Author: Fiona

Flappers, fops and murder

Anyone in the Newcastle area on Monday 26 September, between 5 – 6.30pm (you can come straight from work), I am giving a talk at the central library on writing historical crime fiction in the jazz age. The event is free and there will be tea and biscuits. This is aimed at the general public and writers and readers of historical crime fiction.

(Please note this is not the launch party of The Kill Fee – I will be sending out invitations to that later!)

For more information and to book your free ticket click here.

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CWA Historical Dagger shortlist

I am delighted to hear that The Jazz Files is on the short list for this year’s Crime Writers’ Association Endeavour Historical Dagger award. The Daggers are sort of the Baftas of British crime writing. The winner will be announced at a swanky dinner in London on 11 October. In the meantime Poppy Denby and I are toasting each other with pink champagne and wondering what to wear!

This is what the judging panel said about the book:

“This first entry in a new series featuring a female journalist in 1920s London is, like its heroine, buoyant and stylish but with a core of steel. Poppy Denby arrives in London from the north of England determined to make it as a journalist and gets her chance when she has to finish a murdered reporter’s investigation into the death of a suffragette. The Roaring Twenties are beautifully evoked.” – the CWA judging panel http://thecwa.co.uk/the-jazz-files/

If you haven’t already read The Jazz Files, why not remedy that now? The sequel, The Kill Fee, will be coming out on 16 September. You can click on the book covers on the right hand side of this page to buy them. Cheers!

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The Kill Fee available to pre-order

If you loved reading about Poppy and her friends in The Jazz Files you will be delighted that book 2 in the series, The Kill Fee, is now available for pre-order. It will be published in September (UK) and November (USA).

“Do you know who that is, Poppy?” asked Delilah
“I do indeed.”
“So what does it feel like to be in the arms of an assassin?”

The Kill Fee - Fiona Veitch Smith

Poppy Denby’s star is on the rise. Now the Arts and Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe, she covers a glamorous exhibition of Russian Art at the Crystal Palace. During the exhibition a shot rings out, leaving an injured guard and an empty pedestal in the place of the largest Fabergé Egg in the collection. The egg itself is valuable, but more so are the secrets contained within – secrets that could destroy the royal families of Europe.

Suspects are aplenty and Poppy, her editor Rollo, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. When they are offered a ‘kill fee’ to drop the story, they know they are onto something explosive. But soon the investigation takes a dark turn when someone connected to the exhibition is murdered and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect. The race is on to find the egg before the killer strikes again…

Pre-order your copy here!

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The Peace Garden and the Soweto Riots 40 years on

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising – 16 June 1976. That infamous point in history, when black school children demonstrated for the right to be taught in English, forms an integral part of my literary thriller The Peace Garden, about a young English girl who befriends a South African political exile. If you would like a ‘novel’ take on how that day 40 years ago impacted one family for three generations, this is the story for you. Click here to get the book The Peace Garden

Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo. His sister, Antoinette Sithole, runs beside them.

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Crime Writers Association Dagger Nomination

I am over the moon to hear that my debut historical crime novel, The Jazz Files, has been longlisted for the CWA Endeavour Historical Crime book of the year. I’m one of 10 nominees. Totally unexpected. I’m humbled and delighted

Click here to see all ten nominees

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Inspiring Women – Fruit and Holiness

I know it’s already more than half-way through May, but I forgot to post this at the beginning of the month! Writing pal Claire Musters and I have contributed daily readings to the May/June Inspiring Women Everyday devotional booklet, published by CWR. Claire explores the theme of holiness in May and in June, I share ideas about how to apply the fruit of the Spirit to our daily lives.

You can buy the booklet in ebook or print here Inspiring Women Everyday

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