Crime Cymru Digital Festival Programme

 

EVENT 1. MONDAY 26TH APRIL AT 6PM.

Our launch event. Crime Cymru associate member, Amy Williams interviews CWA Diamond Dagger winner, Martin Edwards, award-winning Swansea author, Cathy Ace and up-and-coming Crime Cymru talent, Gail William

EVENT 2. MONDAY 26TH APRIL AT 8PM.

The Pembrokeshire Murders

Join Andrea Byrne from ITV for the inside track on the story behind the arrest of Wales’ most famous serial killers.  In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins, decided to reopen two cold murder cases, employing pioneering forensic methods. The team he put together found microscopic DNA and fibres that potentially linked the murders to a string of burglaries and a suspect.

EVENT 3. TUESDAY 27TH APRIL AT 6PM.

Join Carol Westron in conversation with the team from Diamond Books as we learn what it takes to make those brave steps from Crime Writer to e-publisher.

EVENT 4. TUESDAY 27TH APRIL AT 8PM.

Join Crime Cymru founder and Co-chair, Alis Hawkins, in conversation with Emma Kavanagh, Mari Hannah and Alison Layland.

EVENT 5. WEDNESDAY 28TH APRIL AT 6PM.

Y Lolfa panel. Details to be confirmed.

EVENT 6. WEDNESDAY 28TH APRIL AT 8PM.

RISING STARS.

Join Crime Cymru author Philip Gwynne-Jones as he chats with Louise Mumford and CWA Dagger winners Trevor Wood and Abir Mukherjee.

THURSDAY 29TH APRIL AT 7PM.

CRIME CYMRU EVENT 7. MYFANWY ALEXANDER IN CONVERSATION WITH GARETH W WILLIAMS AND GWEN PARROTT. THIS IS A WELSH LANGUAGE EVENT.

EVENT 9. FRIDAY 30TH APRIL AT 8PM.

KEEPING FAITH

With Series 3 of this immensely popular series now on TV, Crime Cymru festival organiser Nellie Williams is joined by writer Matthew Hall and actor Aneirin Hughes.

EVENT 10.SATURDAY 1ST MAY AT 1PM.

HISTORICAL CRIME FICTION

Crime Cymru Founder member Kath Stansfield is joined by two of the Historical Crime Fiction Genre’s greatest exponents, S G MacLean and Elly Griffiths.

EVENT 11. SATURDAY 1ST MAY 4PM.

WALES, INDIA, ENGLAND AND IRELAND. CRIME WRITING FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Join Crime Cymru member Mark Ellis in conversation with Vaseem Khan, Sam Blake and R G Adams.

EVENT 12. SATURDAY 1ST MAY 7PM.

CRIME CYMRU CO-CHAIR, MATT JOHNSON, IN CONVERSATION WITH LEE AND ANDREW CHILD.

One of the highlights of this years digital festival. The Sentinel, the latest Jack Reacher thriller, and the first to be written by Lee and Andrew Child, is published in paperback by Penguin on 18th March this year. The Sentinel was the second bestselling crime/thriller title of 2020. It was No. 1 on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller for 2 weeks and  remained in the top 10 throughout 2020. Total world-wide sales of Lee Child’s book are in excess of 100 million copies.

The Jack Reacher books will soon be a major Amazon Prime TV series. Lee and Andrew join the festival from their homes in the United States. This may prove to be a fascinating opportunity to learn about the transition process that will soon see Andrew Child take on the Jack Reacher mantle.

EVENT 13. SUNDAY 2ND MAY 1PM.

LEGENDARY INTERVIEWER, DR JACKY COLLINS, PICKS THREE OF HER FAVOURITE MEN FOR A GRILLING.

Dr Noir is joined by Peter James (WH Smith reader choice as the best-ever crime writer of all time), Ragnar Jonasson (The Times pick as one the best ever crime writers) and Chris Lloyd (A rising star amongst talented Welsh crime writers)

EVENT 14. SUNDAY 2ND MAY 4PM.

LEGENDARY INTERVIEWER AND NEWCASTLE NOIR ORGANISER, DR JACKY COLLINS, IN CONVERSATION WITH TWO OF HER FAVOURITE FEMALE AUTHORS.

Join Jacky Collins as she chats to CWA Dagger shortlisted welsh author Alis Hawkins and international best-selling author Yrsa Sigurðardóttir from Iceland.

EVENT 15. SUNDAY 2ND MAY 7PM.

THE CREAM OF THE CROP.

Crime Cymru associate member, Amy Willams talks to Clare Mackintosh and B E (Bev) Jones, two authors from Wales who are are the very top of their game.

EVENT 16. MONDAY 3RD MAY 1PM.

‘HORRIBLE HISTORIES’ – GOTHIC CRIME FICTION.

Crime Cymru member, Thorne Moore, is joined by Sarah Ward and E S Thomson, two very popular crime fiction authors to discss – amongst other things – stretching the imagination within the crime genre.

‘EVENT 17. MONDAY 3RD MAY 4PM.

MEET THE ‘GUV’NORS’ OF CRIME CYMRU. THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND WALES’ FIRST INTERNATIONAL CRIME LITERATURE FESTIVAL.

Name a Welsh crime author. No, sorry, you’re not allowed ‘the person who wrote ‘Hinterland’. That’s a TV series. Come on, one Welsh crime author… No?

Welsh crime fiction is a vibrant and rapidly-growing genre but, unless you’ve got your ear to the corpse-strewn, crime-fiction world, you may not have heard much about it. 

What is Crime Cymru?

Crime Cymru, as an idea, came about because those of us who live and set our work in Wales are determined to challenge the notion that ‘nobody who wants to be read sets their books in Wales’. As Welsh writers, we believe that Wales is simply under sold: by publishers, by booksellers, even by authors and readers. And we’re determined to change that. Crime Cymru authors are proud to set our ambitious fiction in Wales. We don’t feel the need to move our characters to London, or to make up fictitious cities to police. We set our characters – contemporary and historical – in real contexts. Welsh contexts. We believe we have something unique to offer the world of crime fiction, that the social issues which crime fiction naturally explores have a different flavour in Wales because of our very particular history.

Taking things a step further to organise Wales’ first international crime festival? Now that takes courage.

Dr Noir talks to Alis Hawkins and Matt Johnson, as we discover what’s involved.

EVENT 18. MONDAY 3RD MAY 7PM.

AS THE SUN SETS ON ABERYSTWYTH, ALIS HAWKINS INVITES YOU TO SPEND THE FINAL HOUR OF OUR FESTIVAL IN THE COMPANY OF M W CRAVEN AND IMRAN MAHMOOD.

‘The Puppet Show’ author, M W (Mike) Craven needs no introduction. A former soldier and probation officer, he has taken the crime writing world by storm, rattled it around, told it a few good jokes and raised a high bar for others to follow. Imran Mahmood is a criminal barrister whose first novel ‘You Don’t Know Me ‘ also caused ripples in the crime writing world. It was original, new and exciting. Readers loved it. This promises to be an entertaining and informative end to Crime Cymru Digital Festival. Charge your glasses, relax and be prepared to be entertained by two of the most engaging crime writers in the UK.

More information can be fond here.