I am delighted to announce that I have just signed a contract with W.F. Howes Publishers to produce ‘large print’ versions of all my Poppy Denby books. They will produce hard back and paperback copies and will supply libraries and bookshops worldwide (except in the USA – sorry chaps). https://www.wfhowes.co.uk/
Newcastle Noir Crime Festival
I was honoured to be asked, along with Kate Shackleton author Frances Brody, to open the fringe of the Newcastle Noir Crime Festival last week. We spoke to a packed audience about the Golden Age of Crime Fiction and the pros and cons of writing books set in the 1920s. Thanks to the wonderful Dr Jacky Collins and her team of volunteers at the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society for a fantastic weekend.
Noir at the Bar
I shall be joining with some other crime and mystery readers and writers at Noir at the Bar Newcastle on Wednesday evening. Come along to The Town Wall, Pink Lane at 7pm for fun, friendship and some fiendishly good reads. Free entry.
The Death Beat and 1920s US Immigration Policy
I’ll be giving a talk at Newcastle Central Library at 6pm on Thursday 18 January on the background to The Death Beat. The book is set against the 1921 US Immigration Restriction Act, which has some disturbing parallels with today. Come along for a warm welcome and interesting discussion. The event is free, but please register your interest here. Signed books will be available to purchase.
The Death Beat launch party – no Prohibition here!
Last week I held a 1920s-themed launch party for the release of the third book in my Poppy Denby Investigates series, The Death Beat. Intrepid reporter sleuth Poppy and her friends would have felt right at home at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Newcastle, with live jazz and wine freely flowing. Although snow threatened to scupper the launch – with the band getting stuck somewhere en route – the party got off to a delayed but warm start. Former ITV journalist Mychaela Stephenson interviewed me about the latest book set in New York and then the guests were treated to a reading set in a speakeasy, where Poppy and her friends flout Prohibition. Thanks to everyone who braved the weather and helped make it such a fun evening.
The Death Beat & Trump’s America
Today I am honoured to be a guest on the blog of Martin Edwards, chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and expert in Golden Age mysteries for the British Library. I talk about some of the unnerving parallels between Donald Trump’s America and the America of 1921 in my new book, The Death Beat. You can read the blog post here.
