The Hwyl Llandeilo LitFest boasts a terrific programme, set in different venues in Llandeilo, a lovely setting in rural Carmarthenshire. 



CWA members include Sherlockian expert David Stuart Davies, with his 'The Game's Afoot,' Rob Gittins and also Sally Spedding on the Welsh Noir panel. Other authors include Jasper Fforde, Niall Griffiths and many, many more, amongst historians, poets, performers, together with events and competitions for children. Not to be missed!

https://llandeilolitfest.org
llandeilolitfest@mail.com

CASEBOOK: CLASSIC CRIME CLUB hosts as Poison and Poisoners One Day Conference at the Chamberlain Hotel, London. The long awaited conference presented by Casebook Classic Crime Club will include 4 top speakers, CWA’s Joint Vice Chair Linda Stratmann and Sandra Hempel among them. Places will be limited, so book soon to avoid disappointment. Tickets are £20.00 per person. 

Visit the website to book: http://www.timezonepublishing.com/

Details from Frogg Moody: frog@timezonepublishing.com
Tel: 0782353 0451

 

On Wednesday 5 April, on behalf of Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, popular crime writer Mark Billingham is giving an evening two-hour masterclass in Bloomsbury on How To Write Crime Fiction. 

What are the rules of writing crime? And when is it OK to break them? During this exclusive evening masterclass, Mark will share the techniques and practical tips you need to create the perfect crime novel. Covering everything from creating protagonists your readers care about through to the importance of researching and understanding the ever-changing landscape of the crime genre, you’ll learn how to drive your novel forward and keep your readers gripped until the very last page.

https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/events/how-to-write-crime-fiction

After Scandi Crime and Nordic Noir, the rising star of international crime writing is Poland. Join the British Library for an evening of powerful storytelling and a unique insight into the dark underside of Polish life, as writers Olga Tokarczuk and Zygmunt Miloszewski discuss the permeable boundaries of genre fiction. 

http://www.bl.uk/events/a-life-of-crime-crime-writing-from-poland

10am-5pm 
The Millennium room, Carriageworks Theatre, The Electric Press, 3 Millennium Square, LS2 3AD. 



Join the Society of Authors at the Electric Press in Leeds this April for a jam-packed day of broadcasting-inspired talks, brimming with practical advice for authors.

Meet writers from Midsomer Murders, Coronation Street, The Bill and Emmerdale, discussing the art of adaptation, writing storylines that sell, and finding opportunities for new writers.

Book from the website or call 020 7373 6642 with enquiries.

http://www.societyofauthors.org/Events/Events/Broadcasting-conference

Cath Staincliffe, author of a host of popular and acclaimed books, deviser of the Blue Murder ITV series and writer of the Scott and Bailey novels, is to deliver a fascinating talk about crime fiction at lunchtime on Saturday 25 March as part of Scribe Middlewich Literary Festival. The festival runs from March 23-25 and will be well worth a look at the full programme on http://www.scribefest.org/ The ScribeFest website should be publishing precise venue details very soon. Or call 01606 841379.

Think Forensic have launched a CSI workshop specifically for authors, held in the organisation’s dedicated crime centre in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. 

Think Forensic say:
The two events we held in 2016 went down a storm with the budding writers that came along.
“I found out as much as possible about how to commit a crime, without actually breaking the law! The staff at Think Forensic were patient and extremely knowledgeable; the workshop has made a real difference to my writing. And on top of that, it was so much fun!” ~ Lesley B, Doncaster

A rare opportunity to achieve true authenticity especially for authors writing within the crime genre. Walking you through real life protocol and procedure, whilst attending a re-enacted crime scene at our specialist centre, will be law enforcement professionals. Not only will they shed light on what happens from the moment a crime has been reported or discovered, they will also demonstrate a number of forensic techniques to capture evidence using specialist equipment – some of which, you will get to use yourself.

As well as insight into crime scene investigation, our in-house writing coach and renowned editor will deliver a literary talk as part of the workshop. This will cover more generic writing issues, such as how to address the structure and content of your book, writers’ block, and publishing options in today’s digital world.

The cost of each session is £49 per head (which includes refreshments). 

The next available dates are:
Saturday 13th May 2017 10am – 1pm. Call 01484 860599 to book your place (limited spaces).
Saturday 13th May 2017 2pm – 5pm. Call 01484 860599 to book your place.
info@thinkforensic.co.uk

Bloomsbury, London
Writers & Artists’ Yearbook event are holding an event where you can meet and pick the brains of literary agents in How To Hook An Agent on Saturday 22 April, specifically for writers of popular non-fiction.

Our intimate half-day event with four literary agents including Carrie Plitt, agent at Felicity Bryan Associates, will give you insider knowledge on how to submit your manuscript to an agent, what they’re looking for and how to grab their attention. 

With a networking lunch and a chance for a one-to-one with the agent of your choice, you’ll receive direct feedback on how best to hook your agent.

9.30am-2.30pm 
Tickets: £175

Book now

Dagger in the Library 2017 Longlist 
The longlist of the CWA 2017 Dagger in the Library has been officially announced, based on nominations received from 175 libraries across the UK and Ireland - and now we’d like to get readers involved once again.

Here is the longlist:

• Alison Bruce
• Andrew Taylor
• Brian MacGilloway
• Chris Ewan
• C J Sansom
• James Oswald
• Kate Ellis
• Mari Hannah
• Nicola Upson
• Tana French 

Reading Group material is available for all of the nominated authors on The Reading Agency’s website, Reading Groups for Everyone, for a particular novel that each author has chosen and there is also an opportunity for readers and librarians to rate the books. Feedback received from reading groups via Reading Groups for Everyone will be a major factor in the judges’ decision as to who should proceed to the shortlist and the eventual winner. So all you have to do now is get reading – and rating.

Visit  http://readinggroups.org/news/dagger-in-the-library-2017-longlist-announced 
to find out more.

Talking of Daggers – thanks to all the writers among you who entered the Debut Dagger! Congratulations on making the deadline and good luck.
Thank you to our sponsors, Orion.

The longlist will be announced with the other Dagger longlists at CrimeFest as usual, at an evening reception on Friday 19 May. You might want to consider going – it’s an amazing crime writing festival held every year in Bristol.

You’ll have seen Alanna’s new book, The Darkness Within, is on the CRA website as Read of the Month, but I thought I’d share a little more about this remarkable author.

Since her first award-winning romantic suspense Legend of the Loch published in 1968, The Darkness Within this is her seventy-fifth publication (fifty crime novels, plus a list of historicals, non fiction, short stories and plays). Alanna joined the CWA in 1972 and is an original member of SCWA Chapter, Bloody Scotland and Femmes Fatales (with Lin Anderson and Alex Gray). Alanna, unsurprisingly given her prolific output, confesses to being a workaholic, with one historic crime novel delivered each year – meaning a daily dose of a minimum 1,000 words. Inspired by living on the slopes of Edinburgh's extinct volcano, Alanna loves plots and puzzles, and is consoled between books by crosswords, Sudoku and jigsaws, not to mention reading biographies and vast historical novels.

The Darkness Within is set in Orkney, and for the first time ever features both Inspector Faro and daughter Rose McQuinn, instead of their individual Victorian historic crime series. 

Alanna was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to literature. 

alannaknight.com