Ruth Saberton Press Pack
Thank you for your interest in the work of Ruth Saberton.
This press page provides official bios, author photographs, book summaries, and other materials that explore Ruth’s writing, her bestselling novels and the Cornish landscapes that inspire them. Journalists, producers, podcast hosts, event organisers and reviewers are welcome to use all resources on this page.
For interviews, speaking events or further information, please contact the media team at admin@ruthsaberton.com
Author Overview
Short Bio
Ruth Saberton is a bestselling and prizewinning British novelist of over 30 books whose emotionally rich, atmospheric fiction is rooted in the wild beauty and mystery of Cornwall. Author of The Letter, and with over 10,000 reader reviews, she weaves haunting landscapes, hidden histories and unforgettable characters into immersive stories that linger long after the final page. Drawing on her extensive professional experience in education, Ruth also teaches creative writing workshops and regularly speaks at literary festivals and events.
Micro Bio
Bestselling author Ruth Saberton delivers gripping and emotional page-turners set against the haunting beauty of Cornwall that stay with readers long after the final page is turned.
Long Bio
Ruth Saberton is an award winning British author celebrated for her evocative, atmospheric fiction that blends emotion, mystery, and history with the distinctive spirit of Cornwall. A lifelong lover of storytelling, Ruth has written across genres, but her most enduring works are those rooted deeply in the rugged coastline, folklore and compelling human stories of the county she calls home.
Ruth was first published by Orion in 2010 with her romantic comedy Katy Carter wants a Hero - which was championed by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan and hit the national press. Ruth has subsequently been published by Holder, Avon and Harper Collins. She was a member of the pioneering Writers' Collective Notting Hill Press and shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Associations Romantic Comedy Award. Ruth has written over thirty books - some under pen names. She enjoys writing in a wide range of genre from rom coms to literary mysteries, to family sagas.
Ruth Saberton's 2018 novel, The Letter, became a reader firm favourite and has now amassed thousands of five star reviews, establishing Ruth as a powerful voice in women’s fiction and dual‑timeline storytelling. Her novels are known for their haunting sense of place, richly drawn characters and their exploration of themes such as memory, resilience, love and the secrets families carry.
Ruth’s deep connection to Cornwall has led to wide media engagement. Her perspective on truth, storytelling and the intersection of memoir and fiction has made her a thoughtful, articulate commentator on the craft of writing and the responsibility of authors.
Alongside her fiction, Ruth has built a strong presence in literary festivals, book clubs, and online communities, where she is known for her generosity, insight, and humour. She continues to champion Cornwall as a place of storytelling magic, drawing inspiration from its shifting tides, ancient paths, storm‑lashed cliffs and the enduring sense of history stitched into its beautiful landscape. Her novel Oyster Shore won the Gorsedh Kernow's Holyer an Gof award in 2023.
Ruth's bestselling Polwenna Bay series has recently been sold to German publisher Aufbau Verlag who also publish her Rosecraddick and Pencallyn novels. Ruth is also published in Russia and Italy.
Ruth is currently developing new projects that delve even deeper into the emotional and historical threads that define her work, including an atmospheric and immersive screenplay, a new dual‑timeline novels and more stories exploring the complexities of the human heart and showing the truth fiction can offer.
Professional Headshots
Credit: F. Millington
Book One‑Pagers
THE LETTER
Genre: Emotional Women’s Fiction / Dual Timeline
Themes: Lost love, resilience, dark secrets, redemption
Comps: Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, Rosamunde Pilcher, Santa Montefiore
Blurb:
When a forgotten letter is discovered, it unravels a story buried for decades. As past and present collide, one woman is drawn into a mystery of love, sacrifice and the echoes of wartime Cornwall.
Finalist in the Winston Graham Award for Fiction 2019
Key Information:
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ISBN: 978-1983623462
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Publication date: December 31st 2017
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Formats: Paperback, eBook
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Review highlights: “Beautifully written… a story that stays with you.”
Pull‑quotes:
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“A vivid novel of heartbreak and passion, with characters, and an ending, the reader won’t forget.” Goodreads
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“Perfect for fans of Rosamunde Pilcher, Daphne du Maurier and Kate Morton" Goodreads
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“Will touch your soul and break your heart.” Amazon
OYSTER SHORE
Genre: Emotional Women’s Fiction / Dual Timeline/historical mystery
Themes: Obsessive love, resilience, dark secrets, redemption
Comps: Kate Morton, Rosamunde Pilcher, Santa Montefiore
Blurb:
In the golden years before the First World War, two boys roam the grounds of a secluded riverside manor, until the arrival of a spirited girl changes everything. Their lives are forever bound by a secret that ripples through time and coloured by obsession.
Winner of the Holyer an Gof award 2022.
Key Information:
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ISBN: 978-1914508011
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Publication date: November 25th 2021
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Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pull‑quotes:
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“The emotional impact was, to me, immense.” Goodreads
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“Wow, such vivid characters that you felt that you truly knew and loved." Goodreads
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“Pure escapism, stunningly written and soothes the weary soul.” Amazon
RUNAWAY SUMMER
Genre: Women’s Fiction / Family Saga/Warm & Feel Good Small Town Fiction
Themes: Family, resilience, friendship, second chances, love
Comps: Veronica Henry, Rosamund Pilcher, Katie Fforde
Blurb:
Introducing the Tremaines – a close family who call the beautiful Cornish fishing village of Polwenna Bay home. Raised by their grandmother to be independent and strong, each sibling is on a journey to find love and happiness even when the odds seem stacked against them.
Runaway Summer is the first in a bestselling series, and tells the story of Summer Penhalligan's troubled past colliding with her even more troubled present. Sometimes coming home is only the start of a girl's problems...
Polwenna Bay - Open the first page as a stranger and turn the last as a friend ❤️
Now sold to Germany
Key Information:
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ISBN: 978-1523781287
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Publication date: March 1 2016
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Formats: Paperback, eBook
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Pull‑quotes:
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“The Cornish coast adds a spectacular color to her books.” Amazon
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“A sun-soaked Cornish escape filled with warmth, humour and heart." Goodreads
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“Saberton captures the magic of Cornwall perfectly - a tender, uplifting story about second chances and finding where you truly belong.” Amazon.
Press‑Ready Talking Points
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Why Cornwall’s landscapes are uniquely suited to emotional and atmospheric fiction.
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The allure of nostalgia: why readers crave stories that connect past and present.
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Cornwall as a character: how place shapes plot and tone.
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The truth behind memoir vs. fiction: artistic responsibility and emotional truth.
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Women writing resilience: crafting flawed heroines readers love.
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Perspective on truth, storytelling and the intersection of memoir and fiction - the craft of writing and the responsibility of authors.
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How historical secrets fuel modern emotional drama.
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Du Maurier and Leo Walmsley's Fowey and the creative magic of the Fowey Valley.
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The importance of teaching English Literature in the digital age.
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The genesis of the Byronic hero - from Milton's Satan to Christian Grey.
Media Appearances & Credentials
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Weekly Columninst for The Western Morning News (Desperate Fishwife)
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Interviews: Vanessa Show, BB2, Radio Cornwall
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Podcast appearances: Haunted UK Fiction Feb 2026
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Festival appearances: Du Maurier Festival, Looe Festival of Words, Polperro Festival, Callington Festival
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National and regional press coverage: Cornwall Life Magazine, Your Horse, My Cornwall, Western Morning News, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Heat Magazine
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Bestseller status & review metrics: 10,000+ Amazon reviews
Sample Q&A Sheet
Ruth regularly appears as a guest on blogs and contributes to pieces for magazines/newspapers, See the FAQ section for more examples.
Q: What draws you to Cornwall as a setting?
Cornwall is a place where beauty and danger coexist and where history is never far from the surface. Its wild coastlines, haunting ruins, storms and myths offer endless narrative possibility.
Q: What themes do you return to most often?
Memory, resilience, lost love, secrets and the blurred edges between truth and myth.
Q: How does landscape influence your writing?
For me, landscape is character. Cornwall shapes the emotional energy of the narrative.
Q: What are you working on now?
A screenplay and a new Rosecradick novel.
Cornwall in Ruth's Writing
"Cornwall is more than scenery: it is the heartbeat of my fiction. Its folklore, shipwrecks, storms, ruined mines, forgotten thin places and shifting tides echo through my writing. I believe that the themes of loss, discovery and resilience are rooted in its elemental landscapes. The key Cornish inspirations behind my novels offer journalists rich context for features. I have been featured in many Cornish publications such as Cornwall Life and The Western Morning News, and I'm thrilled to have been adopted by the people and place I now call home. I have won the Holyer an Gof award for Oyster Shore, and have also been shortlisted three times for this award, and am twice a finalist for the Winston Graham Prize for Fiction. I have had a column in the Western Morning News which featured my life in the small fishing village of Polperro - the inspiration for Polwenna Bay in the successful series of the same name. "
Professional Contact Information
Media Enquiries:
admin@ruthsaberton.com
Speaking & Event Bookings:
christian@ruthsaberton.com
Rights Enquiries:
christian@ruthsaberton.com
Website:
www.ruthsaberton.com