Justine John. After thirty years in corporate life in London, half of which was running a successful events company, Justine John decided to take a chance to write the novel that was ‘in her’ since she was a child. Gilding the Lily is the result (available here on Amazon). Since then, another gripping domestic noir story, 'Beneath the Ceiba Tree' has been created. Justine is also Chairperson of the group.

Tim Grant. Tim began writing after retiring from teaching and taking Open University courses in Creative Writing. He writes short stories, life writing, travel writing and poetry and lives in Dorking with his wife Jane and their two lively Norfolk terriers. Like others in the group he values the support and encouragement that comes from sharing his work with them. Tim is the group's Secretary and helps organise their monthly meetings.

Jane Cacouris. Jane recently joined Phoenix as an aspiring novelist and has hugely valued the support, encouragement and critique she’s gained from the group. She works in the international development sector and is a freelance writer for an opinion website, writing about global issues relating to politics, poverty, faith and the environment – themes that are also often reflected in her fictional writing. She lived in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil with her family for four years until 2019 and her latest novel draws on this experience.

Alison Allen. Alison joined Phoenix several years ago, impressed by the supportive atmosphere of the group and the talent of its writers. Having completed an MA in Creative Writing at Roehampton University last year, Alison is currently working on a novel for children. She also writes short stories and poetry: a recent success was first prize in Writing Magazine’s Open Poetry Competition for her poem ‘Not a Prayer.’

Pauline Watson. Pauline is now retired, concentrates on gardening and writing. Member of Mole Valley Poets, and Phoenix Writers. She has been successful in poetry competitions, and her work has been included in poetry anthologies. She plans to publish a book of her poems later this year.

Matt Graydon.  Matt Graydon has always written stories, first as a schoolboy, then as a journalist and PR and now, as a writer of striking historical fiction. He likes to explore offbeat perspectives, inspired by true stories, especially in his tales of life in wartime. Now, in his first novel, Leaving Fatherland, inspired by a true story, he tells the tale of a liberal German who returns home from his life as a New York university student to fight for the Nazis.  Visit Matt’s website.

Margaret Graham. Previously best known for her writing on ‘chair’ yoga, (Keep Moving, Keep Young: Gentle Yoga Exercises) is now a successful playwright for amateur theatre. In 2014 and 2016 Ifield Barn Theatre’s productions of her 1960’s sell-out comedy/dramas - Miniskirts & Revelations; then sequel Flowery Shirts & Strange Relations - received NODA awards. Thought-provoking Benches followed in 2017 and farce Rita’s Revenge in October 2019. (Margaret’s books are available through Amazon.)

Hugh Timothy. Hugh has been a member of Phoenix Writers’ for nearly 17 years and ran the group as Chairman for 12. This year sees the publication of two collections of his poetry ‘Stepping Into Verse’ which is in fact a reprint of an earlier publication with added poems including published winners of national competitions.  His other collections include ‘Shapes’, ‘Shades’ and ‘Words in Edgeways’.

Richard Howard. Richard has been interested in ghosts and the paranormal since childhood and has been writing short stories intermittently for most of his life. He published his first collection in 2007, entitled ‘Strange Tales in Fiction and Fact’, which was recently revised and updated as a second edition. This book concludes with an essay recounting his many personal experiences of ghostly and other strange events. Since then he has published two more collections of stories, ‘Tales of the Lost’ and ‘Evocations’. .Visit Richard’s website.

Lena Walton. Lena holds down two jobs yet still finds time somehow to write. Her first novel Jewish Days Arab Nights was self published on Amazon in 2014. She is preparing the sequel Not Quite Gaza for publication soon. And her latest endeavour is a dark psychological thriller called The Dark Side of the Hill. Jewish Days Arab Nights - Available on Amazon.

Jess Newton. Jess fell into writing as a teenager, tempted by the dark world of fanfiction. She dabbles in science fiction, fantasy and romance, always with queer characters at the centre of the action. Her stories are the ones she wished she could have read as a teenager, when she often struggled to find characters she could identify with. Visit Jess’s website

Tom Langdale. After spending his working life in engineering, Tom discovered writing as a hobby, taking creative writing classes, writing short stories and developing skills required to complete a novel. Following the publication of his first book A Young Man’s Guide, Tom wrote his first novel ‘One Man’s Poison’ and it's sequel, ‘Poisoned Legacy, published in 2021.Visit Tom’s website.