As part of the Farsley Lit Fest 2025, we are excited to welcome Bridget Collins, author of breakout sensation, #1 bestseller and bookseller favourite The Binding.

Bridget will be introducing us to her new, haunting, gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention – The Naked Light.

Bridget Collins trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after reading English at King's College, Cambridge. She is the author of seven acclaimed books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Fringe. She is the No. 1 bestselling author of The Binding, The Betrayals and The Silence Factory.

About the Book

Watching over the village of Haltington, is an ancient carving in the ground, known to locals simply as the Face. It was first etched into the chalk when lives were ruled by superstition and stories; by fear of the unknown, of the shadows.

For centuries, the inhabitants of Bone Cottage have tended to it. But now that the Great War has decimated the population of even this most isolated of places, the Face stands neglected and overgrown. When enigmatic outsider Kit moves into the cottage, the villagers are suspicious of her androgynous appearance and bohemian ways. In defiance of their disapproval, the vicar’s unmarried sister-in-law Florence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kit, and the friendship that grows between them becomes a light in the dark for her.

But the Face calls things to it, and now Florence and Kit are in its path…

‘At once a moving study of women's lives after the First World War, an exquisite love story and a terrifying folk horror […] Bridget Collins at her beguiling best.’ - Emilia Hart

‘A spine-chillingly scary romance and a heart-warmingly romantic horror novel… Beautifully written, thrillingly imagined, and a joy on every page.' – Sandra Newman

The Naked Light will be available to buy on the evening with the opportunity to have it signed by Bridget.