The inaugural BloodShed Crime Fiction Festival heads to Swindon in the UK this weekend. Authors from around the UK will be featured in interviews and panels on historical crime fiction, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals, and deliver writing workshops for visitors at the Delta Hotel Marriott in Old Town from October 18 to 20. The festival also includes an interactive component, giving attendees the chance to show off their sleuthing ability against those who write mysteries for a living.
Also on that side of the Atlantic, Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival, returns to Dublin, October 17th – 20th in Dun Laoghaire’s landmark DLR Lexicon Library & Culture Centre. Now in its seventh year, the conference features Andrea Mara, C.L. Taylor, BA Paris, Vaseem Khan, Jo Spain, Steve Cavanagh, and Peter James, among others, taking part in talks, master classes, and workshops. There's also a special dedicated day set aside for young readers.
The inaugural A Christie for Christmas event will celebrate all things Agatha Christie at the News Building in London on November 19. The evening explores the legacy of Agatha Christie and the publication of the new And Then There Were None mystery edition, a unique issue that presents her story in a format entirely faithful to her original conception, with the final solution presented in a sealed envelope that can only be revealed once you have finished the story. Joining in the festivities are authors Mark Aldridge, Jane Casey, Lucy Foley, Sophie Hannah, Vaseem Kha, Bella Mackie, and Suk Pannu.
Here's an idea that will hopefully gain more traction: independent Canadian author Peggy Blair is partnering with Little Branches Rural Routes Library Conference 2025 and Vimi Corp to establish the Toby Award, designed to celebrate and amplify the voices of self-published mystery authors who are ineligible to submit their trade paperback novels for existing awards because they do not sell in traditional bookstores or in traditional ways. Submissions are open until Dec. 16, 2024. As Blair noted, "Ian Rankin told me he couldn’t get published now if he was starting over. His first six books didn’t sell. They were remaindered, meaning the covers were torn off and they were tossed out. It was his seventh book that was his breakthrough novel. He told me no publisher these days will give an author the time they need to develop their craft and build up a reader base."
On October 21 at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET, Outliers Writing University is presenting a free live online talk with bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child. The event will include a chance for fans to ask all your burning questions about the Jack Reacher series and get the inside scoop on their newest thriller, In Too Deep, releasing October 22. Lee Child (born James Grant) published the first installment in the Jack Reacher series in 1997, and recently decided to step back from writing full time, handing over the reins to the Reacher series to his younger brother, Andrew Grant, who now writes under the new pseudonym Andrew Child. The award-winning Reacher books currently includes 28 installments and were adapted into the TV series starring Alan Ritchson in the title role.
Crime Fiction Lover is once again sponsoring its annual awards with reader input. The British-based website wants to celebrate the best of the best from 2024, from books to authors to television shows, and they need your help to do so. Nominate your favorites in six main categories: Book of the Year, Best Debut, Best in Translation, Best Indie Novel, Best Author, and Best Crime Show. In addition to the main categories, the Life of Crime Award will be presented again this year, bestowed upon an author the editorial team believes has, over the course of their career, made an outstanding contribution to the genre. Nominations will close at noon UK time on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, with shortlists compiled for final voting at a later date.
Hachette is sponsoring a Killer Reads Sweepstakes which opened yesterday and runs through 11:59 PM ET on 11/1/24. Randomly drawn winners from the pool of entrants will receive copies of six different crime fiction books by Melinda Taub; Patricia Cornwell; Douglas Preston & Lee Child; Doug Brod; Holly Frey; and Mikaelia Clements & Onjuli Datta.
In the Q&A roundup, Lisa Haselton spoke with mystery author Rhonda Lane about her debut mystery novel with a dash of psychological suspense, Fatal Image: An Avery Sloane Mystery; father-son duo, Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, joined Suspense Magazine to talk about their latest book in the Clay Edison series, The Lost Coast; and Janet Evanovich chatted with People Magazine about how "staying fresh" after 31 books in her Stephanie Plum series Is not the hard part.
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