I'm excited about the chance this evening to see my story River Child again in the cinema, at the Screen Academy Scotland 10th Anniversary Showcase showings at the Glasgow Film Theatre.
Creating the story, writing the screenplay, and then seeing my characters come alive through the work of the director (Damian Wood), the actors, and the whole team involved in the collaborative process of making a film was a wonderful experience.
Publishers Weekly review:The Case of the Missing Madonna, Anderson, Lin (Author), 185 p. Severn, hardcover, (9780727885456).
Those who like their mysteries shaken not stirred will enjoy British author Anderson’s action-packed second Patrick de Courvoisier adventure (after 2014’s The Case of the Black Pearl). A summons to London uproots Patrick, an Englishman whose tastes in food and drink would meet James Bond’s approval, from his houseboat in Cannes, where he performs jobs as a fixer. In London, one of Patrick’s former bosses, Charles Carruthers, asks him to investigate a theft that involves the royal family, but he declines. Back in Cannes, Patrick agrees to look for a painting, Fragonard’s Madonna, which has gone missing from a monastery on the island of St. Honorat. Of course, the case isn’t what it seems, and Patrick uncovers a labyrinth of secrets dating back to WWII. He’s soon dodging bullets and an arch nemesis, though he finds that he and his enemy must work together for the common good. Full of fascinating history and lush descriptions of the French Riviera, this whodunit will snare readers from the opening page.
The ten authors with the most votes from fans will make up the longlist.
Unlike most other literary prizes, the Dagger in the Library is awarded not for an individual book but for an author’s entire body of work, and is one of six highly prized CWA Dagger Awards awarded to crime writers since 1955.
This year’s shortlist and winner will decided by a panel of judges.
When you nominate your favourite author you will be automatically entered into the CWA's special giveaway to win a £200 book token.
The CWA are also asking you to give the name of the library you visit most often, as the winning library (the one with the most mentions) will receive a special prize after the voting deadline.
I am looking forward to my appearance this 'fireworks day' evening at the Sunday Times Crime Club 'Deadlier than the Male' event in London.
It will be great to meet up again with the the other three 'killer' women Louise Millar, Ann Cleeves, and M J McGrath, all of whom featured at the Bloody Scotland crimewriting festival this year at Stirling in September.
It should be a fascinating and entertaining evening, and we will all get the chance to talk and be questioned about our current books (mine is The Special Dead) and about writing crime as women.
Team captains and authors Ian Rankin and Simon Kernick
ahead of the Bloody Scotland football match
credit: Eoin Carey
It is wonderful to see the hard work and enthusiasm of all involved over the years being recognised with the Bloody Scotland crimewriting festival being listed at No. 13 in The List Hot 100 for Scotland.
Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work
Roseanna Cunningham and Lin Anderson
(Representing Bloody Scotland) at Living Wage Week reception in Edinburgh 3rd November 2015
I am delighted to be able to represent Bloody Scotland, the international crimewriting festival, at this evening's Scottish Government reception in Edinburgh to celebrate the success of the Scottish Living Wage accreditation scheme.
Bloody Scotland are a Scottish Living Wage employer, and are one of the ever growing number of employers
who recognise the benefits that the Living Wage can bring to both
their staff and to their organisation.
There are now 350 accredited Scottish Living Wage employers, which is well on the way towards the Scottish Government's target of 500 by March next year.
I've just finished writing None But The Dead, which is Book 11 in my Forensic Scientist Rhona MacLeod series, and is set in Glasgow and on the island of Sanday in Orkney.
Lin Anderson researching None But The Dead
in Scuthvie Bay, Sanday, Orkney
Start Point Lighthouse, Sanday, Orkney
Orkney is a very special place, so I'm looking forward to being back there again tomorrow for appearances at the wonderful Orkney Library in Kirkwall at 3pm, and at Orkney Arts Society in Stromness in the evening.
After explaining the amusing circumstances in which Lin first encountered Jane at a Bloody Scotland event in September, she read the opening of her book Paths of The Dead, which takes place in a church, has a spiritual aspect, and always has an impact on audiences.
Moira Forsyth Open Mic
Lin's opening of the evening was followed by an 'Open Mic' session with local writers giving moving readings of their own and work by others on themes related to the refugee crisis.
Moira Forsyth, writer and Director of Sandstone Press then gave awonderfully animated reading of one of her short stories (prompting a debate afterwards as to the precise meaning of 'puddock').
After a short interval, Val McDermid took the chair, and read a powerful piece from her book The Skeleton Road, taking the audience on a journey via the feelings and experiences of characters in the positions of many of those in Syria today.
After a really excellent and honest Q&A session, where Jane Wallman-Girdlestone quizzed Val about her writing and her ways of going about the creation of her stories, it was time for the book signings ...
The event was supported by Waterstones Inverness. There is an opportunity for everyone of make a contribution to help with the Syria refugee crisis by buying books at their local Waterstones (the books with the 'Buy Books for Syria' stickers). 100% of the cover price goes to Oxfam's Syria Crisis Appeal. Please help if you can.
And a special thanks to Jane for all the hard work by her (and everyone else involved in last night's event)!
The Open University (free) forensic psychology course follows two fictional detectives as they try to solve the crime and also explores how well the techniques familiar from crime dramas compare to reality.
This week they will be holding a live online Facebook chat event with Lin Anderson, the award winning author of the ‘Rhona Macleod’ series of crime thrillers, and one of the founders of the ‘Bloody Scotland’ crime writing festival.
On Thursday 17 September between 12:00 and 2:00 (UK time) course participants can talk to Lin about her experience of writing crime fiction, and how she uses forensic psychology and science to create her investigations.
Later in the course, there will be similar events with leading researchers in forensic psychology,
This free MOOC (massive open online courseI in forensic psychology started on 14th September, but you can still join (and take part in the chat event with Lin).
Bloody Scotland 2015 closed on Sunday evening in Stirling, in a flurry of social media induced smiles and laughter, with a happy Linwood Barclay photographing his closing-event Albert Hall audience from the stage, to prove to his wife that people did in fact come to see him ...
Scotland's crime-writing festival has come a long way since Alex Gray and I went to the 2009 Crime Writers Association conference in Lincoln, drank some Prosecco, and pondered deep questions like "why were Scottish-based crime writers always having to travel to England (or further) to attend crime book festivals?"
Fast-forward six years, and the culmination of the efforts of dozens of talented and hard-working writers, readers, staff, helpers, and sponsors before and since Bloody Scotland first kicked-off in Septermber 2012, was scenes like these last weekend:-
In a low-scoring game, Scottish crime-writers (captained by Ian Rankin)
drew 5-5 on Sunday (at football, allegedly) with the English crime-writers
Crime-writing Ninjas Caro Ramsay, Lin Anderson, and Alex Sokoloff
'guard' the trophy during the crime-writers football match
The Bloody Scotland 'Slice Girls',
ready to perform at 'Crime at the Coo'
Hardeep Singh Kohli – with audience help – forces crime writers Chris
Brookmyre, Kevin Wignall, and Caro Ramsay to improvise a crime novel,
using a wheel of fortune, a football and a copy of Katie Price’s autobiography.
But it wasn't all comedy ...
Bloody Scotland is about selling Scottish crimewriting to the world, and inviting the world to come to visit us.
Thus the festival promotes promotes new writers in the genre, offers an
opportunity for established writers to extend their audience, and brings
the biggest international stars to Scotland:-
Ian Rankin and Arne Dahl
Jeffrey Siger, Steve Cavanagh, Neil White and Craig Sisterson
Historic Stirling again became the 'Graveheart' of Scotland yesterday as the fourth Bloody Scotland crime-writing festival opened, and got off to a great community-engagement start with the opening ceremony (pictures above).
Since then it has been a delight to watch or be involved in a terrific series of events and to meet so many old and new friends from the expanding universe of crime writing and reading.
It is wonderful that so many writers and readers have come from outwith Scotland, and it's great to see the reactions to the scenery, town, and venues from those who haven't visited Stirling before.
So the best of luck to everyone on the shortlist (all great books), and there is always the possibility later of either celebrating or drowning sorrows afterwards if the doors aren't locked to crime writers for the later stages of 'Crime at the Coo'.
Although locked doors shouldn't really present much of a problem to crime writers ...
Book
9 in Lin Anderson's Rhona MacLeod forensic scientist series (shortlisted for Bloody Scotland Scottish
Crime book of the Year 2015):- Paths of the Dead #UK ► amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LB89QU0/ Paths of the Dead #US ► amazon.com/dp/B00LB89QU0/
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