The shortlist for the inaugural Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Book of the Year award has just been announced -
A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming (Harper Collins)Dead Men & Broken Hearts by Craig Russell (Quercus)
Gods & Beasts by Denise Mina (Orion)
The Lewis Man by Peter May (Quercus)
Prague Fatale by Philip Kerr (Quercus)
Redemption by Will Jordan (Random House)
Broadcaster and journalist Sheena McDonald chairs the judging panel, and her fellow judges are Waterstones’ crime fiction expert Ewan Wilson and Len Wanner, author of The Crime Interviews Vol 1,2 and 3. The award is in association with Waterstones.
The winner will be announced on Sunday September 16th during Bloody Scotland, where the winner will be presented with a trophy and a cheque for £3,000.
The Award seeks to recognise and reward excellence in Scottish crime writing, first published between 1 August 2011 and 31 July 2012. Over 40 books of fiction and non-fiction were submitted by UK publishers. Eligible books were by writers born in Scotland, by writers living in Scotland, or books set in Scotland.
Bloody Scotland which is Scotland's first International Crime Writing Festival is due to take place in Stirling between 14 to 16 September 2012.
Congratulations to all the short listed authors.
From Roy Fontaine, serial killer
ReplyDeleteJust because I'm a dead serial-killing Scottish butler doesn't mean I don't have feelings. And on behalf of Lucifer and all the gang here at the Ninth Circle Book Club, I'd like to express my disappointment at there being no True Crime titles in this short-list.
Of course, many of you will already have read the hilarious, thought-provoking account of my life and times, The Butler Did It,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Butler-Did-Terrifying-Encounters-Serial/dp/17805...
by some poor Scottish bastard whom I threatened to kill. I'd already offed 5 people. Wasn't that bloody enough for Bloody Scotland? What more can a patriotic serial-killer do?
Lucifer claims that the Bloody Scotland Festival is a great marketing tool for Scottish crime fiction, around which all its events are organised. He loves the fact that it pays lip-service to True Crime whilst completely ignoring it and condemning it to oblivion, or as he prefers to call it 'The Outer Darkness', where he spends most of his time.
So fess up, Bloody Scotland organisers, and just admit that True Crime, despite my own best efforts to promote it by stealing precious jewels and brutally killing anyone who got in my way, will always be the poor relation of that made-up, namby-pamby fiction you peddle on behalf of your corporate masters. I mean that as a compliment, since Lucifer and his cohorts love nothing more than corporate slaves.
By the way, Lucifer asked me if you could put him in touch with the evil Lord Quercus, who must be doing something right to have three titles on the shortlist. Lucifer likes the guy's style and thinks he and Lord Quercus should work together. Maybe next year they can have all six titles on the shortlist!
My laptop's starting to melt, so I'd better go, but Lucifer would like to show his appreciation of the excellent work done by the Bloody Scotland shortlist committee by reserving some great seats for them here in the ninth circle.
We'll give you some great books to read. They won't be fiction, they'll be True Crime, but they'll be bloody good. Titles like The Executioner's Song, In Cold Blood, and of course, The Butler Did It. Then you can see what you're missing.
We'll also supply sunscreen and asbestos suits.
Warmest regards,
Roy Fontaine, (anti)hero of The Butler did It
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Butler-Did-Terrifying-Encounters-Serial/dp/17805...
Sponsored by the Sin of Pride committee for a Truly Bloody Scotland
For a Scottish serial killer's views on the short list see www.paulpender.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete