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YOUNG CRIME WRITERS' COMPETITION
As part of the Crime Writers' Association's first national crime fiction week, a competition was launched to find the UK's best young crime fiction writer. And guess what? She comes from the West Midlands. I was the CWA's regional coordinator and selected fifteen-year-old Nicole Hendry's short story to go forward for judging at national level. Nicole's entry - The Demolition of Lives - beat competition from thirteen other regions. The presentation was in June when Nicole was invited to a 'crime tea' at a hotel near her home. Also present and pictured are: national coordinator Diane Janes, me, Nicole, Sarah Rayne and award winning crime writer RJ Ellory.
The biggest highlight for me this year will be the publication of DEATH LINE in July 2010. It picks up the action from the end of BLOOD MONEY - the sixth in the series - published last summer. A few months earlier, Bev made a brief appearance in CRIMINAL TENDENCIES, an anthology of short stories from Crème de la Crime.
As well as featuring some of the best known names in crime fiction, sales of CRIMINAL TENDENCIES help three breast cancer charities: the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline, the Genesis Appeal and the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
Contributing authors include: Stephen Booth, Simon Brett, Sophie Hannah, Reginald Hill, Peter James, Sheila Quigley and Sarah Rayne.
The anthology was launched at CRIMEFEST the international crime fiction
convention staged annually in Bristol. A year earlier, I was on the aptly-named panel: Female of the species - women in crime fiction. Fellow panellists were Helen Black, Meg Gardiner, Priscilla Masters and Zoe Sharpe. Hit the link and you can download recordings onto your MP3.
http://www.crimefest.com/programme_2008.html
Talking of web sites...log on too, to the shotsmag and mystery women sites. They're packed with news, views and reviews. You can also read interviews with crime writers, including me.
If you haven't already discovered the sites, here are the links:
http://www.shotsmag.co.uk
http://www.mysterywomen.co.uk
E-NEWS
WORKING GIRLS is now available as an ebook. It's one of several titles from Crème de la Crime published under the imprint E-CC. Crème's latest e-move is in partnership with Creative Content, a dynamic young digital publishing house masterminded by audio publisher Ali Muirden and actress Lorelei King. Titles are available for download to all major e-readers from a wide range of suppliers worldwide. DEAD OLD is scheduled for e-publication in October.
For more on Creative Content:
http://www.creativecontentdigital.com
For more on WORKING GIRLS on Creative Content:
http://www.creativecontentdigital.com/cremedelacrime.htm
And to buy WORKING GIRLS:
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Girls-ebook/dp/B003HHQ0XO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1272977095&sr=1-3
> <http://www.amazon.com/Working-Girls-ebook/dp/B003HHQ0XO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1272977095&sr=1-3>
PERFORMANCE AND PROMOTION
LETHAL LADIES & COMPANY is the crime writers' performance group run by Sarah Rayne and I. To give you a little background... Sarah’s the author of Theakston-nominated Tower of Silence, and other dark psychological thrillers such as Roots of Evil, Spider Light and The Death Chamber. We provide tailor-made evenings for libraries, writers’ groups, bookshops, anyone who loves reading, writing or talking about books. Fees are agreed beforehand, but like most things are flexible.
If you'd like to find out how we can visit your group, contact: maureencarter@gmail.com
or visit Sarah's website at:
http://www.sarahrayne.co.uk
Our first gig this year was at Pendeford library in 25 May as part of the Black Country Big Book Festival. As always, it was such a pleasure to meet so many interested and interesting readers.
Ditto the Lowdham Book Festival in June. I was on a panel with my publisher Lynne Patrick and fellow Creme de la Crime author Chris Nickson. Afterwards there was time to mingle and meet more lovely people.
THIS 'N' THAT
Once a journalist, always a journalist and my news antennae twitched when Sarah told me the genesis for her novel, Ghost Song. Hit the link to read my interview with her.
http://www.mysterywomen.co.uk/Int-Sarah%20Rayne.html
CARTER AND REGAN...NOT THE SWEENEY
To read my interview with crime writer and actress Linda Regan, hit this link:
http://www.mysterywomen.co.uk/Int-Linda%20Regan.html
HAPPY READING
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