#BritCrime Festival: Sunday Morning Panel: The Replay

Graeme Cameron, Steven Dunne, Jeanette (JM) Hewitt, Matt Johnson, Faith Mortimer, Alexandra Sokoloff talking about writing, plotting, research, inspiration, trips to the Caribbean and Chernobyl, the definition of a serial killer... and more.

An inspiring, wide-ranging, fascinating discussion that continued for two hours, prompted by questions from readers.

Thanks for joining us!


You can watch the replay here:

Ms Marsh Investigates... By The Letter Book Reviews #bookblog

Next under the Marsh microscope is Sarah, who blogs crime fiction at https://bytheletterbookreviews.com/

Hi, Sarah, and welcome to Britcrime.

Many thanks for inviting me.

So, tell me, why crime as a genre? What about crime novels appeals to you?

Crime is something that has always fascinated me, murders in particular. In my teens I used to have a subscription to a crime series that would look into the more famous murders and murderers. Even though what these murderers did would horrify me, there was a part of me that had to know why they had done what they had and how they were caught. From my fascination into true crimes, I think that rolled into my love of crime novels.

What gave you the impetus to start blogging?

Blogging came about thanks to THE Book Club on Facebook. In the group I came across lots of new authors as well as Bloggers and I wanted to be able to help get the word out about these great books and authors I was now reading and I thought blogging was the ideal way to do that. I have to say to start with I nearly threw the towel in many a time as I’m not technical minded at all, but I stuck with it and I have to say the whole blogging community are just brilliant and are so supportive. I’ve been doing it just over a year now and I absolutely love doing it.

That’s great to hear! So, do you have a favourite sub-genre?

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers. I try not to read to many in one go though as they tend to fail to shock me otherwise. I have to admit that I love to have my head messed with.

Who’s on your Must Read list? 

In my teens it used to be James Patterson and even though I do enjoy his books I very rarely read them nowadays. More recently it has to be authors like David Jackson, Doug Johnstone, Robert Bryndza, Steven Dunne, Casey Kelleher, Caroline Mitchell, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Jack Jordan, Mark Edwards, John Marr… I could go on and on as have come across some great authors in the last couple of years so apologies to others I haven’t mentioned.

Do you have any pet peeves – overused tropes, clichéd characters, etc?

I have to admit every time I see the phrase ‘No shit Sherlock’ I roll my eyes. I have come across it in sooo many books that it does irk me slightly every time I see it being used.

My main pet peeve is books being compared to others. There is nothing worse than picking up a book because it’s been compared to another one I loved only to find that in actual fact it’s nothing like it all and I didn’t like it. Also I worry that if a book I didn’t enjoy has been compared to another one that I will dismiss it and miss out on a great read.

Yes, I think that’s a danger, and one that peeves authors as well as readers. So who is your favourite character from a crime novel, and why?

This is such a hard question as there are a lot of detectives that I love in quite a few crime series but I am actually going to go with DI Damen Brook, who is Steven Dunne’s creation. He is a character that has always got under my skin slightly and I’ve always worried about his well-being. Poor Mr Dunne is no doubt fed up with me asking him if he can add a bit of happiness into poor Brook’s life.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

It has to be discovering new authors as well as being able to spread the word about these fantastic writers and their books.

Have you ever thought of turning your own hand to crime writing?

I would absolutely love to but unfortunately I am a much better reader than writer. There is no way I could ever write anything as good as the books that I read. I did go through a phase when I was younger of wanting to be a writer but could never get past the first paragraph so gave up.

Do you have any useful advice for someone thinking of starting a crime fiction blog?

Blogging can be a very rewarding hobby. It will open you to so many new authors and books. It can be very time consuming though. As much as I would love to say yes to every publisher and author, it would just be impossible to do, so it’s all about getting the right balance of books and not being afraid to say no.

Lastly, you’re hosting a fantasy crime fiction dinner party – who would you invite? Can be writers, other bloggers, whoever. Alive or dead!

It would have to be my fellow #BlogSquad members. There are a group of bloggers who I have become great friends with and we gave ourselves the nickname of #BlogSquad, some of them I have been lucky enough to meet in person but the others I hope to meet in person one day so this would be ideal. There are too many writers that I would invite so it would end up being some sort of party somewhere as doubt they would all fit round the table!

Yes, I think I’d have the same problem. Thanks, Sarah, for joining me today – it’s really most appreciated!

♠ @sarahhardy681
♠ https://bytheletterbookreviews.com/

♠ Ava Marsh is the author of psychological thriller, Untouchable. Her second book, Exposure, is out now with Transworld.




♠ More interviews with book bloggers and reviewers

A KILLING MOON by Steven Dunne wins prestigious literary prize

A Killing Moon, the 5th novel in Steven Dunne's Reaper series, has won the East Midlands Book Award 2016, a literary prize open to all genres.

For the young woman kidnapped on her way home from the pub, the nightmare is about to begin...

Weeks after Caitlin Kinnear goes missing, the police are unable to break her case. Worse they are not even certain harm has come to her. But determined to pursue all leads, DI Damen Brook and his team begin to trawl through the murky world of cheap migrant labour. Convinced that the answers lie hidden within its depths, Brook soon begins to realise Caitlin is in terrible danger.

When the body of another young girl turns up it becomes clear that Caitlin's abduction might not be an isolated incident and the race is on to save her. But with time running out, can Brook put the pieces together and find Caitlin before it's too late?

The aim of the award is to promote writers who live in the East Midlands, to raise the profile of the thriving literary scene in the region, and to reward exceptional work.

♠ Get A Killing Moon from Amazon here.

♠ For news, offers and giveaways from BritCrime authors: http://britcrime.com/newsletter

Introducing Crime Thriller Writer Steven Dunne

Steven was born in Bradford. After years in teaching, he self-published his first crime novel, Reaper, in 2007, set in Derby.

In 2009 Harper Collins re-released it as The Reaper. A sequel, The Disciple, followed.

Deity and The Unquiet Grave were released by Headline in 2012/13, the latter shortlisted for East Midlands Book Award.

A Killing Moon was released in May 2015 and Death Do Us Part will appear in 2016.

Website: www.stevendunne.co.uk
Twitter: @ReaperSteven

Steven Dunne's A KILLING MOON shortlisted for prestigious literary prize

Steven Dunne's A Killing Moon has been shortlisted for The East Midlands Book Award, a prestigious literary prize.

The announcement was made today. A Killing Moon is Steven's second nomination. He was also nominated for The Unquiet Grave.

Congratulations, Steven!

Steven Dunne was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1957. He went to the University of Kent after A levels and studied as little as possible, yet somehow emerged with a second class honours degree. He began writing articles for quality newspapers on dull subjects before writing the book for the Latchmere Theatre's award-winning fringe production of Hansel and Gretel in 1989. He also co-wrote the revue, It's Mad Mad World, We're Plastered performed at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking the previous year and played the role of Teddy in the same theatre's production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming the same year

In the 1990s he taught English in South London before moving up to his adopted home town of Derby towards the end of the decade. In 2007, he self-published Reaper, a thriller set in Derby, featuring the hyper-intelligent but mentally troubled detective, DI Damen Brook. The rights were optioned by Harper Collins and four more critically-acclaimed books followed. He is currently writing the 6th book in the DI Brook series, entitled Death Do Us Part. He has never taken a selfie.

More about Steven Dunne at his website here.
Steven Dunne's books at Amazon.

Panel 1: Serial Killer Thrillers: Midday–2pm, Saturday 11 July #BritCrime

BritCrime Panel 1: Serial Killer Thrillers 

Midday–2pm UK Time | 7am–9am EST
Saturday 11 July

Live Q&A with the authors hosted on our Facebook page

♠♠♠ 

Rebecca Bradley: Shallow Waters

When catching a killer isn't enough, just how far are the team willing to push themselves to save the next girl?

Shallow Waters is written by a retired police detective. When the naked, battered body of an unidentified teenager is found dumped in an alleyway, post-mortem finds evidence of a harrowing series of events. Another teenage death with the same MO pushes DI Hannah Robbins and her team in the Nottingham City division Major Crimes Unit, to their limits, and across county borders. In a race against the clock, they attempt to unpick a thick web of lies and deceit to uncover the truth behind the deaths. But it doesn't stop there. When catching a killer isn't enough, just how far are the team willing to push themselves to save the next girl?

Rebecca Bradley lives in Nottinghamshire with her family and her one-year-old Cockerpoo Alfie, who keeps her company while she writes. Rebecca needs to drink copious amounts of tea to function throughout the day and if she could, she would survive on a diet of tea and cake while committing murder on a regular basis, in her writing of course.

♠♠♠ 

Steven Dunne: A Killing Moon

DI Brook is confronted with kidnap, torture and murder in this intricately plotted crime thriller.

For the young woman kidnapped on her way home from the pub, the nightmare is about to begin....

Weeks after Caitlin Kinnear goes missing, the police are unable to break her case. Worse they are not even certain harm has come to her. But determined to pursue all leads, DI Damen Brook and his team begin to trawl through the murky world of cheap migrant labour. Convinced that the answers lie hidden within its depths, Brook soon begins to realise Caitlin is in terrible danger. When the body of another young girl turns up it becomes clear that Caitlin's abduction might not be an isolated incident and the race is on to save her. But with time running out, can Brook put the pieces together and find Caitlin before it's too late?
  
Steven Dunne was born in Bradford. After years in teaching, he moved to Derby, self-publishing his first crime novel, Reaper, in 2007. The book was optioned by Harper Collins and released in 2009. The Disciple followed in 2010. Headline released Deity (2012), The Unquiet Grave (2013) and A Killing Moon (2015).

♠♠♠

Jane Isaac: Before It’s Too Late:

Can Detective Inspector Jackman track down the kidnapper before it’s too late?

I concentrated hard, desperately listening for something familiar, the sound of life. I heard nothing. Just my own breaths and the wind, whistling through branches above… The thought made me shiver. I am buried alive.

Following an argument with her British boyfriend, Chinese student Min Li is abducted whilst walking the dark streets of picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon alone. Trapped in a dark pit, Min is at the mercy of her captor. Detective Inspector Will Jackman is tasked with solving the case and in his search for answers discovers that the truth is buried deeper than he ever expected. But, as another student vanishes and Min grows ever weaker, time is running out. Can Jackman track down the kidnapper, before it’s too late?

Jane Isaac studied creative writing with The Writers Bureau and the London School of Journalism. She was runner up Writer of the Year 2013 with The Writers Bureau. Jane lives in rural Northamptonshire with her husband, daughter and dog, Bollo. Jane s short stories have appeared in several crime fiction anthologies. Her short story, Perilous Truths , was selected from over 200 entries to appear in Bridge House Publishing s Crime After Crime anthology released in November 2012. Her first novel with Legend Press was the bestselling title The Truth Will Out.

♠♠♠ 

Craig Robertson: Random

As the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow's underworld begin to close in on a serial killer nicknamed The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel...

Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed The Cutter. The murders have left the police baffled. There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason behind the killings; no kind of pattern or motive; an entirely different method of murder each time, and nothing that connects the victims except for the fact that the little fingers of their right hands have been severed.

If DS Rachel Narey could only work out the key to the seemingly random murders, how and why the killer selects his victims, she would be well on her way to catching him. But as the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow's underworld begin to close in on The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel - with horrifying consequences.

During his 20-year career with a Scottish Sunday newspaper, Craig Robertson interviewed three Prime Ministers; attended major stories including 9/11, Dunblane, the Omagh bombing and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann; was pilloried on breakfast television, beat Oprah Winfrey to a major scoop, spent time on Death Row in the USA and dispensed polio drops in the backstreets of India. 

♠♠♠  

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