Pair 1

Siegfried Sassoon

Wikipedia says,

Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, CBE, MC (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an eminent English poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon’s view, were responsible for a jingoism-fuelled war. He later won acclaim for his prose work, notably his three-volume fictionalised autobiography, collectively known as the “Sherston trilogy”.

Kathy Sharp

Crooked Cat says,

Growing up by the sea in Kent, back in the 1960s, it was Kathy’s ambition to become a writer. Time passed.

She married, moved to west London, and had a daughter. She continued to write, and had a small book or two on countryside and nature subjects published.  She worked for many years as a desktop publisher for Surrey County Council, and as a tutor in adult education.

And then, one day, she visited a friend who had just moved to the Isle of Portland, Dorset, and fell in love with the place. She has now lived in the Weymouth and Portland area for eight years, and still loves it. The wonderful Jurassic Coast, and Portland in particular, were the inspiration for her first novel, Isle of Larus.

Kathy also sings with, and writes lyrics for, the Island Voices Choir on Portland, and is a keen member of local writing groups, as well as enjoying studying the local flora.

The Link

Both authors were born in Kent.

Pair 2

Peter Straub

Wikipedia says,

Peter Francis Straub (born March 2, 1943) is an American author and poet. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award.

Shani Struthers

Crooked Cat says,

Born and bred in the seaside town of Brighton, one of the first literary conundrums Shani had to deal with was her own name – Shani can be pronounced in a variety of ways but in this instance it’s Shay-nee not Shar-ney or Shan-ni – although she does indeed know a Shanni – just to confuse matters further!

Hobbies include reading, writing, eating and drinking – all four of which keep her busy enough. After graduating from Sussex University with a degree in English and American Literature, Shani became a freelance copywriter.

Twenty years later, the day job includes crafting novels too. The Haunting of Highdown Hall is her second novel and the first in a series that looks set to get darker!

 The Link

Shani says, “We’ve both got BA English degrees, his 1979 book Ghost Story was one of the first horrors I ever read and kick-started a life-long love of them and he sometimes co-writes with Stephen King, who is my most favourite author of all time!”