Crime in the Spotlight 2016 (part two)

Every year Bloody Scotland supports new writers by pairing established authors with ‘support’ acts just starting out on their career - Crime in the Spotlight.

Last year, Jake Kerridge, crime fiction reviewer for The Daily Telegraph discovered current Man Booker long-listed title His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet ‘In the Spotlight’ when he visited Bloody Scotland. Kerridge described the initiative as:

'Such a simple and effective idea that nobody seems to have thought of before. I was able to get a flavour of the work of writers new to me such as Philip Miller, Margot McCuig and the now celebrated Graeme Macrae Burnet. A lot of people I spoke to enjoyed these brief bursts from unfamiliar writers before hearing from the superstars they had travelled to see.’

Here are the next six spotlighters.

Amanda Fleet - The Wrong Kind of Clouds - Matador

Amanda FleetAmanda Fleet is a physiologist by training and a writer at heart. She spent 18 years teaching science and medicine undergraduates at St Andrews University, but now uses her knowledge to work out how to kill people (in her books!). She completed her first degree at St Andrews University and her doctorate at University College, London. Amanda lives in Scotland with her husband, where she can be found writing, walking and running. The Wrong Kind of Clouds is her début novel and was published by Matador in early 2016.

http://www.amandafleet.co.uk/

Les Wood - Dark Side of the Moon - Freight

Les WoodLes Wood's writing has been widely anthologised. He has a Masters in creative writing from the University of Glasgow and a doctorate in Physiotherapy. Les teaches at Glasgow Caledonian University.
https://leswoodwriting.com/

Jackie Baldwin - Dead Man's Prayer - Killer Reads

Jackie BaldwinJackie Baldwin practiced as a solicitor in a rural town for twenty years specialising in family and criminal law. She then trained as a hypnotherapist and now works from home. She is married with two grown up children and loves to walk with her two dogs in local forests. She is an active member of her local crime writing group.

https://twitter.com/JackieMBaldwin1

Tom O Keenan - The Father - McNidder & Grace Crime

Tom Ogden KeenanBorn and raised in Glasgow this is Tom's critically acclaimed debut novel. His experience as an independent social worker in the mental health field, writing expert reports for solicitors and Glasgow Sheriff Court informs and underpins his writing. Tom is now working on the second Sean Rooney crime novel.

https://www.tom-odgen-keenan.co.uk/me/

Liz Mistry - Unquiet Souls - Bloodhound Books

Liz MistryLiz is an ex teacher who has taught in inner city Bradford schools for over twenty years.  Her husband of 27 years is Indian and they have three children.  They live in inner city Bradford and Liz likes to use the rich tapestry of her life in Bradford, combined with her Scottish heritage, in her writing.

She is currently completing her dissertation for an MA in creative writing at Leeds Trinity University and hopes to graduate in December with a distinction.

https://twitter.com/lizcrimewarp

Eva Holland - The Daughter's Secret – Orion

Eva HollandA lifelong lover of words and stories, Eva Holland was the winner of the 2014 Good Housekeeping novel writing competition. She grew up in Gloucestershire and studied in Leeds before moving to London. When not writing or reading fiction she works as a freelance PR consultant and copywriter.

The Daughter’s Secret is Eva’s first novel.

https://evaholland.net/

View full details in our press release.