Bursary for crime fiction author of colour

 

CrimeFest, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, is offering a bursary for a crime fiction writer of colour to attend its festival next May.

The bursary will cover the cost of a full Weekend Pass to the convention and a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance.

Eligible authors must have published at least one English language book in traditional print by a British commercial publisher.

CrimeFest launched the bursary in 2021 with the first award going to Saima Mir to attend the 2022 convention, for her debut novel, The Khan, which was a Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year.

Saima Mir, who grew up in Bradford, said that the bursary allowed her to, “be inspired by the company of seasoned storytellers, fulfil my childhood ambition, and to act as a beacon to other women who dare to dream of being published novelists, but fear the space is not for girls like them.”

2023’s bursary winner was Elizabeth Chakrabarty, whose critically-acclaimed debut crime novel Lessons in Love and Other Crimes was inspired by her own experience of a serious race hate crime in the workplace.

Donna Moore, co-host of CrimeFest, said: “The bursary is an important addition to CrimeFest, and one we are committed to build on. As a democratic convention open to all commercially published authors in the genre, CrimeFest is a natural hotbed for diverse talent. We’re aware however that more needs to be done to ensure festivals and conventions actively support writers of colour.”

Nominees for the bursary will be reviewed by Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Chair and author Vaseem Khan, and the freelance crime fiction critic and CWA judge, Ayo Onatade.

Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India - the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. Ayo Onatade works with Justices at the Supreme Court, and is a well-known blogger and CWA Red Herring award-winning freelance crime fiction critic.

Hosted in Bristol, CrimeFest is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days.

CrimeFest, now in its 16th year, was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

Dates for next year's Bristol CrimeFest are 9-12 May, 2024.

Email info@crimefest.com for more details on how to apply.

 

Specsavers Back UK’s Largest Crime Fiction Convention

 

Specsavers has renewed its title sponsorship of CrimeFest in Bristol through 2025.

The convention has grown to be one of the biggest crime fiction conventions in Europe, with a loyal and dedicated fan base.

The CrimeFest brand and website is undergoing a refresh as 2023 marks its 15^th anniversary since it was founded.

Adrian Muller, co-founder and organiser, said: “CrimeFest is going from strength-to-strength. We pride ourselves as being the UK’s friendliest and most accessible crime writing events. There’s an inclusive energy at CrimeFest. Bristol is known for its vibrant, creative and independent spirit, and CrimeFest offers an exciting opportunity for writers and readers alike to meet and mingle.”

CrimeFest is known for its egalitarian and inclusive approach, as it is one of the few events in the UK that is open to all commercially published authors.

Last year after two fallow years with Covid, it welcomed more than 400 delegates to 50 author panel events across four days.

Bristol-born Dame Mary Perkins DBE co-founded Specsavers and is an avid reader. Dame Mary, who attended in 2022, praised CrimeFest for its sense of ‘family’. The brand supports new writers with the CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award, with a £1,000 prize. The annual CrimeFest awards honour the best crime books released in the UK that year.

2023 also sees the return of the CrimeFest bursary for a crime fiction author of colour. The bursary will cover the cost of a full Weekend Pass to the convention and a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance. The winning author is chosen by a panel including author Vaseem Khan, crime blogger and critic Ayo Onatade, and CrimeFest organisers. 2022’s winner was Saima Mir for her debut novel, The Khan.

CrimeFest also organises outreach events for children and young adults in local schools, and
offer discounts for librarians, students, and delegates who are on benefits or disabled.

CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

Hosted at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel from 11-14 May 2023, headline authors will be announced in the New Year.

CrimeFest Donates Books to Libraries Across Bristol

 

The Big Library Crime Book Giveaway, organised by the UK’s biggest crime fiction convention CrimeFest, takes place at the end of April.

Roughly 650 crime books will be given to all 27 libraries across the city from 29 April – 1 May.

The initiative is being supported by bestselling author, Ann Cleeves, who is a vocal advocate of reading and libraries as a ‘lifeline’.

Ann, who is behind the phenomenal Vera and Shetland series, both adapted to prime-time TV, is a featured guest at the 2022 CrimeFest convention, which is hosted at the Mercure Bristol Grande Hotel from 12 to 15 May.

Ann Cleeves said: “It’s fantastic that CrimeFest is giving away hundreds of books to libraries in Bristol. All genres owe a lot to the work of libraries, but crime fiction is the most borrowed genre. Accessible and popular, crime fiction offers a gateway into reading, and the many benefits that brings. I’ve long been a vocal champion of libraries and their importance for our communities, so I’m delighted to throw my support behind this initiative.”

CrimeFest has run the Big Library Crime Book Giveaway since 2016. In addition, it provides discounted tickets to its convention to librarians. The UK’s biggest crime fiction convention also donated £5k worth of books to inner city school libraries across Bristol, with support from the independent bookshop Max Minerva, and the convention’s title sponsor, Specsavers.

Books in the giveaway include titles by many authors who will be appearing in Bristol at the event this year, including Steve Mosby, Robert Goddard, Kia Abdullah and Sam Carrington.

Kate Murray, Head of Bristol’s Library Service, said: “We’re really pleased to be taking part in the Big Library Crime Book Giveaway again this year across all of our 27 libraries in Bristol. It is fantastic to get books into the hands of readers and get people into libraries where they can talk to staff and find out more about what’s on in their local library and the wide range of services we offer. Reading for pleasure can have such a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing so we’re really pleased to take part in this giveaway and share the joy of reading across the city.”

Crime novels dominate library lending, with Jack Reacher’s Lee Child regularly being the most borrowed author year-on-year. Lee’s brother Andrew Child will make his first UK appearance at CrimeFest since taking over the helm of the Jack Reacher series. An author in his own right as Andrew Grant, the younger brother of Lee Child has been hugely successful as the continuation author, dominating the bestseller lists. The books have also been dramatised for Amazon Prime.

Hosted in Bristol, CRIMEFEST is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days.

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CRIMEFEST, said: “Crime fiction is a popular gateway into reading. In a cost-of-living crisis, we want to encourage people to take advantage of the fact they can access a wealth of free books at their local library. School and community libraries and librarians play a role in transforming lives by fostering a love for reading. Reading can be transformative not only emotionally, but on an educational, economic and social level.”

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has shown that reading for pleasure is a higher indication of academic success than parental status or income.

CrimeFest is at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel from 12-15 May, 2022 

www.crimefest.com

CrimeFest Announce 2022 Line-Up

 

Ann Cleeves, Andrew Child, Martin Edwards and Robert Goddard feature at one of Europe’s biggest crime fiction conventions this spring.

CrimeFest, sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from 12 to 15 May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. It returns after a two-year hiatus from Covid.

 Up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol appearing in over 50 panels.

 The convention, which began in 2008, is based on the American convention model and is considered the most democratic and accessible crime fiction event in the UK.

 As well as drawing readers and fans, it attracts editors, publishers and reviewers, thanks to its reputation as a hotbed for crime writing talent.

2022 Featured Guests include Ann Cleeves, the author behind Vera and Shetland, both adapted to TV with fans worldwide. ITV also recently dramatised The Long Call - the first in her Two Rivers series, featuring Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, filmed in part on location in Bristol.

Andrew Child makes his first UK appearance at CrimeFest since taking over the helm of the Jack Reacher series. An author in his own right as Andrew Grant, the younger brother of Lee Child has been hugely successful as the continuation author, dominating the bestseller lists. The books have also been dramatised for Amazon Prime series; Reacher was recently commissioned for a second series.

Also featuring are the past two winners of the Crime Writers’ Association’s highest accolade - the CWA Diamond Dagger. Robert Goddard was awarded the Dagger in 2019 and Martin Edwards in 2020.

Goddard's books captivate readers worldwide - translated into over thirty languages - with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. As well as a prolific award-winning novelist, Martin Edwards is a renowned editor, reviewer, columnist and versatile writer of non-fiction, and a leading authority on crime fiction.

Director and co-founder of CrimeFest, Adrian Muller, said: “We pride ourselves on being open to all authors, which makes it a diverse and democratic celebration of the genre. Behind the scenes there is a team of passionate readers and volunteers, so there’s a friendly and inclusive energy at CrimeFest. Bristol is known for its vibrant, creative and independent spirit, and CrimeFest offers an exciting opportunity for writers and readers alike to meet and mingle.”

 Panels delve into diverse topics from division in society today to historical crime, and locked room mysteries to police procedurals.

 A ‘from page to screen’ panel includes the number one bestselling Icelandic writer, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and the ‘queen of twists’, Sarah Pinborough - author behind the Netflix hit, Behind Her Eyes.

 A wealth of crime authors in attendance have had books recently snapped up for TV or film, including Cathy Ace, whose Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned by Free@Last TV, behind the hit Agatha Raisin series.

 Other acclaimed authors attending include Holly Watt, Matt Wesolowski, Lynne Truss, Barry Forshaw, Simon Brett, Vaseem Khan, Helen FitzGerald, Ruth Dudley Edwards and Michael Ridpath.

 This year’s Ghost of Honour, commemorates Dick Francis, and highlights include the Gala Dinner with Toastrix Zoë Sharp, creator of the Charlie Fox series of crime thrillers, and the annual CrimeFest Awards, featuring the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award.

 Real life contends with fiction too, with authors such as Vicki Bradley - a detective constable in the Met police, former lawyer Steve Cavanagh and thriller writer, Simon Conway - a former British Army officer and international aid worker, who has cleared landmines in wars across the world.

CrimeFest is at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel from 12-15 May, 2022. For the full list of authors and to book, go to: https://www.crimefest.com/

CrimeFest Announces Bursary for Crime Fiction Author of Colour

 

Saima Mir has been announced as the first recipient of the CRIMEFEST bursary for a crime fiction author of colour.

Saima Mir’s debut novel The Khan was published by Point Blank in 2021 and is due in paperback this March. It was a Times and Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year in 2021 and has been longlisted for The Portico Prize.

Saima, who grew up in Bradford and lives in London, said: “

As a young girl growing up in inner city Bradford, I dreamt of being a writer, but didn’t see the names of women like me on the covers of books, or between them.  This bursary will allow me to be inspired by the company of seasoned storytellers, fulfil my childhood ambition, and to act as a beacon to other women who dare to dream of being published novelists, but fear the space is not for girls like them.”

One of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, the bursary will cover the cost of a full Weekend Pass to CRIMEFEST this May, a night’s accommodation at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a guaranteed panel appearance.

The winning entry for the bursary was chosen by CRIMEFEST organisers in collaboration with author Vaseem Khan, and the freelance crime fiction critic and CWA judge, Ayo Onatade.

Donna Moore, CRIMEFEST co-host, said: "We had incredibly strong entries, and we're thrilled to welcome Saima to CRIMEFEST and to give her the opportunity to introduce her compelling debut novel, with its fabulous protagonist, to an audience of new readers.”

 Hosted in Bristol, CRIMEFEST is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days.

Vaseem Khan, author of two award-winning crime series set in India - the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House crime novels set in 1950s Bombay - said: “Saima is a writer with a distinct voice, always fearless in challenging the status quo. She exploded onto the scene in 2021 with The Khan and will be warmly welcomed at CRIMEFEST.”

Three runners-up were also chosen to receive complementary passes to this year’s convention: Elizabeth Chakrabarty, Amita Murray, and Stella Oni.

Elizabeth Chakrabarty’s critically-acclaimed debut crime novel Lessons in Love and Other Crimes was inspired by her own experience of a serious race hate crime in the workplace. It was published by Indigo Press in April 2021.

Amita Murray writes murder mysteries with a feminist, multi-cultural edge. The first of her Arya Winters series - Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death – was published by Agora Books, an imprint of Polis Books, in 2021, and has been optioned for TV.

Stella Oni grew up in Nigeria. Her debut novel Deadly Sacrifice - a fast paced thriller, set in London and Nigeria and about human trafficking and ritualistic killing - was published by Jacaranda Books in September 2020.

Ayo Onatade, who works with Justices at the Supreme Court, and is a well-known blogger and critic, said: “I am delighted that Saima Mir is to be the first recipient of the CrimeFest Bursary. I look forward to seeing her take part in what is always a brilliant convention. I also hope that Elizabeth Chakrabarty, Amita Murray, and Stella Oni have a wonderful time at the convention.”

A 2020 study, Rethinking Diversity in Publishing by the University of London found writers of colour still don’t receive the same industry access, creative freedoms or economic value as their white counterparts. It also found each stage of the publishing process generally amplified the voices of white and middle-class people

Saima added: “I write about being British Asian, being Muslim, and being female, but all of this is incidental to the story. I hope that my readers come to understand that despite our surface differences, more unites us than divides us, and this learning happens in a whisper not a shout, as they are gripped and entertained by story.”

CRIMEFEST was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

 CRIMEFEST takes place 12-15 May 2022 in Bristol  www.crimefest.com

 

CrimeFest Award Winners Announced

 

CRIMEFEST, one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the winners of its annual awards.

Now in its 14th year, the awards honour the best crime books released in 2020 in the UK.

Trevor Wood receives a £1,000 prize for the CRIMEFEST Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award for The Man in the Street. Trevor Wood served in the Royal Navy for 16 years. The Man on the Street is set in his home city Newcastle, featuring a homeless veteran grappling with PTSD, dubbed by Lee Child as ‘an instant classic’.

Specsavers co-founder, Dame Mary Perkins, said: “Many congratulations to Trevor who really captured the city of Newcastle wonderfully in his book and let’s hope there’s more to come from this up-and-coming author. We don’t need research to tell us that more people have taken to reading in these last 15 months than ever before – with stories to take them out of their lockdowns and isolation – so we were delighted once again to sponsor this award.”

The CRIMEFEST H.R.F Keating Award for the best biographical or critical book in the genre goes to Martin Edwards, editor of Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club, which has also been nominated for the 2021 Edgar Allen Poe Award.

As well as a prolific novelist, Martin Edwards is a renowned editor, reviewer, columnist and versatile writer of non-fiction, and is a leading authority on crime fiction; he received the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2020.

The CRIMEFEST Last Laugh Award goes to Carl Hiaasen for Squeeze Me, a novel that captures the Trump era with Hiaasen's inimitable savage humour and eccentric characters.

The CRIMEFEST eDunnit Award for best e-book sees Ian Rankin take the title with A Song for the Dark Times, beating fellow giants of the genre, Michael Connelly and James Lee Burke.

The Publishers Association latest figures show fiction sales soared by 16% in 2020, with audiobook sales climbing by more than a third, as readers locked down escaped into books. The crime genre has led the rise in book sales and reading during the pandemic. Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is one of the key titles being cited as one of the key drivers.

Laurence Howell, Vice President, Content at Audible, said: “Congratulations to Richard Osman for the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. Audiobooks have been a great comfort to many over the past year, because of their intimate, immersive nature and the crime and mystery genre has been incredibly popular.”

CRIMEFEST Best Crime Novel for Children, aged 8-12, goes to Serena Patel for Anisha, Accidental Detective, which has already garnered plaudits, including the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award for Fiction, and is shortlisted for the British Book Awards Children fiction Book of the Year 2021.

CRIMEFEST Best Crime Novel for Young Adults, aged 12-16, goes to the multi-award-winning author Patrice Lawrence, who won the CRIMEFEST award in 2018 for Indigo Donut. This year her book Eight Pieces of Silva, an addictive tale of a teenager’s hunt for her missing sister, takes the top prize.

Adrian Muller, Co-host of CRIMEFEST, said: “A huge congratulations to all CRIMEFEST award winners this year. We had to cancel the last two physical conventions due to the pandemic, so it’s a real pleasure to be able to continue CRIMEFEST’s annual awards, albeit virtually. We are thankful to both Specsavers and to Audible for their on-going support.”

CRIMEFEST has had to postpone its 2020 and 2021 conventions, due to Covid restrictions. Hosted in Bristol, it is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe, and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar, with circa 60 panel events and 150 authors over four days. Tentative dates for next year's Bristol CRIMEFEST are 12-15 May, 2022.

In light of Covid-19, the 2021 winners were announced online with an awards ceremony, hosted by Agatha Raisin co-star Matt McCooey, who plays Inspector Bill Wong in the hit series. The ceremony is available on the websitewww.crimefest.com and via its social media pages, from midnight on Tuesday, 1 June.

All winners receive a Bristol Blue commemorative Glass Award.

Leading British crime fiction reviewers and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults form the CRIMEFEST judging panels, aside from Audible Sounds, where Audible listeners establish the shortlist and the winning title.

CRIMEFEST was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. It was established in 2008. It follows the egalitarian format of most US conventions, making it open to all commercially published authors and readers alike.

A complete list of the shortlisted authors can be found here.  Congratulations to all the nominated authors and winners.

‘Writing up a Storm’ by KJ Maitland

 

The train stranded in the snow, the hotel on an island in a thunderstorm, or the remote village cut off by a landslide – they are classic set ups employed by generations of novelists and screenwriters. You assemble a cast of disparate characters, lure them to an isolated place and ensure freak weather or some other natural disaster prevents them from escaping or summoning help. These plots work so well, because they put the characters under stress, create danger and, just like disasters in real life, bring out the best and the worst in people.

In most of these scenarios, the weather or natural disaster is there to create a crucible in which to trap the characters and watch them fight it out like rats in a cage. But often there is only limited interaction between the characters and the weather or disaster. The focus is on the interplay between the characters inside the crucible. One brave soul will probably go for help, and we will see them stagger back inside defeated, covered in snow. The tension will be ratcheted up when the storm cuts the lights and phone – never an excuse a medieval crime writer has to invent. But the weather or disaster is really the scenery, the cage, and the ‘sympathetic background’ that we all remember from school essays. But for me, weather extremes and disasters can become the warp thread through which the plot is woven, rather than simply the background to it. I like to think of these disasters as living characters within the plot, with their own moods and personalities. 

Real disasters or extreme weather has been the starting point and core inspiration for the most of my historical thrillers. ‘Company of Liars’ was set in 1348, the year of the first outbreak of the Black Death in England. The plague, though it is not their principal enemy, is viewed by the characters as a beast, a creature following their scent, which they try to outrun as it pursues them across England. Creating the sense that the disease is an animal who is hunting them, even as they try to escape a human killer, helps to heighten the atmosphere of fear and threat felt by the characters. 

But the weather is equally important in this novel. In 1348, it rained every day from Midsummer’s Day until Christmas. That’s what drove people to congregate indoors and spread the pneumonic version of the plague which devasted England. But I wanted the readers to feel that the rain is a sullen and moody companion trudging along beside the characters. At times, they try to ignore the miserable grouch, yet he is always there, annoying them. I hoped the readers would get a sense of how sapping the constant rain must have been both to body and spirit. Of course, if in a novel the rain comes at the end of a prolonged drought then it would be an entirely different character and personality.

In contrast, ‘The Plague Charmer’ is set 1361, during the 2nd wave of the Black Death which, unlike the first, targeted the young and fit. The characters in this novel were not travellers on the road, but trapped in a village, and each viewed the plague in different ways, just as in life every person relates differently to the same individual. Some perceived the plague as a malevolent cloud that could sense your fear and would be drawn to you. Others regarded it as a vengeful angel leading them triumphantly into battle and cutting down their enemies. The former jester in the novel tells the readers – ‘The owls knew it was coming. The villagers knew it was coming. Even I knew it was coming.’ Whatever form it takes, for all of the characters in the novel, this plague is not simply a sickness but a sentient presence, which makes it more unnerving and adds another layer of menace to the deadly pandemic.

My new Jacobean thriller, ‘The Drowned City,’ opens with a real historical event, the Bristol tsunami which, in January 1606, devastated the south west coast of England and Wales. I could have used the flood as a classic crucible setting, a group of villagers marooned by water, struggling to survive. But this was a disaster that sent shock waves through the whole country, even in places untouched by the giant wave, and with it came the fear that the massive destruction of ports and shipping would leave England open to invasion. 

Those characters who live by the coast view the sea storming onto the land as a jealous mistress who feels neglected and must be placated. Others regard the giant wave as a monster or golem summoned by the Devil. Some see it as a savage guard dog that God has been holding back but has now unleashed to drive out the wicked. How each character personifies the flood in turn influences how they perceive the flood victims – the dead must have been sinners; the dead were innocents murdered by those who summoned the monster; the dead were simply unlucky. 

While both flood and fire destroy, a flood also reveals the buried corpses, ‘like a fanatical preacher determined to cleanse the world and expose all that was hidden. A man’s chamber pot hung upon a church cross; a bloodstained shift fluttered from a treetop; a forbidden holy relic was dumped on a drowned pig.’ And so, in the novel, the flood also becomes a character bent on exposing the secretive underworld of Jacobean treachery and spies.

An author doesn’t need to spell out to readers the character and personality of the weather or disaster as they imagine it. In ‘Company of Liars’, I don’t explicitly use the image of a crotchety curmudgeon when describing the rain. But if the novelist can imagine it as a living entity, and ask themselves what guise it would present to each of the human characters, then weather and disasters can become much more than a device to explain why the lights have gone out.

KJ Maitland’s new Jacobean crime-thriller series, set in world of spies and fugitive priests, begins with The Drowned City, published by Headline, 1^st April 2021.

KJ Maitland has previously written eight medieval thrillers under the name of Karen Maitland, and also writes as one of the Medieval Murderers.

The Drowned City by K J Maitland (Out Now)

1606. A year to the day that men were executed for conspiring to blow up Parliament, a towering wave devastates the Bristol Channel. Some proclaim God's vengeance. Others seek to take advantage. In London, Daniel Pursglove lies in prison waiting to die. But Charles FitzAlan, close adviser to King James I, has a job in mind that will free a man of Daniel's skill from the horrors of Newgate. If he succeeds. For Bristol is a hotbed of Catholic spies, and where better for the lone conspirator who evaded arrest, one Spero Pettingar, to gather allies than in the chaos of a drowned city? Daniel journeys there to investigate FitzAlan's lead, but soon finds himself at the heart of a dark Jesuit conspiracy - and in pursuit of a killer.

CrimeFest Competition

Interested in wining a pair of full weekend passes to CrimeFest?

We have a pair of FULL Weekend Passes to give away for this year's CrimeFest held in Bristol, UK 18-21 May 2017. Accommodation and travel IS NOT included. Answer this simple question: In what city is CrimeFest held? 

Answers by April 14, 2017, to competition@crimefest.com 

Mike Ripley’s “Sorry I haven’t a Cluedo” at Crimefest

L-R : Peter Guttridge and Mike Ripley

The Crimefest weekend closed with a most amusing final session, managed admirably by writer, critic, editor, publisher, raconteur and Shots “Getting Away with Murder” Columnist, the Talented Mr Ripley.

The session that closed Crimefest 2016 was entitled “Sorry I Haven’t a Cluedo” - a panel quiz that Mike Ripley devised, and was last performed before the Millennium.

Mike Ripley had arranged two teams to battle their collective knowledge of Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, aided by Peter Guttridge.

Laura Wilson captained the Female Crime-Writers with her colleagues Susan Moody and Alison Bruce, while Ian Rankin captained the Male Crime-Writers Andrew Taylor and Thomas Mogford.

The recording was not planned, but as I found myself sitting right at the front with a great view, I decided it might be fun to record the event, but as I laughed so much, the filming is a tad gonzo, especially when Award winning crime-writer and journalist, Ruth Dudley Edwards appeared as a surprise guest, heavily disguised.

Life can be tough for us from time to time, and I find laughter at the absurdities of reality a coping mechanism, so we hope you enjoy these videos, which indicate the surreal and quintessential nature of British humour. They also indicate that these tremendous British writers of Crime Fiction are very grounded, and indeed are brave to find themselves at the mercy of, the man who we all know as, The Talented Mr Mike Ripley.

Note : The “Sorry I Haven’t a Cluedo” presentation is split into sections, I’ve stabilised the picture and sound as well as I can, though I was laughing a lot during the quiz, and part 2 is not as sharp [in terms of picture clarity] compared to the other sections.

And if you missed Mike Ripley [with Barry Forshaw and Peter Guttridge] and their humorous presentation on the Golden Age of British Thrillers, which they hosted at Crimefest in 2014, click here because absurdity and laughter are indeed the best medicine as evidenced at the clapping when the presentation concluded.

Shots Ezine would like to pass our thanks to Mike Ripley, Peter Guttridge, Ian Rankin, Laura Wilson, Andrew Taylor, Susan Moody, Thomas Mogford and Alison Bruce, Myles Allfrey and Adrian Muller for allowing us to feature this closing session of Crimefest 2016

The Shots Team hope to see you at 2017’s Crimefest, with full details available from www.crimefest.com because as Friedrich Nietzsche once said –

“A good writer possesses not only his own spirit, but also the spirit of his friends.” 

Photo and Video 

(c) 2016 A Karim

CRIMEFEST COMPETITION TIME

Thanks to CrimeFest we have either one pair or two single FULL Weekend Passes to give away for this year's CimeFest held in Bristol, UK 14-17 May. 
Accommodation and travel IS NOT included. 

Answer this simple question: Who will Lee Child be interviewing at this year's CrimeFest? 

Surely you don't need a clue - http://www.crimefest.com/ 

Send your answer, with full contact details to CRIMEFEST

Good Luck.

Crimefest Award Nominees Announced

The winners of the CRIMEFEST awards will be announced during the Gala Dinner on Saturday, 17 May. The organisers would like to thank the sponsors and congratulates all the shortlisted nominees and their publishers.

Audible Sounds Of Crime Award

The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the UK in 2013 in both printed and audio formats, and available for download from audible.co.uk, Britain’s largest provider of downloadable audiobooks. Courtesy of sponsor Audible UK, the winning author and audiobook reader share the £1,000 prize equally.

Nominees:

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Orion Audio)

A Delicate Truth by John le Carré, read by John le Carré (Penguin)

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister (Hachette Audio)

Dead Man’s Time by Peter James, read by Daniel Weyman (Macmillan Audio)

The Chessmen by Peter James, read by Peter Forbes (Quercus)

Natural Causes by James Oswald , read by Ian Hanmore (Penguin)

  

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers for the longlist, and Audible UK listeners established the shortlist and the winning title.

eDunnit Award

The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the British Isles in 2013. The winning author receives £500 and a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

Nominees:

The Beauty of Murder by A.K. Benedict  (Orion)

Sandrine by Thomas H Cook (Head of Zeus)

Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway by Sara Gran (Faber and Faber)

Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes (Sphere)

Cross and Burn by Val McDermid (Sphere)

Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller (Faber and Faber)

The Red Road by Denise Mina (Orion)

Sign of the Cross by Thomas Mogford(Bloomsbury)

The Double by George Pelecanos (Orion)

The Feast of Artemis by Anne Zouroudi (Bloomsbury)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers for the longlist, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

Goldsboro Last Laugh Award

The Goldsboro Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the British Isles in 2013. The £500 prize is sponsored by Goldsboro Books, the UKs largest specialist in first edition, signed books.

Nominees:

Fire and Brimstone by Colin Bateman(Headline)

Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (Orion)

The Axe Factor by Colin Cotterill (Quercus)

Calamitous Chinese Killing by Shamini Flint (Little, Brown)

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen (Little, Brown)

A Little Murder by Suzette A Hill (Allison & Busby)

Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller (Faber and Faber)

The Sound of One Hand Killing by Teresa Solona (Bitter Lemon Press)

Eligible titles were submitted by publishers for the longlist, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title.

All the winners also receive a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.