Crimefest 2020!!

If you’re looking for a Black Friday style deal for the crime fiction aficionado in your life, there’s only a few days left for the Early Bird offer for CrimeFest tickets.

Delegates have until 16 December to book a full pass for the four-day convention for just £165, when the price then goes up to £185.

The crime writing fraternity’s biggest convention, styled on the American model, returns 4-7 June, 2020. CrimeFest attracts hundreds of authors, readers and book lovers for a criminally good time in buzzing Bristol, hosted at the Bristol Mercure Grand.

Featured guest authors announced to date at CrimeFest 2020 are Laura Lippman, talking about her upcoming collection of essays My Life as a Villainess. Also featuring is Robert Goddard, this year’s winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s most prestigious award: the Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for authors whose careers are marked by sustained excellence.

The Full Pass includes a programme book, a delegate bag and admission to all events (with exception of the Gala Dinner, Crime Writing Day and Pitch an Agent). By securing a full, Friday or Saturday CrimeFest pass, delegates will have the option of securing a coveted place on the popular Pitch an Agent.

Pitch an Agent is your chance to pitch your novel idea to three superstar agents. 2020’s agents are Pitch originator Camilla Bolton from the Darley Anderson Agency, Sandra Sawicka from the Marjacq agency, and Hannah Sheppard from DHH Literary Agency. These agencies represent giants of the genre including Lee Child and Martina Cole. If you are looking for an agent, have not previously participated, and are not commercially published, then this is for you.

The CrimeFest website is updated with participating authors and attendees, so do check it out to see who you’ll be hanging out with - and the friends you’ll no doubt make!

Visit PITCH AN AGENT for more information or buy TICKETS.

Top Books for Christmas!

I'm very happy to see THE HIDING GAME as one of Easons Top Books for Christmas!!

See listing HERE

#books #christmas #TheHidingGame #reading #gifts

Unleash Your Dark Side!!

Do you want to start, progress, or finish that dark, delicious crime novel of yours?? Well, if the answer is yes, I'm delighted to be running an 8 Week Crime Writing Workshop with the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin this coming March!

I promise, I don't look nearly as moody as the above photograph!!

PLACES ARE LIMITED - EARLY BOOKING RECOMMENDED

You can book HERE

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Starts: Tues 3 Mar 2020

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Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Duration: 8 Weeks

Cost: €240/€220 Members 

About the workshop:

Learn the secrets of successful crime-fiction writing with bestselling and award-winning crime author, Louise Phillips. On this 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.

Many of Louise’s students have achieved great publication success, with some becoming International Bestsellers.

Louise Phillips is the bestselling author of five psychological crime thrillers. All five novels have been nominated for Best Crime Novel of the Year in the prestigious Irish Book Awards. Her second novel, The Doll's House, won the award. Louise’s work has formed part of many literary anthologies, and she has won both the Jonathan Swift Award and the Irish Writers’ Centre Lonely Voice platform, along with being shortlisted for the Molly Keane Memorial Award, Bridport UK, and many others. In 2015, she was awarded a writing residency at Cill Rialaig Artist Retreat, and she was also a judge on the Irish panel for the EU Literary Award. In 2016, she was longlisted for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library Award in the UK, and her first two novels, Red Ribbons and The Doll's House, were published in the US. Her latest novel, The Hiding Game, was published in September 2019 to critical acclaim, and was nominated in the An Post Irish Book Awards for Best Crime Novel of the Year 2019. 

TEN OF THE BEST IRISH NOVELS TO GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS!!!

SUPER, super thrilled THE GLOSS MAGAZINE has put THE HIDING GAME in the top 'TEN OF THE BEST IRISH NOVELS TO GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS'

And what fantastic company too!!!

Thank you Sophie Grenham of The Gloss!!

Read full listing HERE

Exciting News!!

YAY, thrilled to say there is some exciting news about THE HIDING GAME on the TV/FILM front on the way....so watch this space over the coming months!! #television #film #excited #thehidinggame

Shortlist for the An Post Irish Book Award - a fantastic crime fiction line up!!

Shortlist unveiled for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019, Ireland’s major literary event celebrating Irish writing across 16 categories, and I am super delighted that THE HIDING GAME is one of the shortlisted titles!!!

All votes are very much appreciated!! You can vote by clicking onto the link below!!

https://www.irishbookawards.irish/vote2019/

The shortlist features a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across sixteen categories, including Novel of the Year, Children’s, Cookery, Crime Fiction, Popular Fiction, Nonfiction, Sports, Short Story, Poetry, Teen and Young Adult and Irish Language.

The An Post Irish Book Awards celebrate and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year it brings together a huge community passionate about books – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians – to recognise the very best of Irish writing talent.

To tie in with the announcement of the An Post Irish Book Awards shortlist, the public are now being asked to cast their votes online for the best books of the year on the An Post Irish Book Awards website anpostirishbookawards.ie. All voters will be entered into a draw to win one of four €100 National Book Tokens vouchers. Votes may be cast until 13^th November and the winners will be announced at the gala ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin, Spencer Dock, on Wednesday 20^th November. Highlights of the awards event, presented by Miriam O’Callaghan, will be will be broadcast on RTÉ One television on Saturday 23rd November, immediately after the Ray D'Arcy Show.

Maria Dickenson, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, says: “This year’s shortlist is once again a terrific testament to the breadth and depth of Irish writing talent. The Irish Book Awards are proud to celebrate the diversity of Ireland’s rich literary culture, and the achievements of all that contribute to this success – including writers, readers, publishers, booksellers and librarians.
“It’s fantastic to see the continued growth of the Irish Book Awards, which reflects the deep love Irish people have for reading and literature, and it’s one of the major highlights of the literary calendar. Each and every category is packed with deserving authors, and we’re looking forward to announcing the winners on 20^th November.”

David McRedmond, CEO at An Post, said: “One of the best things about the shorter, colder days and approaching winter is the An Post Irish Book Awards and having more time to get stuck into lots of books from this excellent shortlist of exciting and diverse authors. This year, we want even more people of all ages and interests to read more books, more often so you’ll be seeing our #ReadersWanted activity and events in all kinds of places over the coming weeks and months. Good luck to all the shortlisted authors.”
This year, as the official media partner of the An Post Irish Book Awards, RTÉ has introduced the RTÉ Radio 1 Listeners' Choice Award. Five of the station's biggest names - Miriam O'Callaghan, Joe Duffy, Sean O'Rourke, Ray D'Arcy and Ryan Tubridy - have each selected their favourite book of the year, which they want readers to vote for; and all five books are by Irish writers.

Head of RTÉ Radio 1, Tom McGuire, said: "We are delighted to involve five of our best known RTÉ Radio 1 presenters in this year's An Post Irish Book Awards. All five are big readers and all have chosen Irish books. We are privileged to have such a strong pool of incredible Irish writers right now who continue to do great things and make us proud. RTÉ is thrilled to continue to provide a platform to further celebrate our great writers and storytellers and we’d encourage all our listeners to take some time to explore this excellent list and vote for their favourite.”

The An Post Irish Book Awards 2019 Shortlist for Irish Crime Fiction is as follows:

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

• Rewind – Catherine Ryan Howard (Corvus)
• Cruel Acts – Jane Casey (HarperFiction)
• The Chain – Adrian McKinty (Orion)
• Twisted – Steve Cavanagh (Orion)
• The Wych Elm – Tana French (Viking)
• The Hiding Game – Louise Phillips (Hachette Ireland)

For further information, please log on to the An Post Irish Book Awards website or social media channels:
anpostirishbookawards.ie
Facebook: @AnPostIBAS
Instagram: @anpost_irishbookawards
Twitter: @AnPostIBAS