Carry on Sleuthing in Waterstones
Four crime writers are to Carry on Sleuthing in a Glasgow bookshop in April.
Best-selling author Caro Ramsay (Absolution, The Tears of Angels) will be joined by BBC Radio Scotland’s Theresa Talbot (Penance) and fellow authors Michael J. Malone (Beyond the Rage, Bad Samaritan) and Douglas Skelton (Open Wounds, Blood City) to play the entire cast of the mystery.
Skelton said: “It’s in the format of a radio play, which means we don’t need to learn any lines. Frankly, we’ll be struggling enough with the different characters!”
Caro Ramsay, whose new book Rat Run will be published later in the month, said: “If you only see one comedy mystery radio play performed in a bookshop, then this is the one. Maybe the only one.”
There is a real mystery for the audience to solve, they say. All the clues are presented amid a barrage of bad jokes and one-liners.
“Some of them may even be funny,” said Theresa Talbot.
Michael J Malone said the event should be great fun.
“But I plan to have a drink or two first,” he said. “For medicinal purposes, you understand.”
Carry on Sleuthing can be seen in Waterstones’ Argyle Street store at 7pm on Friday April 8. The event is free but please call the store on 0141 248 4814 as space is limited.
Crime Book of the Year 2016 Judges Announced
Organisers of the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival today announced the judges for the 2016 Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year.
The judges for this year’s award are former Scotsman editor Magnus Linklater (chair), journalist and reviewer Lee Randall and PPC Librarian of the Year Stewart Bain of Orkney Library. Submissions for the 2016 award are now open.
Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year seeks to recognise and reward excellence in Scottish Crime Writing. The requirements for a book's entry to the competition are that the author is domiciled or born in Scotland, or that the work is set in Scotland. Crime fiction, crime non-fiction and anthologies of short crime stories are all eligible.
2016 will be the fifth year of the award which is given during the Bloody Scotland festival in September. Previous winners are Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.
Publishers are encouraged to submit eligible titles by Friday 1st May at no charge. A shortlist will be announced by the Bloody Scotland festival in July 2016 and will be marketed through a campaign delivered in-part through Waterstones.
The winner will be announced on Friday 09 September 2016, the opening day of the Bloody Scotland festival.
For prize rules and the entry form please visit www.bloodyscotland.com/crime-book
Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year 2016
Would you like to read the latest and best crime books before anyone else? Be part of the team responsible for uncovering the next gem of Scottish crime writing? Then why not apply to be a reader for Bloody Scotland’s Crime Book of the Year Award 2016? Not only will you receive free copies of new unread books but you will be given free tickets to this year’s festival for events of your choice.
The award has been a staple in the Bloody Scotland calendar since the inception of the festival in 2011. The award aims to showcase the best in new Scottish Crime Writing and raise the profile and prestige of the genre in general. Requirements for the entry of a book is that the author was born in Scotland, raised in Scotland or the story is set largely in Scotland. Fiction, non-fiction and collections of short stories written in the crime genre are all eligible.
This year sees the return of the award so Bloody Scotland is looking for readers to help ascertain the shortlist. Readers will be allocated five pdf books to read over a five-week period between 20th May and 24th June. To keep things simple, you will score the books numerically, 10 being excellent and 1 being very poor. After all the scores have been submitted the shortlist will be produced and from there judges will take over to finalise the award.
If you are interested, then please follow the link to the application form below and you will be in with a chance to read the best in Scottish crime writing before anyone else.
Submissions wanted from Self-Published authors
Bloody Scotland 2016 takes place from the 09-11 September next year. At the festival we aim to showcase the very best in Scottish and International crime writing. In 2015, around 6,000 tickets were used across our programme of 40 events, with over 50 participants.
Please note that we are unable to return any material submitted.
Urban Noir Showcase: Arne Dahl, Eva Dolan & Stuart Neville
In partnership with Book Week Scotland and Bloody Scotland, Harvill Secker is pleased to announce a tour of Scotland with crime authors Arne Dahl, Eva Dolan and Stuart Neville from 23rd-25th November 2015. The Urban Noir Showcase will stop at Glasgow, Inverness, Oban, East Lothian and Dumbarton. Arne Dahl will also be speaking at a solo event at Orkney Library & Archive on 16th November.
Hailing from Stockholm, Belfast and Peterborough, crime novelists Arne Dahl, Stuart Neville and Eva Dolan will discuss the contemporary anxieties they explore in their works of urban crime fiction. Their novels tackle a range of urgent, hot-button issues from immigration, terrorism and the fate of refugees to the effects of violence on those left behind. These three celebrated writers will share their inspirations, reveal their writing secrets and answer questions from the audience in a lively discussion.
Event Details
ORKNEY *Arne Dahl solo event*
Orkney Library & Archive, 44 Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1AG
Monday 16th November, 7pm
£2 tickets available from Orkney Library & Archive or email Stewart.Bain@orkney.gov.uk or call 01856 873166
www.facebook.com/events/442798705903663
OBAN
Oban Winter Festival at Corran Halls, Corran Esplanade, Oban, Argyll, PA34 5AB
Monday 23rd November, 12.30-2pm
Free tickets available from Oban Library
www.scottishbooktrust.com/about/events/urban-noir-showcase-with-arne-dahl-eva-dolan-stuart-neville
GLASGOW
Aye Write at the Mitchell Library, North St, Glasgow G3 7DN
Monday 23rd November, 7pm
£5 tickets available online from Aye Write or call 0141 353 8000
www.ayewrite.com/whats-on#/event/fd239c3d-8680-4a5c-b150-a53e00f66e34
DUMBARTON
Dumbarton Library, Strathleven Place, Dumbarton, G82 1BA
Tuesday 24th November, 1pm
Free tickets available from any West Dunbartonshire library or call 01389608992
Buffet lunch included before talk www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/bookweekscotland
EAST LOTHIAN
St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, East Lothian EH41 4BZ
Tuesday 24th November, 7pm
Free tickets available from Haddington Library
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/427/libraries/1684/book_week_scotland_2015
Followed by a drinks reception with the authors
INVERNESS
Waterstones, 69 Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness IV2 3PR
Wednesday 25th November, 7pm
Free tickets available in-store. Email inverness@waterstones.com or call 01463 233500
www.waterstones.com/events/urban-noir-showcase/inverness
Guest Post: Graham Macrae Burnet
His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae centres around a brutal triple murder in a tiny village in Wester Ross in 1869. The identity of the killer – the young crofter of the title – is never in doubt, instead the question is why he did what he did, and whether, in the parlance of the day, he was ‘alienated from his reason.’ The story is told through various documents and reports, the most important of these being Roddy Macrae’s own prisoner memoir; the account of contemporary psychiatrist, James Bruce Thomson; and, finally, a report of the trial itself.
When you read about into the history of the Highlands, the people themselves are often portrayed as little more than victims, buffeted by the storms of clan warfare and the Clearances, rather than being agents of their own destiny. It’s easy to forget that they were real people with everyday human concerns and feelings. So, it was important for me in writing the book to try to create a cast of three-dimensional characters with recognisable human traits and emotions. As a reader, I respond to character more than anything else. For me it’s character that draws you into a story and makes you care about the outcome. So while the abject conditions endured by crofting communities at the time form a backdrop to the action, what I really wanted to was delve into the psychology of my protagonist, Roddy Macrae.
In this I was greatly aided by my discovery of the work of James Bruce Thomson, who was at that time Resident Surgeon at the General Prison in Perth, the institution where Scotland’s criminally insane were housed. Introducing Mr Thomson as a character allowed me to present a different perspective on Roddy’s actions and allow (or even force) readers to make up their own minds about his sanity or otherwise. I think the great appeal of crime fiction is that the reader is engaged in the process of the investigation – as you read you’re trying to piece together what has happened. It’s a truism that eyewitness evidence is the most unreliable of all. Even a few minutes after an event, different witnesses will provide entirely different accounts of what they think has occurred. So in presenting readers with a number of different views of a 150-year-old case, I hope they’ll enjoy playing detective and reaching their own conclusions about what happened.
Graham Macrae Burnet
‘His Bloody Project’ is published by Contraband and will be launched on Thursday 5 November 2015 at Waterstones Argyle Street, Glasgow and then The Wheatsheaf, London on Saturday 14 November 2015.
Bonus: Competition
Enter our competition below and you could win one of two signed copies of 'His Bloody Project'. Competition closes 12 noon on Thursday 5 November.
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Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year signing tour
The 2015 Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year was announced at the festival in September, with the award going to Craig Russell for 'The Ghosts of Altona'. Click here to see our roundup from the awards dinner.
With a clever storyline that jumps skilfully between contemporary Hamburg and the same city in the early 20th century, 'The Ghosts of Altona' sees Russell’s long-running detective Jan Fabel haunted by the discovery of a body from his first-ever case fifteen years ago, that of a cruel, beautiful student.
You can read a free chapter of the book by clicking here.
Craig will be signing copies of 'The Ghosts of Altona' at the following times:
20 October 2015:
1-2pm signing at Waterstones Newton Mearns
0141 616 3933, newtonmearns@waterstones.com
3-4pm signing at Waterstones East Kilbride
01355 271 835, eastkilbride@waterstones.com
23 October 2015
7pm Craig in conversation with Neil Broadfoot with Waterstones Dunfermline
01383 720 237, dunfermline@waterstones.com
Venue: Ruben's Wine Bar, 10–12 New Row, Dunfermline
27 October 2015:
7pm Event at Waterstones Glasgow Argyle Street – in conversation with Douglas Skelton
0141 248 4814, glasgow@waterstones.com
30 October 2015:
7pm Event at Waterstones Kirkcaldy
01592 263 755, kirkcaldy@waterstones.com
3 November 2015:
10.30am Reading Group at Waterstones Perth
5 November 2015:
12.30pm-1.30pm signing at Waterstones Inverness
01463 233 500, inverness@waterstones.com
7pm Waterstones Elgin
01343 547 321, elgin@waterstones.com
Venue: The Drouthy Cobbler, 48a High Street, Elgin
Guest Post: Emma L Clapperton on writing
I have wanted to be a writer since I can remember, I was always writing stories, poems and even songs. On discovering I had an awful singing voice and my poetry wasn’t that great, I decided to stick to fiction. I remember writing a book when I was eleven which was inspired by the classic, Little Women. I cannot remember what I called it, or if it even had a title. All I really recall is that it was written in a little green book and of course was hand-written. Even if I knew where that book was now, I’m not sure I would want to read it.
Between the end of primary school in 1997 and 2008, I didn’t put pen to paper but instead turned my attention to reading the stories rather than write them.
My passion for books has developed since I was young, moving on from Roald Dahl, on to Jacqueline Wilson, Goosebumps and Point Horror books, then finally transitioning on to the real gritty stuff… Martina Cole and Mandasue Heller.
However, if we’re talking about writers who inspire us, then I am going to have to say that my ultimate inspiration comes from the late, great James Herbert. Mr Herbert’s Ghosts of Sleath just enthralled me from the first page, having found it in a cancer research shop for forty pence. His take on the supernatural element of the world spoke to me more than I can explain.
It was then that I decided I was going to write my own novel. That and I had also had a conversation with a colleague where she had told me her partner had been writing a novel which had been on-going for eight years. So I thought, why not?
I knew exactly what I wanted to write about… the supernatural. My initial idea was a simple sentence which went around in my head for a while before I began penning the novel; what would happen if a psychic medium were to help the police investigate a murder? I’m sure everyone would have their own answer to this, however I wanted to get my answer out there.
So, I attended psychic readings, I spoke with mediums, I watched a lot of supernatural investigation shows and I googled a lot of ‘post-mortem’ information, along with how the body decomposes. But a lot of the supernatural scenes came from my imagination and I pictured the scenes as though I were the protagonist of the book. I imagined ghostly figures lingering in the hallway of my house and tried to imagine how I would feel if this were really happening to me. My answer? Terrified!
I love writing about the supernatural, as it is right up my street. I love to terrify myself with supernatural things on television and I love to read a book and be scared witless. James Herbert certainly did that for me.
Beyond Evidence is all about psychic medium, Patrick McLaughlin being witness to the murders of three women in Glasgow… but he wasn’t actually there. Visions are being played out in his mind, the victims feeding through his psychic senses and screaming in silence for his help. But he can’t do it alone. Convincing the police that he can help isn’t going to be easy.
Emma L Clapperton
'Beyond Evidence' is published by Gallus Press and will be launched at 6.30pm on Thursday 12 November 2015 at Waterstones Argyle Street, Glasgow.
Story Competition 2015 – The Results!
The winner of this year’s Bloody Scotland Short Story Competition was announced at an awards dinner held during the Bloody Scotland Festival on Saturday 12th September.
Jamie Groves has won the £1,000 prize fund for his Agatha Christie inspired story The Mystery of the Mallaig Train. A sinister whodunit set on a train journey across the west coast of Scotland, The Mystery of the Mallaig Train gives the classic Agatha Christie style murder-mystery a modern twist.
Speaking about his win, Jamie said:
‘Finding out I was on the shortlist was a massive and very exciting honour. I was particularly pleased as I really loved writing the story - the lochs and glens of western Scotland have always been a special place for me. Finding out I'd won was an incredible surprise, and has given me a real boost in confidence. I'll be starting the novel soon!’
We are also celebrating the success of the competitions two runners up, Margaret Kirk (Still Life) and Andrew Mitchell (Deceive, Deceive Me Once Again) who received weekend passes for the festival. Margaret said:
‘I feel very honoured to have come second in this highly-regarded competition. No excuse not to get my novel finished now! Congratulations to the winner and to everyone shortlisted. Looking forward to Bloody Scotland 2016!"
Margaret’s story, Still Life, is a haunting revenge tale about one sister’s journey to avenge her sister’s death and Andrew’s tale, Deceive, Deceive Me Once Again, is a cleverly crafted mystery, foregrounding the complex relationship between the writer and their creations.
The six-strong shortlist was selected from over 100 stories from all over the world. The judging panel, which included crime writers Lin Anderson, Gordon Brown and Craig Robertson, as well as Publishing Studies Graduate Laura Jones and the competition coordinator Stevie Marsden, were inspired by the exceptional quality of the stories. Gordon Brown said that:
'The Bloody Scotland Short Story Competition has grown in stature over the years. The quality and diversity of entries always amazes and surprises me. This year we saw some truly wonderful entries and, as a result, the judging process was harder than ever. Congratulations should go to everyone that entered but especially to the winner in such tough year.'
The festival director, Dom Hastings, also commended the strength of the short list:
“We’re very happy to be able to recognise new talent, and see big things in the future for Jamie Groves, the winner of our short story competition.”
Now in its fourth year, the Bloody Scotland Short Story Competition continues to give emerging crime writers a fantastic opportunity to have their stories read by an international audience. Bloody Scotland would like to thank all of those who submitted stories for this year’s competition and we look forward to reading more entries for the Bloody Scotland Short Story Competition in 2016!
Bloody Scotland Crime in the Spotlight
A blog by Bloody Scotland committee member Gordon Brown on Crime in the Spotlight.
Now that the dust has settled on Bloody Scotland for another year I thought I’d reflect on a small but significant debut amongst the wealth of talent and events that we showcased over the three days. Spread across the Saturday and the Sunday five new authors were given the opportunity to read from their work in front of the audiences of Martina Cole, Ian Rankin and Chris Brookmyre, amongst others. In each case they walked onto stage before the main event and, after a deep breath, read. We called this little gem ‘Crime in the Spotlight’ and it’s now penciled in for reappearance for 2016. It’s part of the DNA of Bloody Scotland that we give new and aspiring authors a spotlight and ‘Crime in the Spotlight’ is another notch in our bedpost. My thanks go to the star authors who made the ‘Crime in the Spotlight’ team so welcome. Everyone of them was welcoming and supportive and more than happy to give up a little of the limelight to support our new authors.
I was privileged to run the initiative and prouder still to be the one that asked them on stage. I wish them all well in the future and thought I would leave the last word to each of them (in no particular order of course).
Gordon Brown
“Being chosen to be one of the speakers at Crime in the Spotlight was a wonderful opportunity for emerging crime writers and I am truly honoured to have been selected by my peers. I hope Crime in the Spotlight is repeated in future years so other new authors can also benefit from the festival committee’s forward thinking.”
Graham Smith - author of ‘Snatched From Home.'
"It was a great thrill to be part of Crime in the Spotlight, to have the attention of a big audience for two minutes to read from The Blue Horse and hopefully introduce them to my debut novel. It was a great chance to not only read in public but perhaps create more interest in my writing. I applaud the festival, also, for introducing the scheme and I am grateful it chose me to read from my book. It is a great gift for a debut writer.”
Phil Miller - author of ‘The Blue Horse.'
'Now that the knees have stopped knocking and the heart-rate has eased, I can look back clearly at how I was welcomed so warmly by Gordon, Dom, Craig and the rest of the committee. I can't thank you all enough for this amazing opportunity. Didn't think I stood a chance of winning a slot on 'Crime in the Spotlight', since I'm English - although there is a Scottish police dog-man who plays an integral role in My Kind of Justice! ‘
Col Bury - author of ‘My Kind of Justice.'
"Crime in the Spotlight was a fantastic opportunity for me to introduce my work to the Bloody Scotland audience. It was a great experience to be involved in such an important festival, and to meet and chat to readers and more battle-hardened authors.”
Graeme Macrae Burnet - author of 'His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae.
'Crime in the Spotlight' is a fantastic initiative and I thoroughly appreciate the opportunity I had to showcase myself and my writing. Despite having had good success in international book prizes it has been incredibly difficult to attract interest from agents and reviewers and a festival appearance, with an opportunity to engage with audiences directly, has been but a distant dream. However, the Bloody Scotland initiative was bloody brilliant in generating publicity, giving me a chance to flaunt my narrative drive and speak to audience members directly who didn’t just buy my book but asked me to sign it!(HURRAH!)
Margot McCuaig - author of 'The Birds That Never Flew’