Independent voices from Yorkshire

Authors’
Collective

Original fiction, history, travel and practical writing—brought directly from independent authors to readers.

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Our shared home

Books with an independent voice

Authors’ Collective is an expanding group of independent Yorkshire-based writers. Each author retains an individual voice while sharing one welcoming place where readers can discover new work.

The collective publishes fiction, history, travel and practical books. Wherever possible, complete editions are offered free to read online through our flipbook library.

Current members

Meet the authors

Three distinctive writing identities, united by experience, independence and a strong sense of place.

LW

Laurence Waterhouse

Yorkshire author, historian and chartered surveyor whose novels draw upon landscape, history and more than five decades of professional experience.

PA

Peter Aldren

Local Yorkshire author writing contemporary thrillers and science fiction rooted in recognisable British places, danger and human loyalty.

HW

Harry West

Travel and historical writer whose voyages of discovery began in the early 1970s and continue to inspire books about places, people and the past.

The collective library

Published books

Select an available cover or reading button to open its complete free flipbook edition in a new window.

Cover of The St Kilda Signal by Peter Aldren

Peter Aldren

The St Kilda Signal

Three astronauts survive an impossible descent near St Kilda, but return sharing memories, heartbeats and an unexplained signal that threatens ownership of their own minds.

Flipbook edition being prepared
Cover of Two Months’ Leave by Peter Aldren

Peter Aldren

Two Months’ Leave

After an elite soldier’s grandmother is murdered, he returns to Leeds with three comrades and begins unravelling the ruthless drug gang responsible—and delivering retribution.

Read the free flipbook
Cover of The Vault Beneath by Laurence Waterhouse

Laurence Waterhouse

The Vault Beneath

Beneath York, flood engineers uncover an impossible archive that remembers the rise of modern civilisation and the warning left for the present day.

Read the free flipbook
Cover of The Armchair Surveyor by Laurence Waterhouse

Laurence Waterhouse

The Armchair Surveyor

A clear and practical guide to recognising defects, risks and opportunities—from damp and roofing to subsidence and flooding—before buying a home.

Read the free flipbook
Cover of Mallorca and Puerto Pollensa by Harry West

Harry West

Mallorca and Puerto Pollensa

History, travel writing and personal memories gathered across half a century of visits to Mallorca and the changing world of Puerto Pollensa.

Flipbook edition being prepared
Cover of The Gathering by Laurence Waterhouse

Laurence Waterhouse

The Gathering

An ancient stone landscape has waited four thousand years for a long-foretold event—and now the stones are beginning to awaken.

Flipbook edition being prepared
Cover of The Lost Crown of Elmet by Laurence Waterhouse

Laurence Waterhouse

The Lost Crown of Elmet

Ancient objects and forgotten records lead towards a sealed chamber and the lost legacy of the British kingdom of Elmet.

Flipbook edition being prepared
Cover of White Rose Nation by Laurence Waterhouse

Laurence Waterhouse

White Rose Nation

A story of Yorkshire identity, democracy and regional power imagining the challenges and possibilities of meaningful self-government.

Flipbook edition being prepared

Read freely

Open, read or download

  1. 1

    Choose a book. Select “Read the free flipbook” beneath any available title.

  2. 2

    Read online. Turn the pages on a computer, tablet or telephone—no purchase is required.

  3. 3

    Download when offered. Use the download symbol in the flipbook toolbar to save a PDF for personal reading.

Download availability is controlled on each flipbook. All editions are provided for personal reading and remain the copyright of their named author.

Optional reader support

The books are free

If you enjoy the collective’s work, you may support future writing with a suggested £2.95 coffee.

Buy a coffee £2.95