So for those of you that have not already run out to buy the series on DVD here is your chance to watch one a brilliantly written, directed and acted television show from the comfort of your living room.
Monday 30 March 2009
The Wire to be shown on BBC2
So for those of you that have not already run out to buy the series on DVD here is your chance to watch one a brilliantly written, directed and acted television show from the comfort of your living room.
The Thrill Has Come
As one of the ITW reserve judges, I guess you can see that we have a very strong shortlist[s]
Photo Ali Karim (c) 2006 David Morrell and Mike Stotter at Left Coast Crime Bristol
The International Thriller Writers proudly announces its nominees for the 2009 Thriller Awards.
BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffrey Deaver
The Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver
The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor
BEST FIRST NOVEL
Calumet City by Charlie Newton
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Criminal Paradise by Steven Thomas
Sacrifice by S. J. Bolton
The Killer's Wife by Bill Floyd
BEST SHORT STORY
Between the Dark and the Daylight (Ellery Queen Magazine) by Tom Piccirilli
Last Island South (Ellery Queen Magazine) by John C. Boland
The Edge of Seventeen (The Darker Mask) by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Point Guard (Killer Year Anthology) by Jason Pinter
Time of the Green (Killer Year Anthology) by Ken Bruen
The 2009 ThrillerMaster -- David Morrell
The 2009 Silver Bullet recipient -- Brad Meltzer
Read More
Win a place on the red carpet for the GALAXY BOOK AWARDS
The awards will be attended by many famous faces from the publishing world, together with a host of celebrity presenters and guests, including Linwood Barclay, CJ Sansom, Kate Atkinson, Alan Davies, Sebastian Faulks, Julie Walters and Jerry Springer. This is your big chance to see your favourite author or TV personality arrive, ask for autographs, and to be a part of the glitz and glamour of a red carpet event – as well as appear on TV yourself!
Please also note that these tickets are for access to the Red Carpet arrivals ONLY, and you will not be granted access to any other parts of the hotel, or the Awards themselves.
Access to the Red Carpet area is permitted from 5.00pm, and will be over by 7.00pm. The entrance is on the Park Street entrance to the hotel (NOT Park Lane). There is no dress code, but it is recommended to check the weather forecast as the event is outside.
To register for tickets, please email: redcarpet@cactustv.co.uk
Deighton at 80
The 80th birthday of thriller writer Len Deighton is to be commemorated in a radio programme to be broadcast on Radio 4 on 26 May, written and presented by Patrick Humphries. There is also a worldwide reissue programme of Deighton's novels, an ITV remake of the Game, Set and Match Trilogy - and a new book, The Anatomy of a Fountain Pen. The new book is "a detailed 27,000-word history and discussion of fountain pens" which HCUK is considering publishing as a "boutique edition" sold from the website and followed by a trade edition.
The notoriously reclusive Deighton, who turned 80 last month, talked to Humphries for two hours about his life, and a writing career stretching back to 1962 and the publication of The Ipcress File, which changed the face of spy fiction and went on to make a successful transfer to the big screen - the first and arguably best of Michael Caine's Harry Palmer outings. Contributors to the programme include food writer Henrietta Green, talking about Deighton’s Action Cook Book, which Fourth Estate will reissue in May with a new introduction, and historian Sir Max Hastings, who speaks about Deighton’s non-fiction work, such as Fighter and Blitzkrieg.
I'm glad that we got in first with our own appreciation of Len, with contributions from (amongst others) Barry Norman, Robert Ryan, Mike Ripley, Rob Mallows and Philip Purser.
Len sent the following email:
Dear Mike,
I am overwhelmed.
I have always said that two things destroy authors; alcohol and praise.
This may prove fatal (and I don't even drink).
Seriously - just as I was reconciled to being forgotten I find a host of generous friends
Thank you
Len.
Thursday 26 March 2009
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan is also the author of the Texas based Tres Navarre series. The first book in the series Big Red Tequila won the Anthony Award for best original paperback and the Shamus Award for best First P.I. novel in 1997.
Wednesday 25 March 2009
New sponsor for John Creasy (new dagger) Award
Grateful for the boost it gave to her career, Louise has now put up the sponsorship money so that it can be awarded again this year.
Louise Penny had previously been very highly commended for the CWA Debut Dagger, a competition for unpublished writers, which helped launch her career. Inspired by this, Louise and her husband Michael Whitehead were instrumental in establishing a similar award with the Crime Writers of Canada; Louise lives south of Montreal.
Louise, whose fourth book, The Murder Stone, is being published by Headline in the UK, said: “It is a pleasure for Michael and me to be able to do this for an emerging crime writer. I've been helped so much by other writers and the CWA in particular.”
The John Creasey Dagger has been awarded every year since 1973. Other previous winners include Minette Walters, Dan Fesperman, Walter Mosley, Janet Evanovich and Denise Mina.
Incoming Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, Margaret Murphy, said: “We are delighted that Louise has agreed to sponsor this award. I know that she valued the help that the award gave to her writing career. It is a tremendous gesture and one that is deeply appreciated by the CWA.”
The John Creasey Dagger is part of a series of Dagger prizes for crime writers, which will be presented by the CWA in London in mid-July with the shortlists expected to be announced in the first week of June.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Left Coast Crime 2009 Winners
THE BRUCE ALEXANDER MEMORIAL HISTORICAL MYSTERY
A historical mystery, covering events before 1950
Kelli Stanley: Nox Dormienda, A Long Night For Sleeping (Five Star)
HAWAII FIVE-O
Best law enforcement, police procedural
Neil S. Plakcy: Mahu Fire (Alyson Books)
THE LEFTY
Best humorous mystery
Tim Maleeny: Greasing the Pinata (Poisoned Pen Press)
DILYS AWARD
The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) given to the book that booksellers have most enjoyed selling.
Sean Chercover - Trigger City
Tuesday 10 March 2009
Galaxy Book of the Year Awards Announced
Borders Author of the Year
Waterstone's New Writer of the Year in association with the Daily Mail
Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year
Play.com Popular Non-Fiction Book Award
Sainsbury’s Popular Fiction Award
Tesco Biography of the Year
Now the section we are most interesting in, of course, is the Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year. And the nominees are:
The Business by Martina Cole (Headline)
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Pocket Books)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (MacLehose Press/Quercus)
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Orion)
Revelation by C.J. Sansom (Macmillan)
When Will There Be Good News? By Kate Atkinson (Black Swan)
But there is also “cross-overs” in the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year, in association with Watch TV & Heart Radio. Here’s the full listing:
The Brutal Art by Jesse Kellerman (Sphere)
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (Canongate)
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (Black Swan)
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (Black Swan)
The Bolter by Frances Osborne (Virago)
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill (HarperPerennial)
The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin (John Murra)
December by Elizabeth H. Winthrop (Sceptre)
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (Atlantic Books)
It will be a close call to actually pick a winner out of the list. The GBOY has its own site where you can check out the books and videos. Click here. Good luck to all the authors.
Monday 9 March 2009
CSI creator writes digital crime novel
Faber Academy Crime Writing Course
Becky Fincham from British publisher Faber and Faber sent us this press release about an interesting opportunity for budding crime writers in the UK. Be aware, though, that space is strictly limited, so if you’re interested, don’t wait around.
Learn to Write Crime Fiction with Mark Billingham and Laura Wilson
Thursday 2 April to Sunday 5 April 2009
Jaffé & Neale Bookshop 1 Middle Row Chipping NortonOxfordshire OX7 5NH England
In a unique collaboration with award-winning independent bookshop Jaffé & Neale, the Faber Academy presents an intense four-day writing workshop with bestselling crime-writers Mark Billingham and Laura Wilson. Set over four days in the upstairs gallery of Jaffé & Neale, a wonderful bookshop in the picturesque Cotswold town of Chipping Norton, Mark Billingham and Laura Wilson have devised a course that will suit beginners every bit as much as those with a good degree of experience. There will be sessions on character, plot, dialogue and of course those all-important twists that keep thriller readers turning the pages.Suspects can expect plenty of lively discussion, inspiring writing exercises and one-on-one tutorials. They can expect surprises. They can also expect to have plenty of fun ...
The course includes:
- 4 days intensive tuition with Mark Billingham and Laura Wilson (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)
- A complimentary Moleskine® Notebook
- A daily artisan lunch
- Regular coffee breaks
- A Friday night reading in the bookshop by Mark Billingham and Laura Wilson, followed by a glass of wine
- A handy course pack including local hotel recommendations
About the Tutors
Lead tutor Mark Billingham is the bestselling author of the series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Tom Thorne and the recent standalone thriller In The Dark. He has won the Sherlock Award for Best British Detective, the Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award and been nominated for five CWA Daggers. He has also written extensively for television and worked for many years as a stand-up comedian.
He is a regular reviewer on Radio 4's 'Front Row' as well as writing about crime fiction for The Independent, the Sunday Times and Time Out. He has led creative writing workshops at the Harrogate and Cheltenham Festivals and has been the judge for many short story competitions.
Guest tutor Laura Wilson is the acclaimed author of seven crime novels. These include The Lover, which won the Prix Polar Europeen and most recently Stratton's War which was awarded the Ellis Peter Dagger for historical crime fiction. Aside from being crime fiction critic for the Guardian, she has tutored two Arvon courses on crime fiction as well as teaching many courses at Winchester Writer's Conference. She is chair of the 2009 Harrogate Crime Writer's Festival.
Now, to me it seems strange that neither Mark nor Laura are Faber authors but were selected for their high profile. The publisher said that there will be Faber authors acting as tutors for 2010. It's a damn shame that Michael Dibdin isn't still around. I'd pay to attend that one.
Monday 2 March 2009
Remembering Barbara Franchi
I will miss her infectious laughter. The photograph here taken at Thrillerfest 2006 in Phoenix with Stav Sherez and Zoe Sharp is how I will remember her laughter and enthusiasm. She was a wonderful part of the Crime and Thriller Genre and will be missed by us all.