With excellent reviews for her debut book, Square Haunting, author, Francesca Wade, gave a talk, at Corsham Book Shop on March 4, on the inspiration and motivation behind her writing.

Francesca, 30, who studied classics and women's studies at Oxford university, said: "The book, a group biography, focuses on the lives of five female writers; poet H. D, Hilda Doolittle, detective novelist Dorothy L. Sayers, classicist Jane Harrison, economic historian Eileen Power, and writer and publisher Virginia Woolf, between the war years in Mecklenburgh Square in London.

"The project has been five years in the making and has included research, travel and seeking permission from family members of those I'm writing about, to use diary entries and letters as part of my book. These women fascinate me and lived at a time when women were trying to find their place in the world, the early twentieth century and I wanted to see what would happen if I put them next to each other. Thankfully it worked and I have given them equal standing as they each deserve that and have so much to say.

"The response to the book has been so overwhelming and wonderful and it feels so important to keep their voices alive as a lot of women today can so easily relate to them."

Janet Brakspear, of Corsham Book Shop said: "It's a real privilege to have an author like Francesca here to speak and to share her knowledge and passion, which is infectious, for these women writers and the battles they faced.

"I try to get a wide variety of authors to come in and share their experiences. It's free to attend and we provide you with a glass of wine. Obviously there are only a limited number of spaces for each event."

Anne Chisholm, of the Sunday Telegraph gave Francesca's book 5/5 stars and said: "This book is a tribute by a gifted young female writer to five remarkable predecessors."

The Guardian also gave 5/5 stars, with Aida Edemariam saying: "Endlessly interesting, unshowy, tightly argued and large-hearted."

The visit to Corsham is part of a nationwide tour for Francesca, who still works part time at Persephone Books in London.