As an author I travel to a lot of festivals and events in far-flung places. So it’s always a treat to have a crime festival right on my doorstep! And not just any festival, but one of the best in the country. I was delighted this year to appear on the Cosy Crime & Golden Age panel at Newcastle Noir’s 10th anniversary at Newcastle City Library. With me were Golden Age mystery novelist Tom Mead (the Spector Locked-Room Mysteries) and contemporary cosy writer Antony Johnston (the Dogsitter Detective). We were interviewed by the fabulous Kitty Murphy, who writes the Dublin Drag Mysteries. Thanks to the incredible Jacky Collins (aka Dr Noir) for running the whole show, warmly and professionally. May there be many more!
Murderous Inspirations – with Cambridge University Library & the CWA
FREE ONLINE EVENT! Murderous Inspirations: Crime Novels that Inspire Crime Writers will take place on 4 June from 7-8pm. An online session co-hosted by Cambridge University Library and The Crime Writers’ Association. Crime writers Fiona Veitch Smith, Abir Mukherjee and Nadine Matheson will discuss seminal crime novels Murder Must Advertise, Gorky Park and Prime Suspect. We’ll be kept in line by the king of crime critics Barry Forshaw.
I’ll be going in to bat for Murder Must Advertise (a cricket reference for those who’ve read the book!) and talking about how Dorothy L. Sayers has influenced my own writing.
FREE tickets are available now – via https://linktr.ee/cambridgeuniversitylibrary
Sex, power & feminism – and mince pies – at Newcastle Noir
It was an honour to be invited to the 2023 Newcastle Noir crime writing festival held at Newcastle Central Library and hosted by the tireless Jacky Collins (Dr Noir) and her team. I was on an historical crime panel called ‘As Darkness Falls’ which discussed sex, power and feminism in historical crime novels. Hosted by Fiona Erskine (The Chemical Detective), we were joined by the gothic historical crime novelists Bridget Walsh (The Tumbling Girl) and Kate Griffin (Fynshade).
And then after that we all had Greggs mince pies! (You have to when you’re in Newcastle, don’t you? Well, I have to, as my husband, Rodney Smith, works at Greggs!). Happy Christmas to you all!
Newcastle in the 1920s – a novelist’s research
Friends in the Newcastle area, I am giving a talk (with visuals) at Jesmond Library on Thursday 16th, on ‘Newcastle in the 1920s – a novelist’s research’. I will be talking about how I researched the locations for The Art Fiasco, book 5 in the Poppy Denby series, set in Newcastle, about a murder at the Laing Art Gallery. As this book came out during lockdown I was unable to do all the local events I had planned for it. I do hope you can join me. £3 donation to the library. And a chance to buy signed copies or just to say hello!
http://jesmondlibrary.org/event/fiona-veitch-smith/