (Orion). 

For military history enthusiasts, James Holland will explore the "Battle for Italy" 1943, the subject of his latest book, and Saul David will share the story of the "Devil Dogs", the troops who were part of the first US ground offensive in the Second World War.

Tim Marshall, author of The Future of Geography (Elliott & Thompson) is also featured in the line-up, alongside Wasteland (Simon & Schuster UK) author and journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis. Sir Chris Bryant, chair of the Committees on Standards & Privileges and the author of Why We Need to Fix Parliament (Bloomsbury), will also be appearing at the festival. 

Visitors will get the chance to walk outdoors with Tiffany Francis-Baker who, in her latest book, The Bridleway (Bloomsbury Wildlife), explores how the relationship between horses and humans has shaped the British landscape. And at Hatchlands Park, Duncan Minshull will lead a walk and discuss Where My Feet Fall (William Collins), his collection of 20 essays by leading writers who share their own experiences walking.

Moira Butterfield will also be at Hatchlands Park, with an event for children inspired by her book, Look What I Found in the Woods (Nosy Crow). Author and illustrator Rob Biddulph will be discussing his book Peanut Jones and the End of the Rainbow (Macmillan Children’s Books), while anthologist Ana Sampson and illustrator Chris Riddell will talk about their collaboration, Gods and Monsters (Macmillan Children’s Books). 

Two extra events will take place in November. For children, M G Leonard will introduce her latest book, The Ice Children (Macmillan Children’s Books), and Louise Morrish will discuss Operation Moonlight (Penguin), her next book with connections to Guildford.

Finally, for budding authors, creative writing tutor Rachel Marsh will lead an online writing course.

Alex Andrews, director of the festival, said: "We are delighted to see History Day return for another year and are excited to be back at West Horsley Place for both History and Readers’ Day.

"In particular, we would like to send a huge thank you to all our sponsors that stand by us every year, without their support we would not be able to continue."