The 28th annual King's Lynn fiction festival is set to be the best yet with top names including Jonathan Smith and Daisy Waugh among the line-up.

The festival starts at the town hall in Saturday Market Place at 7.30pm on Friday, March 11 and runs until Sunday, March 13.

Members of the public will be able to meet the authors, hear them reading, talk to them and buy their books.

Festival chairman Tony Ellis said: 'I believe this will be one of our best festivals. Several people have already said the programme's extremely exciting and some have already bought season and other tickets.

'Among those attending is Simon Mawer, who wrote what some people believe is the best book this century, The Glass Room.

'Five of our writers have taken part in previous festivals, however Piers Paul Read has not been here this century, primarily because he has written a lot of non-fiction.'

Mr Smith wrote KBO: The Churchill Secret, which is being televised on ITV as Churchill's Secret starring Michael Gambon as Britain's wartime leader.

Mr Reed is famous for writing Alec Guinness, The Authorised Biography in 2003, at the request of Merula Guinness, the actor's widow.

Also attending will be Sophie Hannah, an international bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, Christopher Bigsby, Professor of American Studies at UEA and the world expert on the playwright Arthur Miller, and Daisy Waugh, granddaughter of Evelyn Waugh, among others. Ms Waugh, who made her name with such novels as Last Dance with Valentino, will be making her first appearance at the festival.

For tickets call 01553 691661 or visit www.lynnlitfests.com