Crimefest 2013: Event Summary Part 3
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This is the 3rd and final part of a summary of the talks and panels I attended at Crimefest 2013 (click here for part 1 and part 2). I admit, I was at more panels than I’ve reported on, but as the weekend wore on, the sleepless nights got to me (combination on nervous anticipation of my own panels, and a baby not used to sleeping in a strange hotel room). As a result, I didn’t take as many notes at some of these panels than I would have liked!
SAT 1 JUNE
Crime & Crossover: Different Genres, Different Audience?
Colin Cotterill
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Dana Stabenow
Evonne Wareham
Participating Moderator: Kevin Wignall
WHO IS CONRAD HIRST? by Kevin Wignall
Moderator Kevin Wignall’s witticisms and comedic banter made this one of the most enjoyable panels I attended. To start, Kevin, who also writes YA horror as KJ Wignall, introduced the members of this very international panel.
THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE by Colin Cotterill
Colin Cotterill (have you checked out his hilarious website?) writes humourous mystery novels with supernatural elements set in Laos. Evonne Wareham writes romantic suspense, a sub-genre she said seems more popular and established in America than in Europe. Apart from writing crime fiction, Icelander Yrsa Sigurðardóttir also writes children’s fiction, and has recently released her first horror novel. Finally, American Dana Stabenow used to write science fiction before branching into crime.
Kevin then asked if there were any other genres the panellists would like to write. Evonne and Dana both said they would like to try writing something historical, whilst Colin joked that he’d like to attempt something erotic, with “Shades of…”
Kevin wondered if cross-genre authors enjoy wider reading tastes. Dana and Evonne both said they read anything. Yrsa enjoys horror, and Colin admitted that his work doesn’t give him time to read fiction. Rather, he reads a lot of non-fiction materials to research his novels.
NEVER COMING HOME by Evonne Wareham
Kevin then asked if genres are becoming less distinct. Evonne said that e-books are no longer shelved, and e-book readers tend to be more broad-minded, making them happy to try different genres.
Colin recalled how bookstores used to be confused as to where to shelve his books. He mentioned it was not long ago that publishers and awards committees used to dismiss any books with supernatural elements. But readers are getting bored with what their preferred genres have to offer, and are more willing to experiment with cross-genre books. As an example, classic crime fiction is an overworked genre, which is why crime novels with different settings (e.g. Nordic) are becoming increasingly popular.
BAD BLOOD by Dana Stabenow
Directing his question at Dana and Yrsa, Kevin asked if some of their readers have followed them cross-genre. Dana said her sci-fi fans have definiely crossed over to crime with her, and she recalled how she was given one of her old sci-fi titles to sign at a recent book-signing. She felt that publishers underestimate readers in that respect, when they balk at an author considering a switch in genres. Yrsa’s debut horror, I Remember You, became a bestseller in her native Iceland despite her being established as a crime writer.
Kevin asked the panel if readership differed across genres. Evonne and Dana commented that crime fans were more sedate. Evonne she recalled a romance conference whereby bare-chested male models milled amongst the crowd. Dana joked that it was better than having Klingons in the lobby. Yrsa didn’t notice a difference across genres, but rather across nations. Unlike in the UK, Icelandic crime fans seem more reserved. They say very little during a panel, and no one wants to ask the first question, but would rather speak with the author one-on-one after the talk.
“Are there any differences between writers across the genres?” was Kevin’s next question. Colin, after checking there were no literary writers or fans in the audience, commented, rather tongue-in-cheek, that crime writers are definitely friendlier than literary writers. Evonne, who is a member of both the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), said both are very welcoming. Dana, too, said that crime and sci-fi writers are both helpful.
I REMEMBER YOU by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Yrsa recounted a conversation with a professional photographer who specialised in author portraits, who claimed that crime writers were the nicest and most amiable, perhaps because they have vented all their anger and violence on paper. Ironically, the photographer said humour writers were the most depressing!
Finally, Kevin asked each panellist to recommend one book not in the crime genre.
Evonne recommended works by romantic suspense author Karen Rose.
Dana recommended sci-fi novel Jumper by Steven Gould.
Yrsa’s favourite horror read is Dark Matter by Michelle Paver.
Kevin himself recommended YA classic Holes by Louis Sachar.
Police Detective, Amateur, P.I. or Bad Guy — Who Makes the Best Protagonist?
Sheila Quigley
Jane Finnis
Nick Quantrill
Howard Linskey
Participating Moderator: Jake Kerridge
ln this panel, each author must make their case for their choice of protagonist.
Sheila Quigley, who writes Detective Inspector Mike Yorke in her Holy Island Trilogy, said that there is no questioning why her protagonist is snooping around the crime scene — it’s his job! With so many police detectives as protagonists, the challenge is making DI Yorke stand out.
Jane Finnis writes historical mysteries starring innkeeper Aurelia Marcella in Roman Britain. She stressed that writing an amateur detective is always more interesting as there is always something personal at stake, i.e. there is always a personal reason to want to solve the crime.
Nick Quantrill started off writing a detective novel, but it just never felt right, so he chose private investigator Joe Geraghty as his hero. As such, he is not constrained by bureaucratic procedure or decorum, giving his protagonist free rein in investigations.
Howard Linskey’s protagonist is one of the bad guys, David Blake, a white-collar criminal working for a gangster kingpin. There is always something intriguing ad almost sexy about the bad guy, and the fact that Blake has corrupt coppers on his payroll makes writing him all the more fun.
Major Cities, Major Crimes
K.O. Dahl
David Jackson
Pierre Lemaître (with translator Frank Wynne )
Barbara Nadel
Participating Moderator: William Ryan
This panel was all about setting crime novels in big cities. Moderator William Ryan sets his books in Moscow. Norwegian author K.O. Dahl’s stories unfold in Oslo. David Jackson’s Callum Doyle series is set in New York City. Frenchman Pierre Lemaître’s Alex is set in Paris. Barbara Nadel writes two separate crime series, one set in London and the other in Istanbul, Turkey.
It was generally agreed that crime novels set in large metropolises are more believable than those set in a rural setting (someone joked that in many of these mysteries set in an idyllic little village, the body count exceeded the population). So why does a city landscape generate crime? The following reasons were suggested:
Anonymity, both for the killer and their victim(s).
Crowding that could lead to friction and increased anti-social behaviour.
Not just a large population, but one that is constantly shifting, with people always moving in and out, hence making a killer harder to track, and harder to notice if someone’s gone missing.
A large population, especially of so-called ‘unsavoury’ people: prostitutes, drug addicts, the homeless, etc., people whose disappearance will not be missed. This raised a discussion of how the murder of a respectable middle-classed woman, for instance, will always generate more publicity than the murder of a prostitute.
SUN 2 JUNE
Fresh Blood: Debut Authors 2
Hanna Jameson
David Mark
Derek B. Miller
Kate Rhodes
Participating Moderator: Rhian Davies
Book reviewer, crime buff and keen supporter of debut and mid-list authors Rhian Davies introduced us to four new crime writers and their debut books:
At just 23 years of age, Hanna Jameson has published Something You Are — a story she wrote when she was 17 — to rave reviews. It is a thriller about a contract killer in London who falls in love with his employer’s wife.
David Mark’s debut novel Dark Winter introduces us to the enigmatic detective Aector McAvoy in the British city of Hull. When asked about his choice of setting, he joked that it is in response to the rising popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction– bleak, dull landscapes appear to be in vogue!
NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT by Derek B. Miller
Norwegian By Night by Derek B. Miller is something I’m keen to read: it’s about an 82-year-old ex-Marine and widower who moves to Oslo with his granddaughter and Norwegian husband. There, he witnesses the murder of a woman and rescues the victim’s 6-year-old son. As he tries to protect the boy from the gang hunting him, an unexpected bond forms between the two, even though they don’t speak the same language.
Finally, Kate Rhodes’s debut is entitled Crossbones Yard. It is about a body found in Crossbones Yard in London with markings similar to the signature of a pair of serial killers already behind bars. Is this the work of a copycat killer? It is up to psychologist Alice Quentin to find out. This, too, is on my to-read list, because I’ve actually been to the yard that inspired her title — on a location photo shoot, no less! (This was way back in the day before I hit the big three-oh!)
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The photographer used the blurred-out ribbons and offerings on the Memorial Gates as a colourful backdrop. Hmm … come to think of it, was he insinuating something when he made me pose in front of a graveyard for prostitutes?
Crossbones Yard is a medieval burial ground for thousands of prostitutes (for more information, see the website). Today, the graveyard is just a concrete-covered plot of land owned by Transport for London and earmarked for development.
Readers, would you read your favourite author if they wrote in a different genre? Are there any genres you wouldn’t read?Would you read Stephen King’s debut crime novel, Joyland?
Writers, what genre(s) do you write in, and are there any genres you’d like to try your hand in writing?
What’s your favourite kind of fictional sleuth?
Has this post helped you discover any new authors you’d like to read?
Come back tomorrow for a reflection of my panel experiences!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
