Writing A Series by Leigh RussellMany authors of series work out in advance how their protagonist is going to develop through each book. I’d like to say my own series was carefully planned in this way, but the truth is I never set ou...
Criminal Law In the Blood by Ruth ManciniIn the Blood was inspired by a real-life case. I was waiting in court one morning when a young woman was brought up from the cells. The charge was murder, the victim her newborn child. I’ve dealt with...
How Working in a Safe-House influenced my WritingAJ Waines chats to the CRA about the background to her latest psychological thriller, Perfect Bones. I can honestly say that when it comes to personal experience of the ‘criminal mind’, fact, for me,...
Get Ready for Killer WomenThe third Killer Women Festival is on 21 October in Brown’s Courtrooms, Covent Garden, London. Headliners include Mark Billingham, Sophie Hannah, Paula Hawkins, CWA Dagger shortlisted Mick Herro...
The Curious Case of the Pheasant and the Dog, by Peter TicklerWhere do you get your ideas from? Almost every author ever published will have been asked this question at some stage. And in the case of my latest crime novel White Lies, Deadly Lies, there are two...
Interview with Sarah Ward, author of The Shrouded PathThe Shrouded Path by Derbyshire-based author Sarah Ward is out on 6 September. She talks to the CRA about her new book. Q: This is the fourth novel in your DC Connie Childs series. Is it easier to...
Spooky fifteen-inch robot provides inspiration for Kate EllisEvery book begins with a flash of inspiration, something that triggers an idea and starts a plot flowing. The initial idea for The Mechanical Devil was a newspaper article about a sixteenth century ro...
Gallows Court by Martin EdwardsOne of the most exciting moments in a writer’s life comes with a decision to try something very different, a novel unlike anything one has attempted before. Writing a book in this way is also a scary...
An Appointment with The Wicker Man, by Charles E McGarryI sometimes wonder if Robin Hardy’s cult movie The Wicker Man holds a magical allure for me because I was born at the same time as it was being filmed. This is probably vanity, as the film, the grandd...
A macabre liturgy. A mysterious carving. An intriguing 200-year-old mystery. When Phineas Fox is asked to help with the music for bicentenary celebrations at Cresacre Abbey School, he does not expect...
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The CRA Newsletter: May 2019
The CRA Newsletter: April 2019
Case Files 37