WHO KILLED EDEN MULLIGAN?

A MASSIVE CONGRATS to Sharon Dempsey whose novel 'WHO TOOK EDEN MULLIGAN' is out today! It's been getting great reviews and I for one can't wait to get reading, especially with the amazing blurb below.....

 ‘A dark, disturbing and gripping read ... Sharon Dempsey will be one to watch!’ Claire Allan, USA Today bestselling author

‘They’re dead. They’re all dead. It’s my fault. I killed them.’

Those are the words of Iona Gardener, who stands bloodied and staring as she confesses to the murder of four people in a run-down cottage outside of Belfast.

Outside the cottage, five old dolls are hanging from a tree. Inside the cottage, the words “WHO TOOK EDEN MULLIGAN?” are graffitied on the wall, connecting the murder scene with the famous cold case of Eden Mulligan, a mother-of-five who went missing during The Troubles.

But this case is different. Right from the start.

Because no one in the community is willing to tell the truth, and the only thing DI Danny Stowe and forensic psychologist Rose Lainey can be certain of is that Iona Gardener’s confession is false....

A creepy, gritty and very compelling crime novel, perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney, Angela Marsons and Jane Casey.

Irish Crime Fiction Panel at the Crescent Belfast!!

Belfast Book Festival always has a lot to offer, and one of this year's Crime Fiction delights will be a panel made up of five  Irish crime authors who will discuss how Crime Fiction reflects society, whilst examining how writing about traumatic events can be used to reflect and heal.

 

Crime Writers: Brian Mc Gilloway, Claire Allan, Andrea Carter, Anthony Quinn, and Sharon Dempsey.

 

 

Brian McGilloway is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin and DS Lucy Black series. Brian's fifth novel, Little Girl Lost, featuring DS Lucy Black, won the University of Ulster's McCrea Literary Award in 2011 and was a New York Times Bestseller in the US and a No.1 Bestseller in the UK. His new novel, Bad Blood, the fourth in the Lucy Black series, was published in May 2017.

Anthony J Quinn is the author of seven novels, including Disappeared (Mysterious Press, 2012, and Head of Zeus, 2014), Border Angels and Undertow (Head of Zeus November 2017). His debut novel Disappeared was a Daily Mail Crime Novel of the Year, and was shortlisted for a Strand Literary Award in the Us. It was also picked by Kirkus Reviews as one of the top ten thrillers of the year.

Claire Allan Author is a former journalist and Irish Times bestselling author from Derry. She has previously written eight women's fiction titles, published by Poolbeg Press. In 2016, she decided to make the leap to writing full time, and also to unleashing her dark side. Her Name Was Rose is her debut psychological thriller and it will be published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, on June 28. It will also be published in Canada and the US. Claire spent 17 years as a reporter for the Derry Journal.

Sharon Dempsey's crime debut Little Bird was released July 2017 with Bloodhound Books. She has published four health books. Sharon is working on the follow up to Little Bird, and a collection of dark short stories. Her contemporary women’s fiction novel, A Posy of Promises, will be published in June.

Andrea Carter has written a series of crime novels set in Inishowen. Death at Whitewater Church was published in 2015, Treacherous Stand in 2016 and The Well of Ice in October last year.

 

Date: 16 JUNE
Time: 14:00 – 15:15

YOU CAN BOOK TICKETS HERE

Why writing life doesn't have to be lonely!

I am delighted to have a special visitor to the Crime Scene blog today. Debut crime fiction author, Sharon Dempsey!
Her novel, Little Bird is published this week, and I know Sharon and her novel very well at this point.

I started mentoring Sharon last year, and it was a pleasure every step of the way. Little Bird is a terrific novel, and with a description from the great Brian Mc Gilloway of 'a dark and compelling tale from a thrilling new voice in Irish crime fiction...' you are sure to enjoy!

So without further ado, I'll hand you over to Sharon!!!

They say writing is a lonely occupation. All those endless hours in front of the computer, with only your cat for company. Well, my experience has been slightly different. From the start, I was fortunate to have best-selling crime writer Louise Phillips by my side.

When I began writing Little Bird, I knew I wanted to commit to the story, to see it through to the end. I also knew that the best way for me to do this was to be given a deadline. Once a journalist, always a journalist. I also needed to feel that my writing was worth investing in; that I wouldn’t be wasting my time. It was with this in mind that I approached the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and applied for the Support for the Individual Arts Programme.

Anyone who has ever applied for Arts Council funding will know that the process isn’t easy. I had to prove my commitment to artistic practice, to explain how the funding would be used, and to submit the beginning of my book.
When I was successful in being awarded the grant, it felt like a validation and that has been important in helping me to keep going. Plus, there was a deadline involved so I knew that I had something to work towards. 

I have always loved Louise’s books and I knew that she worked with the Irish Writers Centre, delivering creative writing workshops. My plan was to use the Arts Council funding to engage in a mentoring programme with Louise.
I sent Louise the first 10, 000 words of my manuscript to see if she wanted to work with me. Thankfully, she liked what I had written, and we began the process of developing our mentoring relationship over emails. This meant that I had an insightful reader early on; at every 15,000-word instalment, Louise read what I had written and offered her advice. She has been fantastically supportive, from giving me advice on character development, to picking up over-used words. I don’t think I would have completed the book without her encouragement. The final version of the book is quite different from that first draft but Louise’s editorial advice was so important.

By actually saying, I want to write and this is what I have done, I have been amazed at the community of support on offer. There are great book events to get involved in, from the Belfast Book Festival at the Crescent to the regular launches at No Alibis. Seek out your local writers’ groups; mine is Witches with Wolves. Tell people about your book and you will be more likely to finish it.
Engaging in mentoring with Louise offered me so much more than editorial feedback. It was about giving myself permission to say I am writing, and to encourage me be serious about my writing. To have a brilliant writer like Louise by side also means that my writing life has never been lonely.

ABOUT THE BOOK - LITTLE BIRD

An unmissable serial killer thriller

Forensic psychologist, Declan Wells, is dealing with the aftermath of a car bomb during the Troubles in Belfast, which has left him in a wheelchair. But that is only the start of his problems.

Welsh Detective, Anna Cole is running away from a dead-end relationship and the guilt of her mother's death. She hopes secondment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland will provide a distraction.  
There is a killer on the streets targeting young women and leaving behind macabre mementoes to taunt the police.
Can Declan and Anna work together to catch the deranged killer before he strikes again?

And is it ever possible to leave the past behind you?

Little Bird will be launched at the Crescent Arts Centre on 3^rd August at 7pm.

Links below

Twitter @svjdempz

https://1stchapterdempsey.wordpress.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=little+bird+sharon+dempsey

http://www.irishnews.com/arts/2017/07/27/news/-women-know-fear-and-menace-says-new-belfast-crime-writer-sharon-dempsey-1092493/