For a variety of reasons, it’s been difficult over the last two or three years to commit to much – certainly with any consistency. Those reasons are no longer as prominent as they have been, so recently it’s been possible to plan ahead more than I have been doing. More importantly, it’s been possible to start agreeing to things that are book related. When I say that, I mean going to events, either as a delegate/audience member or as an active participant. (There’s also been the great thrill of doing my own writing pretty much every day and – please God! – I’m hoping I can make some announcements about the product of that writing before too long.)
In terms of the getting out and about, though, perhaps the first step was going to Chiltern Kills last year – a fantastic event and I’m looking forward to going again this October. Then I had the great joy of being invited to be on a panel at Manchester Central Library’s Crime Central. It was their Halloween special and our walk-on music was the theme from The Addams Family – not sure what that says about me although, thanks to some comments I made about my next novel, they closed with The Boys Are Back In Town. Result!
Looking ahead, though, I realised that I’ve started to book a few more things, and I spent some time last night updating my Events page. It’s not jam-packed, but it’s certainly looking a lot healthier than it was. If you take a look at it, you’ll see that there’s an emphasis on crime. Anyone who’s read my books won’t necessarily associate me with crime – not in relation to writing anyway – but crime has always been my go-to genre. Ravens Gathering and Carrion were, in at least one sense, aberrations. Good ones, I hope my readers will agree, and I may come back to writing similar in the future. In the short to medium term, though, crime will feature a lot more. Again, I’m hoping I can share more on that front soon.
So, as a delegate, I’ll be at Stockport Noir in little more than a week’s time. And I’m going to miss my grandson’s birthday for it, so it’d better be good. Four weeks later, I’m heading south (and missing my daughter’s birthday – there’s a theme starting here) to participate in The Darkside of Brighton. This time I’m on a panel. Indeed, I’m moderating it, though moderating dark stuff seems a contradiction in terms to me. Still, it should be fun. As should the rest of the day. I’m really looking forward to it.
Obviously, it’s always good to see other authors there – and I will be catching up with old friends – but chatting to readers is a big part of the fun as well. Mixing with people who love the same things you do is a great way to spend a day.
With that in mind, if you are within (relatively) easy travelling distance of Brighton on 8th March, it’d be great to see you. Tickets are currently on sale for the ridiculously low price of £25, but they will be going up in a few days’ time so now’s a good time to get in.
The image below shows you who’s appearing, but if you click on it, you can go through to the Facebook page for more information. For tickets, see the link at the bottom of this page. Who knows, if you come along, I might just be in a position to tell you what Thin Lizzy has to do with my next novel.
Darkside of Brighton Tickets