Louise Phillips's Blog, page 12

Strangely, this came up in my news feed today...RTE Inter...

Strangely, this came up in my news feed today...

RTE Interview for Crime Novel of the Year ...

Apologies in advance for my ridiculous attempt to cover my braces, and the subsequent lack of clarity at times....

LINK: HERE


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Murder & Mystery at Harrogate!!

This year sees a dazzling list crime writing stars taking part in the world’s biggest celebration of the crime writing genre. Lee Child author of the global bestselling Jack Reacher series will be chairing the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival which takes place 19-22 July.
Lee says: “I’ve been to all the festivals in the world and Harrogate is by far my favourite, so it’s a joy to be 2018’s chair."Most importantly for readers and authors, it’s a great chance to hang out and socialise in beautiful Harrogate with each other. Blockbuster author, John Grisham, will be one of the headline writers. The lawyer-turned-author has had nine of his books adapted to film, including The Firm, The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill.
Other American authors include Don Winslow, who has sold over 100 million books worldwide and Laura Lippman, a former journalist on the Baltimore Sun turned New York Times bestselling author, considered one of the most acclaimed novelists in America. There will also be husband and wife writing team known as Nicci French, and special guests also include Sophie Hannah, Linwood Barclay, Denise Mina, and Val McDermid. 
Val McDermid’s annual New Blood panel, will showcase four hand-picked debuts, one of which is Irish Crime Writer Dervla McTiernan for her novel The Ruin.
The festival opens with a day-long writing workshop, Creative Thursday, followed by the crime writing equivalent of The Oscars, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. The festival is well known for it's open approach, readers, fledgling writers, and established authors mingle in the hotel bar. Considered to be one of the most important events in the crime publishing calendar, agents, publishers, publicists, readers and authors attend from all over the world.For more information, including tickets, visit HERE

Irish Crime Files!!

IRISH CRIME FICTION, by Brian Cliff which was recently published by Palgrave MacMillan, will have it's official launch in The Gutter Bookshop on the 25th July. It is not only a must for the diary, but the book is a must for writers and readers alike. This book represents the first in-depth study of Irish Crime Fiction and its progression from wider Irish literature into a unique genre of its own, and Brian Cliff offers readers the chance to explore Irish crime writing from a fresh perspective, as well as posing important considerations for further study.

The book examines the recent expansion of Ireland's literary tradition to include home-grown crime fiction, and it surveys the wave of books that use genre structures to explore specifically Irish issues such as the Troubles and the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger, as well as Irish experiences of human trafficking, the supernatural, abortion, and civic corruption. These novels are as likely to address the national regulation of sexuality through institutions like the Magdalen Laundries as they are to follow serial killers through the American South or to trace international corporate conspiracies.

This study includes chapters on Northern Irish crime fiction, novels set in the Republic, women protagonists, and transnational themes, and discusses Irish authors’ adaptations of a well-loved genre and their effect on assumptions about the nature of Irish literature. It is a book for readers of crime fiction and Irish literature alike, illuminating the fertile intersections of the two. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!!

Irish Crime Fiction Panel at the Crescent Belfast!!

Belfast Book Festival always has a lot to offer, and one of this year's Crime Fiction delights will be a panel made up of five  Irish crime authors who will discuss how Crime Fiction reflects society, whilst examining how writing about traumatic events can be used to reflect and heal.  Crime Writers: Brian Mc Gilloway, Claire Allan, Andrea Carter, Anthony Quinn, and Sharon Dempsey.  Brian McGilloway is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin and DS Lucy Black series. Brian's fifth novel, Little Girl Lost, featuring DS Lucy Black, won the University of Ulster's McCrea Literary Award in 2011 and was a New York Times Bestseller in the US and a No.1 Bestseller in the UK. His new novel, Bad Blood, the fourth in the Lucy Black series, was published in May 2017.

Anthony J Quinn is the author of seven novels, including Disappeared (Mysterious Press, 2012, and Head of Zeus, 2014), Border Angels and Undertow (Head of Zeus November 2017). His debut novel Disappeared was a Daily Mail Crime Novel of the Year, and was shortlisted for a Strand Literary Award in the Us. It was also picked by Kirkus Reviews as one of the top ten thrillers of the year.

Claire Allan Author is a former journalist and Irish Times bestselling author from Derry. She has previously written eight women's fiction titles, published by Poolbeg Press. In 2016, she decided to make the leap to writing full time, and also to unleashing her dark side. Her Name Was Rose is her debut psychological thriller and it will be published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, on June 28. It will also be published in Canada and the US. Claire spent 17 years as a reporter for the Derry Journal.

Sharon Dempsey's crime debut Little Bird was released July 2017 with Bloodhound Books. She has published four health books. Sharon is working on the follow up to Little Bird, and a collection of dark short stories. Her contemporary women’s fiction novel, A Posy of Promises, will be published in June.

Andrea Carter has written a series of crime novels set in Inishowen. Death at Whitewater Church was published in 2015, Treacherous Stand in 2016 and The Well of Ice in October last year. Date: 16 JUNE
Time: 14:00 – 15:15YOU CAN BOOK TICKETS HERE

Shortlist Announced for Crime Novel of the Year Old Theakston Festival 2018!!

THEAKSTON FESTIVAL ROUNDS UP SIX SUSPECTS ON CRIME NOVEL AWARD SHORTLIST


The shortlist for crime writing’s most wanted accolade, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, has been announced.
The shortlisted six were whittled down from a longlist of 18 titles. The prize, created to celebrate the very best in crime fiction, was open to UK and Irish crime authors whose novels were published in paperback from 1 May 2017 to 30 April 2018.
The shortlist in full:
Mick Herron, Spook StreetVal McDermid, Insidious IntentDenise Mina, The Long DropAbir Mukherjee, A Rising ManStav Sherez, The IntrusionsSusie Steiner, Persons UnknownVal McDermid, Susie Steiner, and Mick Herron return as contenders after being shortlisted in 2017, the year Chris Brookmyre took the winning accolade.

Mick Herron’s espionage thriller, Spook Street, is the fourth in his award-winning Jackson Lamb series. His acclaimed series is based on an MI5 department of ‘rejects’ – intelligent services’ misfits and screw-ups. Herron’s writing was praised by critic Barry Forshaw for ‘the spycraft of le Carré refracted through the blackly comic vision of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22.’

Val McDermid’s Insidious Intent features DCI Carol Jordan and Tony Hill, two of the most iconic characters in crime fiction. The LA Times said it was a novel that ‘shows Val McDermid deserves her Queen of Crime crown’. McDermid last received the Novel of the Year accolade in 2006.

Denise Mina could make it a hat-trick after winning the award in 2012 and 2013, she is the only author to date to have won the Novel of the Year in two consecutive years.The Long Drop has already attracted a wealth of awards; Mina was the first woman to win The McIlvanney Prize for The Long Drop.

Abir Mukherjee is the only author on the shortlist for a debut novel. A Rising Man, saw Abir Mukherjee picked as a 2016 New Blood author by Val McDermid at the Festival. She hailed it as, ‘One of the most exciting debut novels I’ve read in years.’ It too has won awards, including the CWA Historical Dagger. His sequel in the Sam Wyndham series is A Necessary Evil.

The Intrusions by Stav Sherez was a 2017 Guardian and Sunday Times book of the year, dubbed ‘A Silence of the Lambs for the internet age’ by Ian Rankin. The book was acclaimed by critics for its echoes of Emile Zola and influences from Graham Greene to Dostoyevsky.

Former Guardian journalist Susie Steiner’s first crime novel introduced Detective Manon Bradshaw in Missing, Presumed, a Sunday Times bestseller. Her follow up,Persons Unknown, a Richard and Judy book club pick, has attracted huge critical acclaim.
The 2018 Award is run in partnership with title sponsor T&R Theakston Ltd, WHSmith, and The Mail on Sunday.

2018 marks the 14th year of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award.
Executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “The shortlisted authors are already rich in awards, but there’s only one Novel of the Year, so it will be fascinating to see which of these remarkable titles prevails - all are simply outstanding.”
The overall winner will be decided by the panel of Judges, alongside a public vote. The public vote opens on 1 July and closes 14 July at www.theakstons.co.uk.

Helen Donkin, Literature Festival Manager at Harrogate International Festivals, said: “The public’s vote is incredibly important. It’s the readers that have real power when it comes to judging a book’s worth, so I’d encourage everyone to make their voice heard – it’s free and simple to vote online.”

The winner will be announced at an award ceremony hosted by broadcaster Mark Lawson on 19 July on the opening night of the 16th Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. The winner will receive a £3,000 cash prize, as well as a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.

THE DOLL'S HOUSE - MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE...AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK!

A comprehensive review of THE DOLL'S HOUSE from MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE in the US, described as the oldest, largest, and most authoritative guide to the crime fiction genre.

You can read the full juicy review HERE . I really should consider writing more cheerful stuff!

I paraphrase here of course, but I also appreciate both the positives and negatives within...


THE DOLL'S HOUSE by LOUISE PHILLIPS..
“If you’re looking for an intricate, multi-layered mystery, I suggest you pick up a copy of Louise Phillips’ The Doll’s House….an extraordinary book, the prose is elegant, and filled with insight....”

BOOKBUB - THE DOLL'S HOUSE PROMOTION!!

THE DOLL'S HOUSE is currently under a BOOKBUB PROMOTION, and is currently ranked at #323 in ALL KINDLE BOOKS....

You can visit Bookbub HERE

(PLEASE NOTE, this promotion is not currently available in Ireland or the UK)

#HAPPY #READING

Let the Monsters Loose!!!

Starting next Thursday, 17th May, 8 Weeks at the Irish Writers Centre, 6.30 - 8.30, I'll be talking about getting the reader to care and letting the monsters loose, among other things :-)....see info below - ONLY A FEW PLACES LEFT!!.Learn the secrets of successful crime-fiction writing with bestselling and award-winning crime author Louise Phillips. During the course, participants will receive in-depth analysis of all aspects of great crime fiction, including the creation of memorable characters, planning, pace, dialogue, and narration. Editorial critique throughout will help sharpen your creative voice, alongside information on today’s publishing industry, and how best to get that elusive agent/publishing deal. Many of Louise’s students have achieved publication success, including authors who have gone on to become International Bestsellers.Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm Duration: 8 Weeks Cost: €220/€200 MembersLouise Phillips is the author of four bestselling psychological crime thrillers all of which were nominated for the Best Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her second novel, The Doll’s House, won the award in 2013. A recipient of both arts bursaries and residencies for literature and longlisted for the UK CWA Dagger in the Library Award, she has also been a judge on the Irish Panel for the EU Literary Award. In 2016 and 2017, her first two novels were published to critical acclaim in the US, and she is currently working on her latest novel, Skating Pond.Here's What Other Writers Thought:Louise Phillips knows what makes a good story - and has proved it by writing several bestselling crime novels. In this workshop, she imparts the literary knowledge and practical skills learned along the way. –Eoghan EganI would have liked the course to be longer, but that’s only because I enjoyed it so much. The two hours each class felt like ten minutes it was that good. –Samantha McGarryFor Booking Information Visit HERE

Twisty & Complicated!!

So this came from the Editor regarding SKATING POND!! Super excited....roll on copy edits!!

"This is the sound of my cap being doffed as the script is fantastic. You’ve done an incredible job. You’ve tackled this with a ferocity that can only be admired – and you’ve nailed it. It is so compelling now, so twisty and complicated, with the reader being sent off in different directions, and then brought back at the end to the truth. A really excellent story that you’ve woven together with skill and controlled pace. I know it hasn’t been easy, but it’s been absolutely worth it for such a tight, memorable story. Time for you to have a very well-earned glass of wine! Toast yourself – because it really is some achievement. Others would have cracked under the challenge, but you didn’t falter. I look forward to starting copy edits soon."

#skatingpond #editing #writing #editorialfeedback

Harrogate Crime Festival 2018 Killer Line up!!

The full line-up of the world’s biggest celebration of the crime genre has been unveiled at an exclusive London launch party.Lee Child, Programming Chair of the 2018 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, flew in from New York to host the party with arts charity, Harrogate International Festivals, which delivers the annual festival hosted annually at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.Alongside authors, editors, publishers and agents attending The Hospital Club in Covent Garden, supporters and patrons of Harrogate International Festivals are expected to attend.Lee Child, author of the global bestselling Jack Reacher series, will head up an American invasion to Harrogate this summer.A Reacher novel is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. Published in over one hundred territories, Lee Child’s novels have been adapted to two Hollywood films starring Tom Cruise. Lee will be in conversation with John Grisham, a name synonymous with the modern legal thriller.Other American authors include Don Winslow, who has sold over 100 million books worldwide and Laura Lippman, a former journalist on the Baltimore Sun turned New York Times bestselling author, considered one of the most acclaimed novelists in America.The festival takes place 19-22 July at Agatha Christie’s old haunt, The Old Swan Hotel.Lee Child said: “I’ve been to all the festivals in the world and Harrogate is by far my favourite, so it’s a joy to be 2018’s chair. For authors, it’s a chance to hang out and socialise in beautiful Harrogate, and more crucially we get to meet the most important people – our readers. Crime writers deal with some of the biggest issues of our times, so I promise our incredible line-up will inspire thought and debate. I love it because this festival also has such warmth and camaraderie – it’s the most fun book event out there.”Special Guests also include Linwood Barclay, Denise Mina, Sophie Hannah, Nicci French, and Festival co-founder Val McDermid, who will be in conversation with Professor Dame Sue Black, director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University. Val McDermid has unveiled her four ‘New Blood’ debut crime novelists for 2018, which is one of the most anticipated events in publishing, and will showcase four hand-picked debuts from the Queen of Crime: The chosen authors are Stuart Turton, CJ Tudor, Will Dean, and Irish author Dervla McTiernan – READ MORE HERESimon Theakston, Executive Director of T&R Theakstons and title sponsor, said: “The crime genre dominates more than ever. There’s huge thirst for the genre’s moral framework where usually, justice prevails, proven by the fact our chair this year, Lee Child, is a hero to millions of readers. I’m delighted, as 2018’s festival looks even bigger and better than ever, our celebration of the genre is no doubt the best in the world.”The Festival opens with a day-long writing workshop, Creative Thursday, followed by the crime writing equivalent of The Oscars, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.Festival goers will join the world’s most celebrated crime authors in conversation, in action and in the bar, including panel events with Alafair Burke, Karen Cleveland, AA Dhand, Gregg Hurwitz, Simon Mayo, Chris Brookmyre, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ann Cleeves and Eva Dolan. There’ll be a Late Night Event with BBC’s Pointless star, Richard Osman, and stand-up turned crime author, Mark Billingham.Established in 2003 by Val McDermid, agent Jane Gregory and arts charity Harrogate International Festivals, 2018 marks the 16th Festival.Famed for its no barriers approach, fans, fledgling writers and established superstar authors mingle in the hotel bar. It is one of the most important events in the crime publishing calendar. Agents, publishers, publicists, readers and authors attend from all over Europe and the world. Tickets for all events go on sale Monday 23rd April, 10am. Box office: 01423 562303  harrogateinternationalfestivals.com