Out and about...
It's been a very busy spring for me and all writing related. Having dealt with the copy edits of Murder in Bloom I headed off to fabulous Regency Brighton on the south coast of the England and although it’s only about twenty miles from me, it’s an awkwardish journey.
Although I live within a quarter of a mile of our local railway station, following short-sighted cutbacks many years ago, I now have to take a taxi or bus across to my nearest town and take a train from there.
My daughter was at Sussex University so I know Brighton reasonably well, but conferences are packed weekends and apart from a quick breath of (very) fresh air, I didn’t see much!
The first person who called my name was Evonne Wareham, also a former romance writer, and I had a quick hug from Heidi Rice whose husband was speaking on the true crime panel. It was a totally new experience for me, but the crime writers were incredibly friendly and welcoming and I had a really good time.
That conference was all about the writers, but then in May I travelled to Bristol for CRIMEfest.
I booked my train tickets well in advance but the Great Western were on strike that day and I had to get there by bus. It was a lot cheaper but without the room to work. And again, I was constantly bumping into romance writers I’d known for years. There is a lot of cross-over these days.
Meeting Readers and Writers
CRIMEfest is an event for both writers and readers. On the first morning I shared my breakfast table with Martina, a charming lady and lover of crime fiction, who'd flown in from Austria to hear the authors she loves talking about their latest books and about their writing life.
This is us at the end of a very busy weekend, suitcases packed, loaded with books and waiting for our taxis!
Panels
Terrifyingly, I had been asked not just to appear on a panel, but to moderate one.
The first was An Absence of Malice: the lighter side of cozy crime fiction - with Linda Mather, Alice Bell, T E Kinsey and Simon Brett.
It was my first time moderating a panel -- this was my "do something that scares you" moment -- and they were all very kind to me. And Simon -- teasing -- gave me the opportunity to offer a stout rebuttal of the crime writers' constant refrain - "If you want to be stabbed in the back, go to the romantic novelists conference..."
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| Liz Fielding, Alex Stone, Felix Francis, Alex Shaw |
The other panel was with Felix Francis, (son of Dick Francis). It was fascinating to hear how he came to take up the reins of his father’s writing legacy. Dick’s publishers asked if they could invite another author to continue the books in order to keep his in print. Felix wasn’t against the idea, but asked if he could have a go first. The rest is history!
Other panellists were Alex Stone, Alex Shaw and Michael Stanley (who is in fact two people, but this is Stanley!) on the subject of moral dilemma in crime fiction -- something that Abby Finch was faced with in the Murder Among the Roses, my first Maybridge Murder Mystery.
I went to several other panels -- although with three running at the same time, it was sometimes hard to choose, especially when friends were appearing on different panels at the same time – and we all played hooky on Saturday to have lunch together.
I was particularly impressed with the Whose story?: Representation , Diversity and Inclusion in Crime Fiction panel and the chance to listen to Christy Newport - who won the Joffe author prize in 2023 - and meet up with her at our publisher's dinner on Friday evening. I can't wait to read her prize winning book, The Raven's Mark.
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| Christy Newport |
And there were stars.
The writers at the festival were at all levels in their career. Many were just at the beginning, some were there just to listen, but some were mega stars like Lynda La Plante, who this year is the recipient of the Crime Writer's Association Diamond Dagger for her contribution to the genre. Ditto James Lee Burke (via zoom), Laura Lippman and Denise Mina.
I’m now sticking to my desk until October when I go on my annual writing retreat with half a dozen author mates and where, believe me, we work really hard!
Liz Fieding
Liz Fielding met her husband when they were both working in Zambia and were keen members of the Lusaka Theatre Club. He was playing John de Stogumber in St Joan, and she was the pageboy to the Earl of Warwick. He swore it was the purple tights that got him.
Years spent in Africa and the Middle East provided the background to many of Liz's romances. Her first, An Image of You, was set in Kenya, in a place where they had spent many happy weekends on safari. It was plucked from the slush pile because the feisty feminist heroine made her editor laugh. Emotion touched with humour has been the hallmark of her work ever since.
After writing 70 books for Harlequin Mills and Boon, Liz has now turned to crime, signing with Joffe Books for three "Maybridge Mysteries", the first of which, Murder Among the Roses, is published on 18th April.
Liz Fielding on the web:
Website Facebook X. Instagram TikTok
Liz Fielding has a new book out:
MEET ABBY FINCH. SHE’S A BUSY MUM OF THREE, AN EXPERT GARDENER AND THE STAR OF YOUR NEW FAVOURITE COZY MURDER MYSTERY.
Abby enters the Maybridge Flower Show, never dreaming for one moment that she’ll win the gold. Or an invitation to appear on telly, alongside gardening legend Daisy Dashwood!
Some people say Daisy’s a tiresome diva. But starry-eyed Abby can’t wait for the cameras to start rolling. Until . . .
Daisy staggers out on stage. Only to collapse at Abby’s feet.
Her demise might seem like a tragic accident — resulting from a cocktail of booze and hay-fever medicine.
But Abby’s not so sure. She starts digging, to uncover shifty suspects at every turn. From snarky co-stars to a toy-boy lover, they all had reason to want Daisy dead and gone.
And that’s not the only puzzle playing on Abby’s mind . . .
In life, Daisy went nowhere without her trusty caddy of healing teas. Now it’s vanished.
What if someone’s been tampering with Daisy’s favourite cuppa?
Buy on:
Multiple Giveaway Alert!
Kindle copy of Murder Among the Roses
Kindle copy of Murder Under the Mistletoe
Kindle copy of Murder in Bloom
Audio codes for Murder Among the Roses & Murder Under the Mistletoe
Let us know in the comments which giveaway would you like to go in for!
