News

27 November 2025

She's holding a special event in aid of our charity...

Local author Kerry Whittle will be taking part in a very special event in aid of our charity on 9 December at Simply Books in Bramhall. 

The event will be a fabulous evening full of stories and conversation, hosted by BBC North West Tonight's Kay Crewdson. All profits from the night are being donated to our charity.

You can get your tickets to come along now here: https://luma.com/KWCharity We'd love to see you there!

Kerry's brand new book, 'Seven Reasons to Murder your Dinner Guests', has been chosen as a top 20 Amazon pick for Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Books of 2025, as well as:

• Love Reading UK debut novel of the month
• Apple Books Thriller of the Month September 2025
• Netgalley UK Book of the Month September 2025

We're looking forward to hearing more about it at the event, but have had the chance to catch up with Kerry beforehand. 

Here, she tells us a little more about herself, and about the book too...

Can you please tell us a little about yourself?  Where are you from?

I’m originally from Carlisle in Cumbria. I’ve always loved reading and writing so I studied English at university and went on to work as a journalist on women’s weekly magazines in London, including More, Chat, Woman’s Own and Best.

I specialised in real-life stories and have had the pleasure of interviewing hundreds of incredible people over the years and helping them tell their stories.

I now live in Altrincham with my husband and two young sons and continue to work as a freelance journalist and author. 

Can you tell us about 'Seven Reasons to Murder your Dinner Guests'?

It is my debut novel and tells the story of seven strangers who meet at a mysterious dinner party at an underground restaurant in London. They have no idea who invited them or why but they settle down to enjoy the delicious food and wine. At the end of the meal, they discover seven black envelopes by their place settings. One guest opens hers and sees written inside ‘You will die aged… (with a number)’. Some guests are shocked and scared, others think it’s a practical joke but they all return to their homes a little disturbed by the evening. Two weeks later, one guest dies in line with her number. A month later another guest is dead as predicted. The remaining guests have to work out who the mystery party host was and if there’s anything they can do to change their numbers...

 
It’s a great idea for a novel.  How did the book come about?
I had the original idea for the book many years before I started to write it. I was attending a wedding and ended up sitting on a table of ten single people, a mixture of friends and family of the bride and groom. At the end of the wedding breakfast, waiters handed out small white envelopes to us all. I watched everyone open theirs and, it struck me, what if there was something significant inside, something shocking and life-changing, that these very different people would have different reactions to? In fact, the envelopes contained lottery tickets which sparked a discussion of how each guest would spend their winnings. I was intrigued by the range of different and unexpected answers. One elderly guest commented: ‘No amount of money would give me what I want – my wife back.’ He explained that his wife had passed away recently. I thought about those wedding guests and their envelopes a lot over the years and, when I had a chance to sit down and write my first book, I began with a table of strangers and envelopes that would change all of their lives.

How did you find the writing process?
I’ve worked as a journalist for about 20 years now and so I’m used to writing every day and meeting deadlines but the longest article for a magazine or newspaper would be around 1,500 words, against a novel of around 90,000 words so it took me a while to get my head around that.

But I just focused on my seven characters at the dinner party and let them tell their stories and the words came flowing out. Originally, I hadn’t planned to write a murder mystery, but then I was writing a scene with two characters talking and one admitted the murders of the other guests so that’s when I knew the genre I was writing in. With my second book, as I knew it would be another murder mystery, I did a lot more planning.

Do you have any other books in the pipeline?
Yes, my UK and US book deals are for two murder mystery books with the second one due to be published next autumn. I’ve already written a draft of book two - based around a school reunion - and I’m waiting for feedback from my publisher. 

Are you a book lover too?  What do you love to read when not working?  
Yes – I’ve loved reading ever since I was little girl and read 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'.

I read across most genres, mostly in the contemporary space, so crime novels, psychological thrillers, some literary fiction and women’s fiction. Recent books that I’ve loved include 'Strange Sally Diamond' by Liz Nugent, 'A Terrible Kindness' by Jo Browning Wroe and 'Estella’s Revenge' by Barbara Havelocke. And I devour the Elizabeth Strout novels about Maine, including 'Olive Kitteridge' and 'Lucy by the Sea' – you can’t beat the author for characterisation.

You’re holding a special event in aid of our charity.  What can people expect on the night?
It’s going to be a mixture of talking about the fabulous Dianne Oxberry, raising awareness about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, chatting about my book and storytelling with BBC North West Tonight’s Kay Crewdson, plus a few laughs and glasses of prosecco. Can’t wait!

Why did you decide to support the Dianne Oxberry Trust by holding this in aid of our charity?
I think it’s a wonderful charity that does an incredibly important job of raising awareness of the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer – often mistaken for something less dangerous and perhaps not always taken seriously by GPs. 

What are your favourite things to do in our region when you’re not working?
I’ve lived in Altrincham for 11 years now and grew up in Cumbria. I have always loved walking, particularly in the Lake District, as well as in Snowdonia and the Peak District. I’m a keen runner and enjoy running along the Manchester canal as well in the local parks including Dunham Massey and Tatton Park. 

You’re donating all profits from the event in December to our charity – thank you!  What would you say to others thinking of raising funds for our cause?
I think hearing Dianne’s story really brings home the devastating effect of ovarian cancer. She was a fabulous young mum with an infectious joie de vivre (that even blew Peter Kay away!). In the space of just days she was torn away from her family and friends. If only it had been caught sooner, she might still be with us. 

I’m really looking forward to this fun night, talking about books, celebrating Dianne and raising awareness and funds for this amazing charity. As well as meeting some keen readers and making new friends.  

If you'd like to join Kerry and Kay at this special event, click here now and get your ticket!