Pauline Rowson's Blog, page 79
February 21, 2011
Pauline Rowson to appear at Crimefest 2011
I'm delighted to be returning to Crimefest in May 2011 at the Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel, UK and will be on a panel discussion on Friday 20 May at 9am. Crimefest is a convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. It is now one of the most popular dates in the crime fiction calendar and draws top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world. It follows the format of US conventions and includes interviews, panels, a gala dinner, and one or two surprises.
On Friday, 20 May between 9.00am and 9.50am I will be discussing Operation Petticoat: Jobs For The Girls? with fellow crime writers, Linda Regan, Leigh Russell, Aline Templeton and Ruth Dudley Edwards. We'll be talking about the role of women in crime novels and as crime authors, and no doubt lots of other things 'criminal' in between. All my marine mystery crime novels and thrillers are written from the male point of view and have a strong male protagonist with Inspector Andy Horton featured in my police procedural series and Adam Greene and Alex Albury in my stand alone thrillers, In Cold Daylight and In For The Kill, so it should be an interesting and lively discussion.
There is more information on my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk/
In for the Kill
On Friday, 20 May between 9.00am and 9.50am I will be discussing Operation Petticoat: Jobs For The Girls? with fellow crime writers, Linda Regan, Leigh Russell, Aline Templeton and Ruth Dudley Edwards. We'll be talking about the role of women in crime novels and as crime authors, and no doubt lots of other things 'criminal' in between. All my marine mystery crime novels and thrillers are written from the male point of view and have a strong male protagonist with Inspector Andy Horton featured in my police procedural series and Adam Greene and Alex Albury in my stand alone thrillers, In Cold Daylight and In For The Kill, so it should be an interesting and lively discussion.
There is more information on my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk/
In for the Kill
February 10, 2011
I'll be a guest speaker at the Isle of Wight Arts Festival in April
On Sunday 17 April at 4pm I will be talking about my marine mystery crime and thriller novels at the Isle of Wight Arts Festival, Ventnor - The Arts Festival by the Sea. I will be at the Royal Hotel, Ventnor. I'm delighted to have been asked to speak at this really exciting arts festival and I'm in such stunning company too, appearing alongside Barry Norman and Edward Fox, what more could a crime writer want?
Two of my novels are set on the Isle of Wight, In For The Kill, a fast paced thriller and Blood on the Sand, a DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel. Coincidentally the Horton crime novel I am currently writing is set around Ventnor and along the coast from it. My other marine mysteries and thrillers are set around the Solent area and Portsmouth.
More details to follow but for more information and tickets, which I believe go on sale next week visit http://www.ventnorfestival.org/ or my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
The Suffocating Sea: An Andy Horton Mystery
In For The Kill
Two of my novels are set on the Isle of Wight, In For The Kill, a fast paced thriller and Blood on the Sand, a DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel. Coincidentally the Horton crime novel I am currently writing is set around Ventnor and along the coast from it. My other marine mysteries and thrillers are set around the Solent area and Portsmouth.
More details to follow but for more information and tickets, which I believe go on sale next week visit http://www.ventnorfestival.org/ or my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
The Suffocating Sea: An Andy Horton Mystery
In For The Kill
February 7, 2011
Creating strong central characters
One of the essentials for a good novel is a strong central character, someone the reader can have empathy with, urge on, sometimes get angry and frustrated with and someone the reader can get close to and believe in.
I like heroes so I guess they have to be that, but heroes have flaws too, and can sometimes be reluctant heroes, they are human after all, and so too are my lead characters, to me anyway. Below is the background to my central character in the marine mysteries, Andy Horton. Later I'll look at what shapes Adam Greene in In Cold Daylight and Alex Albury in In For The Kill.
Main characters need to take control. They should not give in under pressure and should take an active part in solving their own problems. They can have faults but they change and grow throughout the novel. They make mistakes and learn from it. They have a cardinal quality and a trait/s that holds them back.
DI Andy Horton, the main character in my marine mystery crime series, is fearless in his search for justice but he's not one for conforming which means he runs the risk of being isolated in the police force, or worse losing his job. Being alone is his greatest fear, and yet he is alone. In Tide of Death, the first in the series, his marriage has broken up, he's living on his small sailing boat in Southsea Marina, and in this and subsequent novels he's in danger of losing his fight to gain access to his daughter.
The author also needs to know what has shaped his or her characters. What is their background, family, education and experiences?
In the Horton marine mysteries, Andy Horton's mother walked out on him when he was child. He's never seen or heard from her since and he never knew his father. He's been raised with the tough and the manipulative, rejected and hurt.This is what makes him self-contained, unable to completely let go. He's been betrayed once he doesn't want to be betrayed again.
And where will he be at the end of the journey? What will he have learnt? Has he changed?
At the end of each case, Horton has solved a crime, but along the way he has learnt more about himself, and his colleagues, their loyalties and ambitions. He's also moved a step closer towards discovering what happened to his mother when she left him in their council tower block to fend for himself, and it's not always what he wants to hear, each revelation reveals something about him and his past. He's left asking should he continue his search for the truth or is it a past that is better left alone? But already it is too late. He has to press on despite or perhaps because of what he has learnt and get to the truth.
For more about the marine mysteries you can visit my web site at www.rowmark.co.uk
Tide of Death
I like heroes so I guess they have to be that, but heroes have flaws too, and can sometimes be reluctant heroes, they are human after all, and so too are my lead characters, to me anyway. Below is the background to my central character in the marine mysteries, Andy Horton. Later I'll look at what shapes Adam Greene in In Cold Daylight and Alex Albury in In For The Kill.
Main characters need to take control. They should not give in under pressure and should take an active part in solving their own problems. They can have faults but they change and grow throughout the novel. They make mistakes and learn from it. They have a cardinal quality and a trait/s that holds them back.
DI Andy Horton, the main character in my marine mystery crime series, is fearless in his search for justice but he's not one for conforming which means he runs the risk of being isolated in the police force, or worse losing his job. Being alone is his greatest fear, and yet he is alone. In Tide of Death, the first in the series, his marriage has broken up, he's living on his small sailing boat in Southsea Marina, and in this and subsequent novels he's in danger of losing his fight to gain access to his daughter.
The author also needs to know what has shaped his or her characters. What is their background, family, education and experiences?
In the Horton marine mysteries, Andy Horton's mother walked out on him when he was child. He's never seen or heard from her since and he never knew his father. He's been raised with the tough and the manipulative, rejected and hurt.This is what makes him self-contained, unable to completely let go. He's been betrayed once he doesn't want to be betrayed again.
And where will he be at the end of the journey? What will he have learnt? Has he changed?
At the end of each case, Horton has solved a crime, but along the way he has learnt more about himself, and his colleagues, their loyalties and ambitions. He's also moved a step closer towards discovering what happened to his mother when she left him in their council tower block to fend for himself, and it's not always what he wants to hear, each revelation reveals something about him and his past. He's left asking should he continue his search for the truth or is it a past that is better left alone? But already it is too late. He has to press on despite or perhaps because of what he has learnt and get to the truth.
For more about the marine mysteries you can visit my web site at www.rowmark.co.uk
Tide of Death
January 31, 2011
Pauline Rowson explains how she writes her thrillers and her marine mystery crime novels
So I have the idea. I do some research. I work it up into an outline plot with a smattering of characters and then I start writing. This is when it gets messy.
1. The brain dump or free flow
First up is the free flow type of writing when I'm eager to bring the idea and characters to life by getting words and actions on to my computer screen as quickly as possible. Often these are not the correct words, the description is hazy, the characters not fully formed, the grammar and punctuation incorrect but there is something there that can be shaped later. This is what I refer to as the brain dump phase when I wish I could simply download words on to the computer without having to type them. The aim of this phase of writing, the first draft, is to get something written as quickly as possible.
2. The mixing and shaping
Second is the mixing or shaping phase when I go back through the novel (which might not yet be complete) and I move chapters or sections around because I realise they're not in the correct place. I might also ditch some chapters and characters or build minor characters up more, who, as the novel has progressed, have started to become more than just a walk-on part. I might even create new characters, or a sub plot might take on new meaning and significance adding colour and interest. Sometimes this second phase overlaps with the first. It's messy but gradually the novel begins to take better shape.
3. Next come the revisions
Once I'm happy with the first and second phase it's then time for revisions. Now I need to trawl through the novel to make sure that all the characters are fully formed and the clues are firmly planted and sometimes cleverly disguised; that all the unanswered questions are answered, the red herrings are in place, the setting and research are correct and it all hangs together.
After that it's final revision time, which involves checking every line of the novel to ensure that I've used the most appropriate words and phrases at the appropriate time and have not over used certain words. The computer 'find' function can be very helpful here.
I'm currently on phase three – the first revisions –of the next DI Andy Horton crime novel, number seven in the series. Now I am fleshing out the key characters, checking that plots, sub plots and clues all hang together, ensuring tension and atmosphere abound, answering all the unanswered questions and tying up the knots... I may be some time.
Footsteps on the Shore, the sixth in the DI Andy Horton Marine Mystery Crime Series was published in hardcover on 27 January.
You can read about all me crime and thriller novels on my official web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Footsteps on the Shore
1. The brain dump or free flow
First up is the free flow type of writing when I'm eager to bring the idea and characters to life by getting words and actions on to my computer screen as quickly as possible. Often these are not the correct words, the description is hazy, the characters not fully formed, the grammar and punctuation incorrect but there is something there that can be shaped later. This is what I refer to as the brain dump phase when I wish I could simply download words on to the computer without having to type them. The aim of this phase of writing, the first draft, is to get something written as quickly as possible.
2. The mixing and shaping
Second is the mixing or shaping phase when I go back through the novel (which might not yet be complete) and I move chapters or sections around because I realise they're not in the correct place. I might also ditch some chapters and characters or build minor characters up more, who, as the novel has progressed, have started to become more than just a walk-on part. I might even create new characters, or a sub plot might take on new meaning and significance adding colour and interest. Sometimes this second phase overlaps with the first. It's messy but gradually the novel begins to take better shape.
3. Next come the revisions
Once I'm happy with the first and second phase it's then time for revisions. Now I need to trawl through the novel to make sure that all the characters are fully formed and the clues are firmly planted and sometimes cleverly disguised; that all the unanswered questions are answered, the red herrings are in place, the setting and research are correct and it all hangs together.
After that it's final revision time, which involves checking every line of the novel to ensure that I've used the most appropriate words and phrases at the appropriate time and have not over used certain words. The computer 'find' function can be very helpful here.
I'm currently on phase three – the first revisions –of the next DI Andy Horton crime novel, number seven in the series. Now I am fleshing out the key characters, checking that plots, sub plots and clues all hang together, ensuring tension and atmosphere abound, answering all the unanswered questions and tying up the knots... I may be some time.
Footsteps on the Shore, the sixth in the DI Andy Horton Marine Mystery Crime Series was published in hardcover on 27 January.
You can read about all me crime and thriller novels on my official web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Footsteps on the Shore
January 24, 2011
New DI Andy Horton Marine Mystery Published This Week- Footsteps on the Shore
This week, 27 January, sees the publication of the new Inspector Andy Horton Marine Mystery Crime Novel, the sixth in the series, set against the backdrop of the Solent on the South Coast of England.Footsteps on the Shore once again features the rugged Harley Davidson riding and sailing detective, Andy Horton assisted by Sergeant Cantelli and often thwarted by his boss DCI Lorraine Bliss, and head of the major crime team, Detective Superintendent Uckfield.
Friday the thirteenth begins badly for DI Andy Horton when he wakes to find his Harley has been vandalized and his boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, has returned early from her secondment to HQ. Then, convicted murderer, Luke Felton, released on licence, is reported missing and a decomposed corpse is washed up in Portsmouth harbour. But before Horton can get a grip on either case, he’s called to a house where a woman he’d only met the day before has been brutally murdered. Is missing Luke Felton the prime suspect, or is it his body in the mud of the harbour? Horton is under pressure to get results, but things are about to get much worse for the beleaguered detective …
Footsteps on the Shore is published in hardcover by Severn House and is available from bookshops and on line.
It will be published as an e book later in the year.
You can read about the DI Andy Horton series and my thrillers on my official web site
Footsteps on the Shore
Friday the thirteenth begins badly for DI Andy Horton when he wakes to find his Harley has been vandalized and his boss, DCI Lorraine Bliss, has returned early from her secondment to HQ. Then, convicted murderer, Luke Felton, released on licence, is reported missing and a decomposed corpse is washed up in Portsmouth harbour. But before Horton can get a grip on either case, he’s called to a house where a woman he’d only met the day before has been brutally murdered. Is missing Luke Felton the prime suspect, or is it his body in the mud of the harbour? Horton is under pressure to get results, but things are about to get much worse for the beleaguered detective …
Footsteps on the Shore is published in hardcover by Severn House and is available from bookshops and on line.
It will be published as an e book later in the year.
You can read about the DI Andy Horton series and my thrillers on my official web site
Footsteps on the Shore
January 17, 2011
Choosing a location for the setting of a crime novel
I wrote the following article for the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Debut Dagger Award entrants. The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially. All shortlisted entrants will receive a generous selection of crime novels and professional assessments of their entries. The first prize is £700. The 2011 Competition will close on 5th February 2011. If you fancy a stab at it, and the chance to be a published crime writer, you can now submit the opening chapter(s) – up to 3000 words – and a short synopsis of your proposed crime novel. More details are on the Crime Writers' Association web site.
Choosing a location for the setting of a crime novel by Pauline Rowson
We all know that when choosing where to live location is an important factor for many reasons. It's also equally important in crime novels and believe it or not Sweden is not the only place in the World for setting atmospheric crime novels! While everyone seems to be obsessed with things Swedish there are many great crime novels set in various parts of the UK from gritty Glasgow to captivating Cornwall, and of course in many countries across the World. There is also marine mystery country, the location for my crime novels, which happens to be the Solent area on the South Coast of England. Here my rugged Harley Davidson riding detective, Inspector Andy Horton, pitches his wits against the criminal classes, which takes him, and others in the team, into the harbours of Portsmouth, Langstone, Chichester, and to the Isle of Wight.
Every known murder scene has a detective combing for clues. Every detective has a prime enemy - and it's not always the criminal. For the detective, the first enemy is often the crime scene itself. It is here that the battle begins to uncover the grim truth about the murder. And a detective's 'nightmare crime scene' has got to be a place where all the best clues could be swept away by the tide. There couldn't be a better place to set a crime story or perhaps a worse depending on your viewpoint.
For me it has many advantages. The sea is never constant. In one day it can change from being calm to turbulent thus providing a great backdrop for pace in a novel and great settings for a climax, which I’ve used in Deadly Waters and In For The Kill.
It’s also dangerous, misleading and evil like many villains, and although it can look safe on the surface underneath can be a sandbank, a rock, a wreck, a dangerous current all of which can cause havoc and kill and be used to good effect in a crime novel. The sea is also completely uncontrollable. No matter how much you think or wish you can control it, you can't but you do need to respect and fear it. In life sometimes you need to go with the flow and other times swim against the tide, the trick is knowing when to do which. My detective, Andy Horton, hasn't quite got it sussed, or when he thinks he has something happens to throw him completely off course, just as in life.
The sea provides great inspiration. Many of the marinas and harbours around the Solent are featured in my novels. I can't pass a boatyard, beach or cove without thinking there must be a dead body or a skeleton here somewhere.
The great variety of locations also provides diversity of scenes within a novel. Horton can be on a stony or sandy beach, at an expensive marina or a rotting boatyard, on the police launch in the Solent or crossing on the ferry or Hovercraft. In choosing a waterfront location such as Portsmouth I also have the contrast of a modern city with a historic one complete with a Roman Fort in Portsmouth Harbour; a nature reserve and sites of special scientific interest rubbing shoulders with modern tower blocks, as well as a diverse multicultural population, commercial ferry port, historic dockyard, fishing fleet and home of the Royal Navy – what more could a writer wish for?
But surely you must need to know a lot about sailing and the sea, I hear you ask? Well, actually no. In fact you wouldn’t let me loose on any boat and to be perfectly honest I am a terrified sailor. It’s the opposite case here of a little knowledge being a good thing. Sometimes the more knowledge you have the more you are tempted to show it and put it in your novels and in so doing you risk the danger of it ending up reading like a manual. The same applies to knowledge of police procedure. OK, so I need some knowledge of how the police work for my crime novels but if I explained exactly how a major investigation is run then it would end up reading like a police manual, it is FICTION after all. And if I explained every nautical detail then it would be as stagnant as sludge.
There are things that I need to know though and for this I draw on my husband’s expertise (an experienced sailor) and I consult navigational charts. For example, I need to know whether or not it is feasible for a body to be found where I have placed it and if the time frame is correct, which means consulting tide timetables and charts. If the murder occurred in the past then I need to know the tide timetables on that day. In Footsteps On The Shore I have a body on the coastal path on Hayling Island on 20 September 1997. So when a witness claims he saw someone suspicious on that day I need to know if the tide was in or out and what the witness saw. If he claims he saw yachts sailing in Langstone Harbour at 2pm and it was low tide then is he lying or have I got the detail wrong? That’s for me to check and for me to decide.
In Dead Man’s Wharf I have the dredger moored up at the wharf at the same time a body is discovered but the dredger can only navigate the narrow channel at Langstone Harbour on an incoming tide so timing is everything.
And it’s not only the time of the tides but the height that could make a difference to the plot or subplot. Can the type of boat the victim, suspect or my hero, Horton, is on board get into a certain harbour on a certain day at a certain time. How deep is the harbour? Does it dry out at low tide? If so then I can’t possibly have the police launch motoring in and out of it whenever it suits them. The reader will, of course, be unaware of this research and perhaps no one will ever check that I’ve got the details correct, but I’m banking on there being one bright spark who will crow with delight on an Amazon review if I’ve got it wrong, if only to show off their superior knowledge.
I don’t consider this research a drawback. On the contrary I enjoy it and believe it’s important to get it right, because if it is real to me then it will be real to my reader. Wherever that reader is, the heart of America, China, or the UK, close to or thousands of miles from the sea, I want them to be able to smell the sea, see it, feel it and taste it through the words on the page, and if I can achieve that then that’s what I call a good location and an atmospheric crime novel.
Footsteps on the Shore
Choosing a location for the setting of a crime novel by Pauline Rowson
We all know that when choosing where to live location is an important factor for many reasons. It's also equally important in crime novels and believe it or not Sweden is not the only place in the World for setting atmospheric crime novels! While everyone seems to be obsessed with things Swedish there are many great crime novels set in various parts of the UK from gritty Glasgow to captivating Cornwall, and of course in many countries across the World. There is also marine mystery country, the location for my crime novels, which happens to be the Solent area on the South Coast of England. Here my rugged Harley Davidson riding detective, Inspector Andy Horton, pitches his wits against the criminal classes, which takes him, and others in the team, into the harbours of Portsmouth, Langstone, Chichester, and to the Isle of Wight.
Every known murder scene has a detective combing for clues. Every detective has a prime enemy - and it's not always the criminal. For the detective, the first enemy is often the crime scene itself. It is here that the battle begins to uncover the grim truth about the murder. And a detective's 'nightmare crime scene' has got to be a place where all the best clues could be swept away by the tide. There couldn't be a better place to set a crime story or perhaps a worse depending on your viewpoint.
For me it has many advantages. The sea is never constant. In one day it can change from being calm to turbulent thus providing a great backdrop for pace in a novel and great settings for a climax, which I’ve used in Deadly Waters and In For The Kill.
It’s also dangerous, misleading and evil like many villains, and although it can look safe on the surface underneath can be a sandbank, a rock, a wreck, a dangerous current all of which can cause havoc and kill and be used to good effect in a crime novel. The sea is also completely uncontrollable. No matter how much you think or wish you can control it, you can't but you do need to respect and fear it. In life sometimes you need to go with the flow and other times swim against the tide, the trick is knowing when to do which. My detective, Andy Horton, hasn't quite got it sussed, or when he thinks he has something happens to throw him completely off course, just as in life.
The sea provides great inspiration. Many of the marinas and harbours around the Solent are featured in my novels. I can't pass a boatyard, beach or cove without thinking there must be a dead body or a skeleton here somewhere.
The great variety of locations also provides diversity of scenes within a novel. Horton can be on a stony or sandy beach, at an expensive marina or a rotting boatyard, on the police launch in the Solent or crossing on the ferry or Hovercraft. In choosing a waterfront location such as Portsmouth I also have the contrast of a modern city with a historic one complete with a Roman Fort in Portsmouth Harbour; a nature reserve and sites of special scientific interest rubbing shoulders with modern tower blocks, as well as a diverse multicultural population, commercial ferry port, historic dockyard, fishing fleet and home of the Royal Navy – what more could a writer wish for?
But surely you must need to know a lot about sailing and the sea, I hear you ask? Well, actually no. In fact you wouldn’t let me loose on any boat and to be perfectly honest I am a terrified sailor. It’s the opposite case here of a little knowledge being a good thing. Sometimes the more knowledge you have the more you are tempted to show it and put it in your novels and in so doing you risk the danger of it ending up reading like a manual. The same applies to knowledge of police procedure. OK, so I need some knowledge of how the police work for my crime novels but if I explained exactly how a major investigation is run then it would end up reading like a police manual, it is FICTION after all. And if I explained every nautical detail then it would be as stagnant as sludge.
There are things that I need to know though and for this I draw on my husband’s expertise (an experienced sailor) and I consult navigational charts. For example, I need to know whether or not it is feasible for a body to be found where I have placed it and if the time frame is correct, which means consulting tide timetables and charts. If the murder occurred in the past then I need to know the tide timetables on that day. In Footsteps On The Shore I have a body on the coastal path on Hayling Island on 20 September 1997. So when a witness claims he saw someone suspicious on that day I need to know if the tide was in or out and what the witness saw. If he claims he saw yachts sailing in Langstone Harbour at 2pm and it was low tide then is he lying or have I got the detail wrong? That’s for me to check and for me to decide.
In Dead Man’s Wharf I have the dredger moored up at the wharf at the same time a body is discovered but the dredger can only navigate the narrow channel at Langstone Harbour on an incoming tide so timing is everything.
And it’s not only the time of the tides but the height that could make a difference to the plot or subplot. Can the type of boat the victim, suspect or my hero, Horton, is on board get into a certain harbour on a certain day at a certain time. How deep is the harbour? Does it dry out at low tide? If so then I can’t possibly have the police launch motoring in and out of it whenever it suits them. The reader will, of course, be unaware of this research and perhaps no one will ever check that I’ve got the details correct, but I’m banking on there being one bright spark who will crow with delight on an Amazon review if I’ve got it wrong, if only to show off their superior knowledge.
I don’t consider this research a drawback. On the contrary I enjoy it and believe it’s important to get it right, because if it is real to me then it will be real to my reader. Wherever that reader is, the heart of America, China, or the UK, close to or thousands of miles from the sea, I want them to be able to smell the sea, see it, feel it and taste it through the words on the page, and if I can achieve that then that’s what I call a good location and an atmospheric crime novel.
Footsteps on the Shore
January 10, 2011
I'm in search of the South’s Best Young Crime Writers
I'm delighted to be the judge for the South Coast of England in a national competition organised by the Crime Writers' Association(CWA)to find the South's best Young Crime Writer.
Sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention, and supported by UK libraries, the winner from the south of England will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Writing Week, which starts on June 13.
The CWA represents the interests of published crime writers, and library authorities nationwide. The competition will appeal to writers aged up to 18 (born on or after September 1, 1992). Stories up to 1,000 words should be submitted between January 10 and February 18 through UK libraries. Participating libraries in my area are Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and West Sussex.
Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate at an awards ceremony in April while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize, which includes a selection of signed books from the UK’s top crime authors and tickets to CRIMEFEST 2012.
This is a great opportunity for young people to create their own murder mystery or thriller. Last year the stories were outstanding and it was a tough competition to judge. I’m looking forward to reading this year’s entries.
There are more details on my web site and a checklist on How to Write a Good Crime Story.
Sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention, and supported by UK libraries, the winner from the south of England will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Writing Week, which starts on June 13.
The CWA represents the interests of published crime writers, and library authorities nationwide. The competition will appeal to writers aged up to 18 (born on or after September 1, 1992). Stories up to 1,000 words should be submitted between January 10 and February 18 through UK libraries. Participating libraries in my area are Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and West Sussex.
Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate at an awards ceremony in April while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize, which includes a selection of signed books from the UK’s top crime authors and tickets to CRIMEFEST 2012.
This is a great opportunity for young people to create their own murder mystery or thriller. Last year the stories were outstanding and it was a tough competition to judge. I’m looking forward to reading this year’s entries.
There are more details on my web site and a checklist on How to Write a Good Crime Story.
January 3, 2011
Looking forward to a busy 2011
January kicks off with an appearance on Portsmouth Live TV on 6 January with Live at Five with Sally Cronin at 5pm. I’ll be chatting to Sally about my crime novels including the publication of the sixth in the Inspector Andy Horton Marine Mystery crime series, Footsteps on the Shore on 27 January. I'll also be talking about the forthcoming launch of the Crime Writers’ Association Young Crime Writers Competition 2011 on 10 January. Once again I will be the southern area judge for the competition and looking forward to reading the entries from budding young crime writers.
On 21 January I will be on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent at the crack of dawn, well it is to many people at 6.45 am.
Then on 27 January the NEW Inspector Andy Horton crime novel is published. Footsteps On The Shore is the sixth in the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery series and will be published in hardback by Severn House.
The 24 February sees the publication in Large Print of Dead Man's Wharf (the fourth in the Inspector Andy Horton series. It will also be published as an unabridged audio book and download early in the year, although I’m not sure exactly when.
In March Blood on the Sand is to be published in mass market paperback. This will please some readers who have e mailed me to say they can’t get hold of Blood on the Sand in hardcover or trade paperback; sorry these sold out but you’ll certainly be able to buy the new edition.
In April I’ll be appearing at some venues on the Isle of Wight where two of my crime novels are set. More details on this to follow.
Also in April, Dead Man's Wharf will be published in mass market paperback. The hardcover and trade paperback versions sold out so it will be great to have the new paperback version available.
April also sees the arrival of the London Book Fair, hopefully without the volcanic ash cloud which prevented all my overseas agents from attending in 2010. I will be at the London Book Fair on the 11th and 12th
On 30 April I will announce the South Coast winner of the Young Crime Writers’ Competition 2011 at an Awards Ceremony at Portsmouth Central Library.
Then in May I will be appearing at Crimefest, at the Royal Marriott Hotel, Bristol. CRIMEFEST is a convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. It is now one of the most popular dates in the crime fiction calendar.
From the 13- 19 June it is National Crime Writing Week. The Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain (CWA), of which I am a member, is organising a celebration of crime writing during the week. Members of the CWA will take part in readings, discussions, readers' group events and workshops all over the country.
I will be speaking at many other events during the year including the second Crime and the City, CSI Portsmouth event, probably to be held at the beginning of November. This was an extremely popular event in 2010 and I’m looking forward to taking part in it again with some of my fellow crime writers, forensic experts and Hampshire Police.
Meanwhile I am writing the seventh in the DI Andy Horton series, as yet untitled and hope to see publication of that during 2011.
For more news about my books and events keep your eyes peeled here or on my official web site www.rowmark.co.uk
Here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year and a peaceful, healthy and successful 2011.
Footsteps on the Shore
On 21 January I will be on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent at the crack of dawn, well it is to many people at 6.45 am.
Then on 27 January the NEW Inspector Andy Horton crime novel is published. Footsteps On The Shore is the sixth in the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery series and will be published in hardback by Severn House.
The 24 February sees the publication in Large Print of Dead Man's Wharf (the fourth in the Inspector Andy Horton series. It will also be published as an unabridged audio book and download early in the year, although I’m not sure exactly when.
In March Blood on the Sand is to be published in mass market paperback. This will please some readers who have e mailed me to say they can’t get hold of Blood on the Sand in hardcover or trade paperback; sorry these sold out but you’ll certainly be able to buy the new edition.
In April I’ll be appearing at some venues on the Isle of Wight where two of my crime novels are set. More details on this to follow.
Also in April, Dead Man's Wharf will be published in mass market paperback. The hardcover and trade paperback versions sold out so it will be great to have the new paperback version available.
April also sees the arrival of the London Book Fair, hopefully without the volcanic ash cloud which prevented all my overseas agents from attending in 2010. I will be at the London Book Fair on the 11th and 12th
On 30 April I will announce the South Coast winner of the Young Crime Writers’ Competition 2011 at an Awards Ceremony at Portsmouth Central Library.
Then in May I will be appearing at Crimefest, at the Royal Marriott Hotel, Bristol. CRIMEFEST is a convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. It is now one of the most popular dates in the crime fiction calendar.
From the 13- 19 June it is National Crime Writing Week. The Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain (CWA), of which I am a member, is organising a celebration of crime writing during the week. Members of the CWA will take part in readings, discussions, readers' group events and workshops all over the country.
I will be speaking at many other events during the year including the second Crime and the City, CSI Portsmouth event, probably to be held at the beginning of November. This was an extremely popular event in 2010 and I’m looking forward to taking part in it again with some of my fellow crime writers, forensic experts and Hampshire Police.
Meanwhile I am writing the seventh in the DI Andy Horton series, as yet untitled and hope to see publication of that during 2011.
For more news about my books and events keep your eyes peeled here or on my official web site www.rowmark.co.uk
Here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year and a peaceful, healthy and successful 2011.
Footsteps on the Shore
December 31, 2010
It's been an interesting and productive 2010
I've enjoyed writing and undertaking many speaking engagements and media appearances throughout the year. I've met some fascinating people and made lots of new friends.
As 2010 draws to a close I thought it appropriate to thank my many readers, my publishers, booksellers, agents, those who have supported me in the book trade and the media, and in the libraries across the UK, the Commonwealth and the USA.
Here is a quick round up and some of the highlights of 2010 which saw:
the publication of Blood on the Sand (number five in the DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime series) in hardcover and trade paperback with a great review from Eurocrime and Booklist in the States
the publication of Dead Man's Wharf (number four in the DI Andy Horton series) in trade paperback and a fantastic starred review by Kirkus in the USA
the publication of The Suffocating Sea in mass market paperback (the third in the DI Andy Horton series)
the publication in Turkey of the thriller novel In Cold Daylight
the sale of translation rights of Tide of Death and In Cold Daylight to China
the sale of unabridged audio book rights to Dead Man's Wharf
nineteen public appearances and talks throughout the UK
the hugely successful launch of Crime and the City, CSI Portsmouth event as part of Portsmouth Bookfest
several television and radio appearances
some wonderful readers and new readers
And the completion of the sixth DI Andy Horton novel Footsteps on the Shore which will be published on 27 January 2011.
All in all it's been a productive and enjoyable year.
As 2010 draws to a close I thought it appropriate to thank my many readers, my publishers, booksellers, agents, those who have supported me in the book trade and the media, and in the libraries across the UK, the Commonwealth and the USA.
Here is a quick round up and some of the highlights of 2010 which saw:
the publication of Blood on the Sand (number five in the DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime series) in hardcover and trade paperback with a great review from Eurocrime and Booklist in the States
the publication of Dead Man's Wharf (number four in the DI Andy Horton series) in trade paperback and a fantastic starred review by Kirkus in the USA
the publication of The Suffocating Sea in mass market paperback (the third in the DI Andy Horton series)
the publication in Turkey of the thriller novel In Cold Daylight
the sale of translation rights of Tide of Death and In Cold Daylight to China
the sale of unabridged audio book rights to Dead Man's Wharf
nineteen public appearances and talks throughout the UK
the hugely successful launch of Crime and the City, CSI Portsmouth event as part of Portsmouth Bookfest
several television and radio appearances
some wonderful readers and new readers
And the completion of the sixth DI Andy Horton novel Footsteps on the Shore which will be published on 27 January 2011.
All in all it's been a productive and enjoyable year.
December 22, 2010
A very special evening and a delightful one presenting prizes and talking to budding writers
Over seventy people attended the prize giving ceremony last night of the Wight Fair Writers Circle, Winter Short Story Writing Competition in Newport on the Isle of Wight.
I was very honoured to be asked to give a talk at this wonderful event and to present the prizes to the adult category of the competition in the Castlehold Baptist Church and new reception rooms in Newport.
I'm very grateful to Wightlink who generously sponsored my ferry trip across to the Isle of Wight from the mainland at Portsmouth. All proceeds from the competition, organised by Carol Bridgestock and the Wight Fair Writers Circle went to the Love Russia Charity, The Multiple Sclerosis Society and The Barely Born Appeal.
I was also delighted to sign copies of my novels, two of which are set on the Isle of Wight, a thriller In For The Kill and an Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel Blood on the Sand. The Suffocating Sea (another Andy Horton crime novel) is also partly based on the Island.
It was a great evening and I was thrilled to see so many young people participating in the competition and especially an overwhelming number of boys.
Before I attended the award ceremony I dropped into Waterstones in Newport where I met the manager, Paul and signed copies of my thriller In For The Kill. I was very proud and pleased to discover this is one of their most popular fiction novels alongside that of fellow thriller writer Robert Goddard. I promised Paul that I would return to Waterstones in Newport, hopefully during National Crime Fiction Week in June 2011, a Crime Writers' Association initiative, of which I am a member. More details on this and other events in due course.
Suffocating Sea, The
I was very honoured to be asked to give a talk at this wonderful event and to present the prizes to the adult category of the competition in the Castlehold Baptist Church and new reception rooms in Newport.
I'm very grateful to Wightlink who generously sponsored my ferry trip across to the Isle of Wight from the mainland at Portsmouth. All proceeds from the competition, organised by Carol Bridgestock and the Wight Fair Writers Circle went to the Love Russia Charity, The Multiple Sclerosis Society and The Barely Born Appeal.
I was also delighted to sign copies of my novels, two of which are set on the Isle of Wight, a thriller In For The Kill and an Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel Blood on the Sand. The Suffocating Sea (another Andy Horton crime novel) is also partly based on the Island.
It was a great evening and I was thrilled to see so many young people participating in the competition and especially an overwhelming number of boys.
Before I attended the award ceremony I dropped into Waterstones in Newport where I met the manager, Paul and signed copies of my thriller In For The Kill. I was very proud and pleased to discover this is one of their most popular fiction novels alongside that of fellow thriller writer Robert Goddard. I promised Paul that I would return to Waterstones in Newport, hopefully during National Crime Fiction Week in June 2011, a Crime Writers' Association initiative, of which I am a member. More details on this and other events in due course.
Suffocating Sea, The
