Wild Landscapes and New Beginnings with Sally Page and Karen Swan

Sunday Times bestsellers Sally Page and Karen Swan are masters of writing about the power of place. They’ll discuss themes of new beginnings in mid-life, and how a setting impacts all aspects of a character’s life.

After studying history at university, Sally Page moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, Sally continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, PLOOMS. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author Libby Page. Sally’s debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, was a Sunday Times bestseller, has now sold over 500,000 copies and has been translated into 29 languages.

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and for winter, Christmas at Tiffany’s, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas. Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots. Her historical series called The Wild Isle is based upon the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

About the Festival
The Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival is back for 2026!

This year's festival will take place on Saturday 26 October 2026, returning to our lovely venue of Christ Church Morningside - just five minutes walk from Bruntsfield Links and a short bus ride from the city centre.

The Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival is a literary festival celebrating writing for, by, and about women. We are an inclusive event and welcome everyone who finds joy in reading women's fiction - commercial, romance, historical, literary, book club and beyond. Our festival showcases authors of genres that are often overlooked, and our aim is to give readers the opportunity to connect with their favourite writers.

2026 Programme
Details of our full programme can be found on our website.

Tickets
General ticket sales will begin on 31 August 2026

Our festival strongly believes in paying our authors, chairs, and workshop leaders the fee recommended by the Scottish Book Trust, which has increased (which is wonderful for our authors!). This has meant an increase in ticket prices, but we are certain you’ll think it’s worth it!

Concession tickets — Where applicable, are available to students, registered disabled (plus one companion), registered unemployed, under 16s, Young Scot card holders and sponsors. Proof of entitlement will be required.