‘To F or not to F… that is the question’ by David JewellSo it’s finally out and in print. Death Rattle. The debut novel of a new and nervous crime writing author. So what happens now? Well… Next come the reviews. I begin to feel like the writer of a new p...
‘Battling with the Muse’ by Diane M. DicksonI believe in The Muse. I am one hundred per cent convinced that there is a magic force that guides artistic endeavour. For interest mine is female, taller than me with longer, curlier, blonder hair, f...
‘Doing the homework’ by Andrew BibbyYou mean, you do research for your novels? I understand very well why some readers may pose this question. Non-fiction books, fairly obviously, need to be carefully researched. Nobody, I’m sure, woul...
A new short story anthology with a difference celebrates short stories from the archives of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). Vintage Crime gathers gems from the mid 1950s, when the CWA began, unt...
Battling with the Muse, by Diane M DicksonI believe in The Muse. I am one hundred per cent convinced that there is a magic force that guides artistic endeavour. For interest mine is female, taller than me with longer, curlier, blonder hair, f...
Author in Lockdown: Merryn AllinghamPlease tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I currently write what might be called traditional crime. It’s historical—the Tremayne Mysteries Series is set in the 1950s—and I have a...
We are Spartacus: the Publishing Industry and Race, by Vaseem KhanAs one of only a handful of non-white authors on the British crime fiction map, I thought it might be worthwhile spending a moment reflecting on the worldwide rebalancing touched off by the George Flo...
Location, Location, Location by Graham MinettJust recently I read CJ Carver’s latest (and highly enjoyable) thriller The Snow Thief, which is set in Tibet. On the sleeve of the book was a note to the effect that she had been inspired to write th...
CWA authors contribute to NHS charity anthologyA dozen CWA authors have joined forces with Newcastle-Upon-Tyne based literary group, Noir at the Bar, to publish a collection of short, fictional crime stories to raise funds for NHS Charities Togeth...
The Pleasure of Rereading, by Sheila MitchellH.R.F. Keating was one of the great pillars of British crime writing in the twentieth century; he was a crime fiction critic for decades, President of the Detection Club, Chairman of the CWA, Fellow o...
Lemonade, With A Cherry On Top , by Cathy Ace(Or, How Lockdown Celebrations Can Be “Fun”!) 2020 was always going to be a Big Year for me. I was going to celebrate my 60th birthday in style: husband and I would relax on a cruise around the Caribb...
Book Clubs and Covid-19, by Andy GriffeeTiller Thriller author Andy Griffee describes a close encounter with a book club. In the year BC (Before Coronavirus) a neighbour ambushed me at our farm shop. Would I join her and her lady friends at...
Golden Inspiration, by Victoria DowdThe so-called cosy mystery is a staple of crime fiction. From Agatha Christie to M.C. Beaton, we can’t get enough of village life with the occasional body thrown in. For me, the Golden Age shone with...
The 2020 CWA Diamond Dagger Winner InterviewAward-winning historical novelist Andrew Taylor, holder of the Diamond Dagger himself in 2009, interviews the CWA’s Diamond Dagger in 2020: renowned editor, versatile writer of fiction and non-fiction...
What Did You Do in the Crisis, Detective? – by Jason MonaghanI’m currently writing a novel set in the 1930s. An immediate question in creating a character is ‘what did they do in the Great War?’ A man over the age of 30 would have seen military service or have...
Applications of Suspense Techniques in “Night Train for Berlin” – by William Burton McCormickI’ve always had a love of European thrillers set during or just before World War II. I read The Guns of Navarone and its sequel Force Ten from Navarone when I was eleven years old, absorbing every wor...
Short story writing – by Alex ChaudhuriMay 1 sees the publication of a thrilling new collection of crime stories by ten of indie publisher Lume Books’ (formerly Endeavour Media) best crime writers. The anthology, Given in Evidence, featur...
Coronavirus and Creativity, by Antony Johnston‘Self-isolate? You mean stay indoors, don’t leave the house, and don’t socialise with anyone? Why, I’ve been practising for this my whole life!’ Every author has cracked some form of this joke over th...
Ready for an Armchair Road Trip? (Not coming to a screen near you just yet!) by B E Jones‘I’d love to see a draft of the script when there is one,’ I said, trying not to get over excited as I sipped a glass of London’s alarmingly expensive red wine. I was fresh off the 10.05 train from Ca...
Mystery for Golden Age Fans from CWA Diamond Dagger Winner Martin EdwardsThe CWA’s decision to award me the Diamond Dagger for 2020 is a huge honour. I’m so thrilled; I can still hardly believe it. Among other things, it’s a massive fillip to morale, and all writers benefi...
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The CRA Newsletter: August 2020
Case Files 45
The CRA Newsletter: July 2020