I attended a crime fiction event over the week-end which took me to a part of England that I hadn’t visited before. Deal in Kent is a charming small town on the south coast with what seems like a high proportion of crime writers. One of these, Susan Moody along with event organiser Mike Linane, put together an intensive programme of panels to entertain all us crime readers.
The day kicked off with a panel Those Were The Days featuring writers Richard Blake, David Donachie and Janet Laurence and was moderated by Stephen Bates. This was a session featuring writers that I hadn’t heard speak before. It reminded me how much I like historical fiction and need to read more of it. The panel was followed by Robert Goddard in conversation with Susan Moody. I’ve heard Goddard talk at CrimeFest and he’s always an entertaining speaker. The final event of the morning was A Woman’s Place In Crime Fiction Is …. which featured Helen Giltrow, Erin Kelly, Louise Miller and Laura Wilson and was moderated by M J McGrath. The writers have formed a new group called Killer Women to promote events and signings in the London area. This is a great idea and I look forward to hearing more from them.
The afternoon began with Catherine Aird in conversation with Simon Brett. I’m a fan of Aird’s writing and it was fascinating to listen to someone with so much experience talk about her craft. The next panel was entitled Freezing To Death which was moderated by William Horwood and featured writers Quentin Bates and Michael Ridpath who set their books in Iceland and M J McGrath whose novels are based in northern Canada. There was an interesting discussion on the inspiration for the protagonists in their books and the challenges of a cold setting. Another interesting panel was The Dark Side featuring Mark Billingham, Martyn Waites who writes as Tania Carver and Alex Marwood. An entertaining discussion centred round the limits of depictions of violence that readers are willing to tolerate.
The day concluded with a discussion on comedy in crime fiction with Ruth Dudley Edwards and Simon Brett and the announcement of the winner of the flash fiction competition.
A great day. It was lovely to meet up with some crime writing, blogging and reading friends and I’m already looking forward to next years event. Thanks to all the organisers.
Sarah Ward & Rhiannon Ward 
Kent’s a bit far for me but I’m looking forward to The Bodies From The Library at the British Library in June that’s being organised by some of the same people as this one. Glad it went well.
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Ah – I’ll be there too. Make sure you say hello – I won’t recognise you from your avatar 🙂
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Looking forward to it.
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Oh, sounds fabulous, Sarah! I’m glad you had the opportunity to go. Lucky you that you had the chance to meet so many terrific authors, too.
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Thank you, Margot. A terrific day!
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Glad to hear you had such a good time, Sarah!
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Thanks, Paul.
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Actually, I believe that McGrath’s books are set in Northern Canada (Arctic). Conference sounds great.
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Thanks for the amendment! I’ll change it now, thanks.
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Thanks for this coverage, Sarah. So lovely to finally meet you in person on Saturday and delighted that you enjoyed it so much. And the Puzzle Doctor is right – the team are now hard at work perfecting Bodies From The Library – a one day convention on the Golden Age of Crime Fiction taking place at the British Library on Saturday June 20th.
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Looking forward to that one too, Mike
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Sounds like a lovely experience, Sarah. I would so love to hear Catherine Aird speak. And that reminds me to read another of her books. All of it sounded very interesting.
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Thanks, Tracy. Aird was a highlight for me too.
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This sounds great, especially A Woman’s Place in Crime Fiction is … and Catherine Aird. I’v eonly read Aird’s Henriette Who? but adored it.
I read McGrath’s White Heat, which is set in Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic, northwest of Greenland.
How that island was settled is quite a story. McGrath wrote a nonfiction book about it.
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Thanks, Kathy. Yes a very good conference.
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That sounds great Sarah – and how marvellous to meet Catherine Aird, truly one of the grandes dames!
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She is. And I believe I’ll be seeing her again at Crimefest.
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