Kate's Diary
January 2012
A very belated Happy New Year to everyone!
I really can’t believe January’s gone so fast. Our Christmas was really good and since then I’ve been getting down to serious work on the first draft of my seventeenth Wesley Peterson novel. This draft is almost finished but, as ‘writing is rewriting’, it will be several months before it’s ready to see the light of day.
I’ve just received my author copies of The Cadaver Game and I must say it looks absolutely wonderful. The strapline ‘this is one game you don’t want to play’ seems particularly appropriate! It’s a thrilling and intriguing tale of sinister manhunts, unidentified bodies (along with a touch of conceptual art) and it will be available in hardback and C format paperback on 2nd February.
One pleasant surprise for readers was the unexpected reduction in the price of my historical e-book The Devil’s Priest due to a reduction in Luxembourg VAT. It’s now only £1.53, a real bargain.
January and February are fairly quiet months for me but I’m already planning events for later in the year. Hopefully there’ll be visits to Lancashire, Cheshire, Devon and maybe even the North East so check out the Events section of this website for up to date information. Or you can follow me on Twitter!
December 2011
Christmas is looming ever closer now and the writing, inevitably, has slowed to a trickle. I’m working on a new Wesley book at the moment and I do feel I need a break so that all those niggling problems that always plague the plot in the first draft can resolve themselves miraculously while I’m relaxing with all that wine and food (and Downton Abbey on the telly of course). Not that there’ll be much relaxing as the whole family’s coming to me for Christmas (including my younger son’s new dog…much to our cat, Vivaldi’s disgust). As long as the dog doesn’t find the turkey before we have a chance to tuck in, it should be great!
I really enjoyed visiting Formby Books at the beginning of the month. Tony’s done a great job setting up the ‘small but beautifully formed’ shop within a shop. My visit coincided with Formby’s Dickensian Day which was great fun with lots of stalls, merriment and inventive costumes. I went to yet another Dickensian Day in Lymm the following week and I’ve been wondering whether any contemporary authors will be commemorated with a special day in a hundred years time. Nobody really springs to mind…although I’m sure there are lots of deserving cases out there.
Last week I met fellow writer, Christine Poulson, for lunch in Manchester, after which we visited the Christmas market which seems to get bigger and better each year. There was certainly a lovely atmosphere and wandering round the stalls packed with Christmas goodies made us feel very festive.
Encouraged by my sons and fellow Murder Squad members, I’ve finally given in and joined Twitter. It’s a good way of keeping in touch and if you want to follow me just click on the link on my home page.
I keep hearing that a lot of people are getting Kindles this Christmas. Don’t forget that all my books are available at the click of a button.
Well, it only remains for me to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas and New Year. See you in 2012!
November 2011My latest news is that I’m now a member of the Murder Squad - not a group of hired assassins or crack homicide investigators but a group of crime writers from the North of England who get together for events and to bring our work to the attention of crime fans everywhere. My fellow ‘squadies’ are Ann Cleves, Cath Staincliffe, Martin Edwards, Chris Simms, Margaret Murphy, Stuart Pawson and Chas Brenchley and I’m really looking forward to us all working together.
My first engagement with the Murder Squad was at the beginning of the month when, after a congenial meal together, we went to Linghams bookshop in Heswall for the launch of the Murder Squad’s short story anthology Best Eaten Cold. As I’m an extremely new member I don’t have a story in it, however, I do know that it’s great collection of short crime writing from the North of England.
Last week I spoke at Stalybridge Civic Hall as part of the Ellen Barnes Lecture Series. Ellen Barnes was the daughter of a local mill owner and a committed educationalist who, on her death in 1920, left money for a series of annual public lectures on literary subjects. I was delighted when my talk attracted a large and appreciative audience and I hope everyone enjoyed the evening as much as I did.
My third Joe Plantagenet book Kissing the Demons was issued as an e-book at the beginning of this month and is out in paperback on the 30th. I’ve now put the finishing touches to the fourth book in the series and have just sent it off to my publisher. Fingers crossed they approve.
Next Saturday (3rd December) I’ll be signing copies of my books at Formby Books, Chapel Lane, Formby, Merseyside (11.30am – 12.30pm). Formby’s book shop, Pritchard’s, sadly closed in September…but, thanks to the fantastic efforts of Manager, Tony Higginson, it has been reincarnated down the road (inside a larger shop called Derbyshires). I’m really looking forward to seeing the new shop and with Tony in charge it’s bound to be a great success. If you can make it to Formby on the 3rd it would be great to see you…and maybe sign a copy of one of my books for you – a specially signed book always makes a great Christmas present!
Late October 2011
It’s amazing how fast the year’s going. Perhaps it’s being so busy with my writing that makes the time flash past.
Since last time I’ve made a start on my next Wesley novel – yes, the one after The Cadaver Game…the one that’s due to be published in 2013. People are often surprised that the process takes so long from an author putting those first words on a blank computer screen to a book appearing on the shelves in your local library or bookshop, but the author needs a lot of time to research and write and then there is the long process of reworking the manuscript several times until it’s good enough to send off to my editor. The editor’s job is vital as an author gets so close to a story that he or she often can’t see flaws and inconsistencies. Once my editor has done her work and I’ve taken her advice on board, the manuscript has always been vastly improved. Then there’s all the copy editing, going through the proofs and designing the cover. I can’t speak too highly of the cover designs Piatkus come up with – they’re terrific and atmospheric and add so much to the books. I particularly loved the one they produced for The Jackal Man and I think The Cadaver Game’s design is a real winner which took my breath away when I first saw it.
October has been another eventful month and the highlight has to be my oldest (in duration not age!) friend’s daughter’s wedding in Liverpool on the fifteenth – a wonderful day blessed with brilliant autumn sunshine. After a lovely church service the reception was held in Liverpool University’s stunning Victoria Building which houses a museum containing a large number of archaeological artefacts acquired by the University over the years. This was particularly appealing to me (while I was sipping my champagne) because it was Liverpool University’s archaeology department that inspired The Jackal Man. Anyway many congratulations to Amanda and Sam and all good wishes for their life together, begun in such congenial surroundings.
The day after I returned from Liverpool I travelled to York to meet up with some American visitors who were on a Smithsonian Mystery Lover’s Tour of Northern England and Scotland. We had a very pleasant lunch at historic St William’s College near the Minster. St William’s College dates from the fifteenth century and it was originally home to the Minster’s chantry priests. It also happens to be near the locations I used for Seeking the Dead and Playing with Bones and we had great fun when I took the group to Bedern (the little close off Goodramgate that was the inspiration for ‘Singmass Close’ in Playing with Bones) and read a particularly sinister section of the book out loud. I then travelled with the group to Harrogate where I met fellow writers Martin Edwards and Ann Cleeves for a pre-dinner discussion in the evening. We talked about why the North of England is so hospitable to the Mystery Novel and came up with many explanations, including the dramatic landscape, the ‘eventful’ weather and the humour of the residents. It was lovely to meet the American visitors and talk to them about crime fiction. I hope the trip has whetted their appetite for the North of England and they’ll return soon to see more of this beautiful part of the country.
And now it’s back to work. See you soon!
Early October 2011
Hello again. It’s difficult for anybody to settle back down to work after being away, and authors are no exception! But somehow I’ve managed it and the proofs of my next Wesley Peterson novel, The Cadaver Game have now been checked, approved and returned to my publisher ready for the hardback publication in February. It’s exciting to think it will be rolling off the presses within the next few months. For a writer there’s nothing quite like seeing your newly printed book ‘in the flesh’, as it were. I’ll be writing a lot more about The Cadaver Game and the inspiration behind the story closer to the time of publication so watch this space.
I’m also putting the finishing touches to my fourth Joe Plantagenet novel, Watching the Ghosts, which will also be out early next year. It’s very dark and spooky as usual, but more about that in the future!
The end of September and the very beginning of October saw a fantastic spell of weather here with temperatures up to 28 degrees. The weather was so good that we managed to have a barbecue with friends…and during the working week I was once more lured outside to work in my writing shed. I used to write in my shed at the bottom of the garden all the time while my sons, Tom and Olly, lived at home, but now they both have their own houses I’ve converted Olly’s old bedroom into a spacious office. The shed was a fantastic place to work in the good weather but in winter it was quite an effort to keep the place heated (not to mention the muddy walk across the rain-swept garden in the freezing cold) so it’s good to be able to retreat to an indoor haven. The new arrangement is also more convenient because I now have all my research books close at hand – as you can imagine, the historical stories I incorporate into my Wesley books take a considerable amount of research (not to mention the police and forensic angles as well) and the shelves in my office are pretty crammed!
Inside the new office and a view of the "shed"
That sunny weekend of October 1st was a busy one as I travelled up to Blackburn in Lancashire on the Saturday to speak at the library there. It was lovely to see so many readers there who had forgone an afternoon sunbathing in their gardens to come and see me. Many thanks to Angela Finch of Blackburn Library for organising the event. A lady in the audience reminded me that Blackburn isn’t too far from Pendle, home to the famous Pendle witches in the seventeenth century. I’ve recently been researching my next Wesley book (I began while I was down in Devon) and…well, let’s just say this slice of dramatic Northern history might fit in very well with an idea I’ve been toying with for a while. It’s amazing how much inspiration you can get from a chance remark or the discovery of an intriguing fact.
Last time I mentioned e-books and the publication of The Devil’s Priest. I’m delighted to say that it’s proving very popular and is attracting readers of historical fiction as well as crime fans. It was one of the earliest books I wrote and, unlike my Wesley Peterson books, which are mainly set in the present day with an historical background, The Devil’s Priest is set entirely in the sixteenth century during the reign of Henry VIII and I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out all the painstaking research involved. As I was concentrating on Wesley and his heavy caseload at the time, it was taken on by a small publisher and a few years ago it went out of print. Because I was busy with other projects, the book lay forgotten for a while…until the advent of the e-book revolution!
The initial idea for The Devil’s Priest came from the history of the church where I am a bellringer. Back in the 1530s, the Rector of Cheadle in Cheshire had a sister who was Abbess of Godstow in Oxford. Her name was Lady Katheryn Bulkeley and, as Abbess of a major religious house, she must have been one of the most powerful women in the land. In the course of my research I found letters written by her to Thomas Cromwell during the dissolution of the monasteries, in which she stood up for the rights of her abbey and her Sisters with a remarkable blend of tact and defiance. On the closure of Godstow Abbey in 1538 this feisty woman came home to live with her brother in Cheshire (where she died in 1559 and was buried in the chancel of the parish church where he was Rector). With such a strong historical character so close at hand I couldn’t resist giving her a fictional mystery to solve so at the beginning of The Devil’s Priest she receives word that one of her former novice nuns is facing deep trouble in the small port of Liverpool some forty miles away. Of course Lady Katheryn answers the desperate cry for help with dark and sinister consequences. The cover photograph of The Devil’s Priest shows the door leading to the chancel that the real Lady Katheryn actually ordered to be built – very appropriate!
A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to be asked by Martin Edwards to write a forward to the e-book edition of his seventh Harry Devlin novel, The First Cut is the Deepest. It was a book I particularly enjoyed with its authentic Liverpool setting and thrilling plot. While my first love will always be the proper, physical book you can hold in your hand, put on your shelf and share by lending it to friends, it is great to see so many wonderful books like Martin’s being given new life as e-books when otherwise they’d be unavailable to new readers. Technology does indeed have its uses!
Mid September 2011
I’m back from Devon now: I must say it’s becoming increasingly hard to leave each year. As usual I found the landscape and towns really inspiring and I managed to get plenty of interesting and gruesome ideas for Wesley’s next case! The weather wasn’t brilliant while we were there but nothing is ever wasted because I discovered what it’s like when the mist rolls across the hills and down to the river, enveloping the town of Dartmouth – very atmospheric and perfect for concealing terrible deeds!
We did a lot of walking while we were there including a five mile walk to Greenway, Agatha Christie’s beautiful home overlooking the River Dart. It’s a truly lovely spot and the comfortable house feels as if Dame Agatha and her family might return any moment. You can also take a walk down to the building which she used as the ‘boathouse’ in Dead Man’s Folly (although in reality the lower floor isn’t a boathouse but a Georgian bathing pool where the inhabitants of the house used to immerse themselves in river water for the good of their health).
While I was in Devon I travelled to Tavistock to speak in the library there. It was my first visit to the attractive stannary town and we travelled there over Dartmoor (passing the prison on the way). The journey brought to mind The Hound of the Baskervilles and it’s easy to see how the landscape inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story. However, we arrived safely in Tavistock, having avoided fearsome hounds, and I spoke to a welcoming and enthusiastic audience.
One piece of extremely sad news from Dartmouth is that the Harbour Bookshop, founded by Christopher Robin Milne (of Winnie the Pooh fame) in 1951 is to close at the end of this month. It’s a lovely bookshop with enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, headed by manager, Andrea, and whenever I’ve been in there to sign books it’s always been busy. I really wish all the staff and customers well for the future. The shop’s closure will be a great loss to Dartmouth and (as an author who sets her books in a thinly disguised version of the town) I’d like to thank the staff there for all the support they’ve given me over the years.
On a more cheerful note, one of the earliest books I wrote, The Devil’s Priest (an historical mystery set in Cheshire and Liverpool in the reign of Henry VIII) has now been published as an e-book. I know that it’s been greatly enjoyed by fans of historical crime so I’ve decided to make it available to my readers at a bargain price. Just click here to download it onto your Kindle. Hope you enjoy it.
Late August 2011
A couple of weeks ago I was really thrilled to get a lovely review of The Jackal Man in the Guardian. It’s amazing to think that the whole book was sparked off by a chance conversation with my son’s girlfriend, Becky, about the renowned Egyptology Department at Liverpool University and how, under certain circumstances, all those animal headed gods and death rituals can trigger an unhealthy obsession with a lost civilisation. Soon after that I visited Castle Drogo on Dartmoor and everything clicked into place, setting and plot.
The Jackal Man has certainly been keeping me busy and there’s been a lot of interest in the Egyptian theme. The day after the official paperback publication I did a very successful book signing at my local Waterstones and a lot of my readers, old and new, came along.
Recently I’ve begun to take an interest in gardening and I’ve even started to grow my own vegetables (perhaps it was writing The Bone Garden which featured the restoration of an ancient garden that sparked it all off!). It’s wonderful to be able to pick something from the garden and eat it soon after and I’m getting quite hooked (especially as my curly kale, onions, broccoli and cauliflowers are flourishing) so when I was invited to take part in a book festival at the Southport Flower Show, I said yes right away. I was sharing the platform with my fellow crime writer, Martin Edwards (whose book The Hanging Wood is the latest in a great series set in the Lake District) and we talked about our latest books and answered questions about our writing before looking round the show. It was a very enjoyable day – and the weather was kind to us too. Here I am with fellow authors Martin Edwards and Ron Ellis.
The day after Southport I travelled to Oxford for the annual Crime and Mystery Weekend held at St Hilda’s College. It was a lovely weekend with excellent talks and good company (and lots of wine!) As soon as I arrived I met up with Ann Cleeves who is working on her next Vera Stanhope novel. I love Ann’s Vera books and I can’t wait for the next TV series starring Brenda Blethyn.
Our days at St Hilda’s were fully occupied with many fascinating talks by my fellow writers. I spoke last year on the subject of ‘The Mask of Innocence’ about deception in the crime novel…and in life itself! This year the theme was ‘The Anatomy of Justice’ and the speakers included Andrew Taylor, Val McDermid, Cath Staincliffe and Frances Fyfield (whose talk on the medieval habit of bringing animals to trial for crimes such as murder and assault I found particularly interesting). All the speakers had thought provoking things to say about the law - and in some cases lawyers – and the conference concluded with a talk by Edward Marston on that ultimate lawyer, Rumpole of the Bailey…a fitting end for a great weekend (capably organised as ever by Kate Charles and Eileen Roberts).
It’s almost time for my regular trip to Devon to carry out some research for my next Wesley Peterson novel. But more about that soon.
August 2011
I seem to have been out and about a lot in July – a mixture of work and play. It seems to have passed so quickly.
On the 2nd July I went to the outdoor theatre at Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire with my husband and our friends. The production we saw was ‘And then there were none’ by Agatha Christie and it was a fantastic evening; lovely weather, a wonderful picnic with plenty of wine, and good company, not to mention an entertaining mystery, imaginatively staged and often played for laughs (each ‘corpse’ was led off by an actor dressed as the Grim Reaper!) Agatha Christie was responsible for getting me hooked on crime fiction so it was a perfect night.
On the 19th July I paid my first visit to Bodies in the Bookshop at Heffers bookshop in Cambridge. It was lovely to meet a lot of my readers there (and there were even early copies of the Jackal Man paperback to sign). It was Bodies in the Bookshop’s twenty first birthday and the event attracted over fifty authors (it was great to see a lot of old friends again!)
Kate With fellow author Lyndon Stacey at Heffers
My friend, the author Christine Poulson who studied and taught in Cambridge, recommended that we visit Kettle’s Yard, once home to Jim Ede, a friend to artists who created a beautiful setting for works of art in his peaceful home. So after a visit to Kettle’s Yard and a lot of other sightseeing, it was back home to Cheshire and down to work finishing the first draft of my next Joe Plantagenet novel.
The end of the month saw a trip to Formby on Merseyside for a book signing at Pritchards Bookshop. I visit Formby a couple of times a year, invited by the excellent manager, Tony Higginson whose enthusiasm for books is truly inspiring. Tony is moving the bookshop down the road in September (and renaming it Formby Books). I’m sure it will go from strength to strength. A lot of my readers came to say hello and get their copies of Jackal Man signed. We were so lucky that the sun shone on us…let’s hope it continues!
July 2011
It’s the holiday season at last and I know quite a lot of people who are saving up The Jackal Man to take with them for a good read on the beach. It’s out in paperback at the beginning of August - I really hope everyone enjoys it!
Talking of holidays, I recently took a break from writing to enjoy a few days in the beautiful city of Prague. It was my first visit to the Czech Republic and I certainly hope it won’t be my last.
Prague is a city with a wonderful atmosphere and a real enthusiasm for culture – as you walk through the streets you’re frequently handed fliers, not for nightclubs or special offers in shops but for concerts of classical music. It’s a city that takes its artistic heritage very seriously and one of the highlights of our trip was a four hour walking tour (when our sore feet were forgotten as we drank in the history and fantastic architecture). And talking of drinking things in, I can certainly recommend the beer as well. In recent years Prague has acquired a reputation for being a stag party destination (probably because of the aforementioned excellent beer) but I must say that the groups of British males we came across were generally very good natured. Even the Welsh rugby team sitting near us in a restaurant on a lovely medieval square gave us a song…and fell uncharacteristically silent when a naked model pranced up the street – but that’s another story!
On a more literary note, our walking tour did stop off at Prague’s main library, home to a very impressive ‘tower of books’ – I couldn’t resist having my photograph taken beside it.
I’m not sure whether I’ll give Wesley a trip to Prague (but I suppose if I did, it would give me a good excuse to go back to do some research). And it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve used a holiday destination as the inspiration for one of my books: a visit to the walled medieval town of Carcassonne in the Languedoc region of France inspired my thirteenth Wesley Peterson novel A Perfect Death. Or I might even feature Prague in a short story. Now there’s an idea!
Thinking of short stories, my husband, Roger, and I recently spent a lovely evening with fellow author Martin Edwards, his wife, Helena and other friends, dining aboard a canal boat as it chugged up and down the Macclesfield Canal. (Come to think of it, I can’t think of many canal-based murder mysteries - apart from Colin Dexter’s The Wench is Dead - but I’m sure there must be some) As well as being the author of two acclaimed series of crime novels (set in Liverpool and the Lake District respectively) Martin edits the annual Crime Writers’ Association short story anthology, to which I have made several contributions over the years. I love writing short stories as they give an author an opportunity to experiment with different historical periods, settings and crimes without the commitment (and hard work) of tackling a full length novel. A change, as the old saying goes, is as good as a rest.
I’m pleased to say that The Cadaver Game is all finished now and has gone off to be copy-edited. It’s always exciting to complete a new book. I’m also working on the next Joe Plantagenet book at the moment but I’ve not completed the first draft yet so it’s early days.
I’ve also been busy making arrangements for later in the month. On Tuesday 19th July at 6.00pm I’ll be at Bodies in the Bookshop at Heffers in Cambridge and on Saturday 30th July at 11.30am I’ll be visiting Pritchards bookshop in Formby, Merseyside to sign copies of The Jackal Man.
But more about all that next time.
Happy reading!
June 2011
Wow, May was a really busy month.
I’ve been working very hard on my next Wesley Peterson novel, The Cadaver Game and have just sent my revised manuscript off to my editor at Piatkus. I won’t say too much about it yet because it won’t be out until 2012……..but watch this space!
Earlier in the month I found myself involved in the world of archaeology once more, not as a digger this time but as an interested spectator. Last September saw an archaeological excavation in our village organised by the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit. The aim was to reveal the foundations of Cheadle Hall, a grand eighteenth century house and the result certainly didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, the dig only lasted for one weekend and I visited the site both days to see what was going on. The hall was reputedly built in 1756 by the Rev Thomas Egerton when he became Lord of the Manor, had seen many changes throughout its history, being used at various times as a home, a school for young ladies, a removals business and as offices for the Milk Marketing Board before being demolished in 1958.
However, as a crime writer, I was particularly interested in the period when a certain Margaret Watts lived there before moving to an even grander house next door. Margaret (or Madge) Watts (nee Miller) was the sister of Agatha Christie who was a regular visitor to Cheadle Hall and I was fascinated to see the foundations of the building emerging from the ground, especially the remains of a rather impressive bay window that Agatha herself might have gazed out of.
In May the archaeologists from the GMAU and SMART (South Manchester Archaeological Research Team) returned to show the people of Cheadle a film of the excavation (yes, I was there on film) and to display some of the finds including some beautiful tiles…that Agatha Christie probably walked on.
May also saw my annual trip to CrimeFest in Bristol. Staying at the Bristol Marriot Royal Hotel with a crowd of my fellow crime writers and a lot of wonderful and enthusiastic fans is a real treat. The atmosphere at CrimeFest is always buzzing and friendly and it’s great to meet, not only old friends but crime fiction readers who had travelled there from all over the world.
As soon as I arrived on the Thursday I hurried straight to my first panel – Once upon a Time: when the past comes into the present – which was moderated with great skill by Andrew Taylor. That evening saw a quiz held in the pub opposite the hotel and our team, The Queens of Crime (which consisted of myself, Ann Cleeves, Christine Poulson and Rebecca Tope, among other distinguished lady writers) came fourth out of…I can’t remember the exact number but it was a lot so we certainly didn’t disgrace ourselves!
Friday evening saw an author’s reception hosted by Severn House, followed by a most enjoyable dinner with Martin Edwards, Ann Cleeves and Michael Walters.
On Saturday morning I did an ‘In the Spotlight’ solo slot, talking about the perils and pleasures of writing two series – great fun. There was a gala dinner on Saturday night where I found myself in the delightful company of Dorte Jakobsen and Kerrie Smith (notable bloggers from Denmark and Australia respectively) and I returned to the north on Sunday, a little sad that it was over for another year. CrimeFest is certainly an event I’d recommend to all fans of crime fiction and I’ll certainly be booking my place for next year!
See you soon.
April/May 2011
First of all, welcome to the first entry in Kate’s diary.
Spring 2011 has been a busy time. February saw the publication in hardback of The Jackal Man, my fifteenth Wesley Peterson mystery. For a long time now I’ve been longing to write something with an ancient Egyptian theme, ever since I wrote a short story entitled Bringing the Foot back in 2002 for The Mammoth Book of Egyptian Whodunits. When my son’s girlfriend, who studied archaeology at Liverpool University, told my all about her department’s longstanding connections with Egyptology, lo and behold I had the seeds of a plot. I do hope my readers will enjoy reading The Jackal Man as much as I enjoyed writing it. Incidentally, the paperback is out at the start of August…just in time for the holiday season!
At the end of March my third Joe Plantagenet novel Kissing the Demons was published by Severn House/Crème de la Crime: another spooky mystery for Joe and Emily featuring a rented student house with a sinister past and a nightmare present.
A few weeks ago I stepped right out of my comfort zone and tabled a question at a meeting of my local town council. This was because of the serious threat to our public libraries due to government spending cuts. Some councils see libraries as fair game for cutbacks or even closure but I made the point that libraries are centres for our communities and wonderful resources for both leisure and learning. I often wonder whether I’d ever have become an author if I hadn’t developed a love of reading through visiting my local library (Allerton in Liverpool) from the time I was big enough to pick up a book. Libraries are worth fighting for and I hope all lovers of books will support them.
Every year I really look forward to the annual Crime Writers’ Association conference. This year it was held in early April up in Darlington. Not only was it a chance to see a lot of old friends (and make some new ones) but it was also a chance to learn a lot about crime investigation. We had fascinating talks by police officers and a forensic anthropologist (who deals with the study of human remains, quite akin to archaeology really so right up my street). We also visited Teeside University’s Forensic Science Department where various crime scenes had been set up for the students to investigate as well as a mock court room. A good time was had by all.
That’s all for now. See you for the next instalment next month!
Happy reading.