Update

I've just come back from CrimeFest 2016 - the best CrimeFest ever, in my opinion - and, after a weekend of catching up with people in Bristol, I thought I should post a brief update here on my blog as well.
As I've probably mentioned before, I spent the last year or so writing a new standalone novel - a psychological thriller, set around Hampstead Heath and Highgate. I've now completed a couple of drafts, though it will still need some more time and thought before it's ready for editing. However, in the meantime, a couple of other projects have cropped up and distracted me. One in particular has been niggling at me for over a year now, and I've reached the point where I just need to get the new story on paper. Hopefully, once that's done, I can go back to the psychological thriller with a clearer head. Apologies for the delay!
Anyway, that's quite enough about me. How are you..?

CrimeFest XV

So, CrimeFest was good. And by good, I mean very good. Phenomenal. In fact, I'd only change three things:

1. In these enlightened times, there's surely no place for 9am panels on Saturday mornings. It's not the Dark Ages, though it was truly humbling to see all those brave and beautiful people who'd risen early to attend, most of them considerably more awake than some of us on the panel. Suffice to say that I've never been much of a 9am Saturday morning person, and never less so than when that Saturday follows a Friday night in the CrimeFest bar.

2. Mention of the CrimeFest bar leads me neatly onto my second point. Why did nobody stop me? I'm older than I used to be, and should really drink accordingly. In future, don't hesitate, just stage an intervention.

3. Okay, serious point now… were there fewer readers attending this year? I know that Bristol has always been popular with reviewers / bloggers / authors but I could have sworn there used to be more honest-to-goodness-readers in the audience. Perhaps we simply need to spread the word – most of the UK crime-writing community is milling around in that one hotel, and we really need readers to talk to. I watched Lee Child do about 5 circuits of the bar, before he finally found someone to latch on to. No, honestly – I did, and I have witnesses.

CrimeFest is an amazing festival, lovingly organised, and packed with brilliant people. It was great to catch up with old friends, and make new ones, to exchange recommendations then buy the books and play hunt-the-author to get them signed. Who wouldn't want a few days of that? Exactly! I'll see you there next year!

Location, Location, Location

It's not long until CrimeFest arrives in the heart of Bristol, so I thought it might be fun to compile a map of nearby locations from the D.I. Harland books.

Just follow THIS LINK to access a fully interactive map (you should even be able to use it on your phone).

The blog side-panel has also been updated to include individual maps for each story. Enjoy exploring, and my apologies if I've set part of my book in your street!

A Series Of Fortunate Events

I had a hugely enjoyable time celebrating World Book Night at Bristol Central Library last week. Together with fellow authors Philip Purser-Hallard and Lucienne Boyce, we discussed the process of getting into print, and hopefully helped to encourage our audience of writers.

I'm back in Bristol for CrimeFest, with runs from the 14th to the 17th of May, and I'll be doing two panels on Saturday the 16th.
Following that, I have Library talks at Hythe on the 3rd of June, and Totton on the 10th of June - please contact the libraries for ticket details.
Then it's off to the wonderful Goldsboro Books for Crime In The Court on the 25th of June. And as if that wasn't enough, I'll also be wandering around Harrogate in July. If you're at any of these events, do please come and say hello!

CrimeFest 2013: The Aftermath

Years ago, I booked a one-to-one appointment at the Winchester Writers Conference with author and critic Peter Guttridge. When we met, for our appointed fifteen minutes, he apologised and told me that, due to a mix-up, he hadn’t received my sample chapters, and was unable to offer me any helpful feedback. However, he did tell me that if I emailed the material to him directly, he’d take a look and get back to me when he could.

He never did.

Fast-forward to the present, and CrimeFest 2013. This was to be my first ever literary festival, and I was fortunate enough to be on two different panels. One was for debut authors, entitled Fresh Blood, moderated by the lovely Rhian Davies. The other, entitled The Power Of The Author, was to be moderated by me, and the panellists included... Peter Guttridge!

In a novel, this might have led to murder in the Green Room, and a conference-wide search for the missing writer, but in reality Peter and his fellow panellists Ruth Downie, Andrew Pepper, and John Matthews were all great fun and delivered an entertaining discussion for the audience.

It was a fabulous four days. CrimeFest takes place at the Marriott in Bristol, just across the road from the Watershed cafe where I often go to write, and it was hugely enjoyable to wander around in the midst of so many famous authors. There was Julia Crouch walking along the corridor, Ann Cleeves sitting at the next table in the bar. I chatted with George Mann while we waited for our drinks, and popped out for the odd cigarette with Sophie Hannah and Stav Sherez. It was as though my Twitter feed had come to life and been transported en masse to Bristol.

There were some excellent panels, leading to deep discussions in the courtyard afterwards, especially once the drinks started flowing. There was Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue giving a talk on Sherlock. And there was blazing sunshine throughout.

Above all though, it was great to meet so many lovely people, particularly the readers who were kind enough to take a chance on buying "Eye Contact". I’m glad I had the chance to talk to them about it, I hope they enjoy reading it, and I hope they can make out what I scrawled in the copies I signed!

I wish the weekend could have lasted longer. Too soon, it was time to make for Bristol Temple Meads and the train home. Funnily enough, Julia Crouch sat two seats away from us on the way back but, as the last thing I read by her involved a quiet woman murdering an irritating fellow rail passenger, I thought it best to leave her in peace.

Roll on CrimeFest 2014!

Before CrimeFest

It's Wednesday afternoon, things are winding down here at work, and I'm looking forward to my first big crime writing festival, CrimeFest.

Taking place in Bristol, the event has a special resonance for me as it's literally across the road from where I normally go to write, and is very close to several of the key locations from "Eye Contact" and "Knife Edge".

I'm lucky enough to be appearing on two panels. The first is "Fresh Blood: Debut Authors" with fellow writers Alex Blackmore, J.C.Martin, and Tom Vowler, moderated by ace crime-blogger Rhian Davies. The second is "The Power Of Authors: Are You In Charge Of Your Characters" where I'll be hosting Ruth Downie, Peter Guttridge, John Matthews and Andrew Pepper.

There are so many excellent talks that I'm looking forward to attending, and it'll be great to meet up with other readers and authors from the crime community. Somehow, it's very reassuring to find that people you know from Twitter do actually exist in real life.

And hey, I'll be in Bristol with my laptop, so I'll be able to get a bit more of book three done. I mean, it's not as if these hotels have bars that open in the evenings…