#TheakstonsCrime #HIF2020 #SpecialGuests @TheakstonsCrime #Harrogate #CrimeFestival

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing details about one of the biggest book festivals in the country, The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, and wait to you see the guest list. Unfortunately I have never attended Harrogate, but I know a lot of book bloggers who rave all year round about this amazing festival. So without further ado here’s everything you need to know about this upcoming book festival.

Harrogate, 4 March 2020: The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is thrilled to announce its 2020 Special Guests at the world’s largest and most prestigious crime fiction festival.

Crime writing royalty Martina Cole, Mark Billingham, Lisa Gardner, Kathy Reichs, Elly Griffiths, Mick Herron and Michael Connelly will be appearing as part of the killer line-up curated by this year’s Festival Programming Chair and Rebus author, Ian Rankin OBE.

From 23-26 July, Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel – the legendary scene of Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance in 1926 – will welcome over 100 world famous authors for a celebration of the crime genre like no other.

Returning for its 18th instalment, the award-winning Festival is established as a literary phenomenon, attracting an international audience to see the best in the business and the most exciting new talent as part of an unmissable programme of creative workshops, once in a lifetime talks and unique panels.

Joining fiction titan Ian Rankin at this year’s Festival will be No. 1 bestseller Martina Cole will be sharing the stories behind her iconic career as the undisputed Queen of Crime; Kathy Reichs will introduce A Conspiracy of Bones, the riveting new thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan; and Festival favourite Mark Billingham returns to Harrogate to celebrate 20 years of Tom Thorne,  one of British crime fiction’s most iconic detectives.

Michael Connelly, the international phenomenon with over 74 million copies sold worldwide, touches down in the UK to share his latest unputdownable thriller featuring veteran reporter Jack McEvoy, Fair Warning; the master of psychological suspense Lisa Gardner will give the Harrogate audience an insight into the twists and turns of When You See Me; Elly Griffiths is set to reveal the secrets behind her much-loved Dr Ruth Galloway mystery series; and Mick Herron will mark ten years of his award-winning spy sensation Slough House and introduce his new novella set in the same world, The Catch.

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival forms part of the diverse year-round portfolio curated by the charitable organisation Harrogate International Festivals, delivered with the mission to bring immersive and moving cultural experiences to as many people as possible.

 Ian Rankin, best-selling Rebus author, said:

 “It is for good reason that Harrogate is so well loved by authors and audiences alike, and the pressure has been on to make sure that this year lives up to its stellar reputation! But working with the Harrogate team has been a joy and we’re incredibly proud of the celebration of crime writing we have in store. Beginning with the announcement of our incredible Special Guests, the countdown to this year’s legendary long weekend is well and truly on and I can’t wait unveil the rest in April.”

 Sharon Canavar, CE of Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“Our mission at Harrogate International Festivals is to present the most unforgettable cultural experiences and year on year Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival continues to surpass all expectations. It has been a delight working with Ian Rankin and we’re thrilled that the 2020 Special Guest line-up reflects the absolute best in the crime-writing business – we look forward to revealing the full programme.”

Simon Theakston, Executive Director of Theakston, said:

“We are incredibly proud to be supporting the biggest and best crime writing festival in the world, right here in Harrogate – it is a truly unique opportunity to discover the secrets behind the genre’s greatest characters, listen to world-renowned authors and celebrate the wonderful world of crime writing. All this and the chance to enjoy a very satisfying glass of Old Peculier at the same time.”

Booking: Rover Tickets – including Weekend, Friday and Saturday – are now on sale, along with Weekend Break Packages. For more information and to book tickets, please call +44(0)1423 562 303 or email crime@harrogate-festival.org.uk.

*** The full programme line-up will be announced on 2nd April 2020***

PRAISE FOR THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL

 “The Best Crime Festival in the World and I should know I’ve done them all” Lee Child

“Harrogate is a must. With beautiful locale, smart fans and superb author interaction, it’s one of the best festivals I’ve ever attended” Michael Connelly

“Incredibly well run and such a friendly group of authors and punters” J. S. Monroe

“Turning a small corner of Yorkshire into paradise” Val McDermid

“Amazing Event, great company” Robert Scragg

“There are so many Festivals in the world, but this is the one I keep coming back to” Andrew Taylor

“The crime Festival is the best in the country, and it shows no sign of ever changing” Barry Forshaw

“Famous amongst crime readers all over the world” Ann Cleeves

“It’s the industry must-have” N J Cooper

 

For further information, interview and accreditation requests, or to RSVP for the full programme celebration at Brown’s in Covent Garden on 20 May, please contact Midas Public Relations:

• Orla Bennett: Orla.Bennett@midaspr.co.uk | 020 7361 7860
• Hannah McMillan: hannah.mcmillan@midaspr.co.uk | 020 7361 7886 | 07971 086649

About Harrogate International Festivals

‘Harrogate International Festivals’ is a charitable organisation with a mission to present a diverse year-long programme of live events that bring immersive and moving cultural experiences to as many people as possible. Delivering artistic work of national importance, the Festival curates and produces over 300 unique and surprising performances each year, celebrating world-renowned artists and championing new and up-coming talent across music, literature, science, philosophy and psychology. The HIF+ ongoing education outreach programme engages schools, young people and the local community with workshops, talks, projects and inspiring activities, ensuring everyone can experience the Festival’s world class programme and the transformative power of the arts.

Established in 1966, Harrogate International Festivals are an artistic force to be reckoned with and a key cultural provider for the North of England.

Find out more at:

• Website: www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
• Facebook: @HarrogateInternationalFestivals
• Twitter: @HarrogateFest
• Instagram: @harrogatefestivals  

Morecambe & Vice Crime writing festival Adam Croft in the #Spotlight #BookReview #AuthorInterview @adamcroft @MorecambeVice @BOTBSPublicity

 

Today I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour for the Morecambe & Vice Crime writing festival which is running from Saturday 28th  until Sunday 29th September, there are some stellar authors attending.  Unfortunately due to the distance it’s not an event I will be attending but it does sound amazing. Adam Croft is one of the author’s appearing at the festival, and as part of the blog tour I have my review For Tell Me I’m Wrong, as well as an interview with the author himself, but first………. 

Here are some details about the event……….

In September 2017, Morecambe & Vice made its sparkling debut at the glorious Morecambe Winter Gardens. Described as a weekend ‘full of warmth, wit and wisdom’, authors, speakers and guests from across the globe flocked to the sunny seaside for a weekend filled with criminal shenanigans.

Now, in 2019 they are back for the third year running! This year the North West’s quirkiest crime-writing festival will be bigger and better than ever before! 

bring me some crime..

This year, the theme for Morecambe & Vice is (rather fittingly!) :

‘Bring Me Sunshine’ 

The festival will be shining a bright positive light on the world of crime fiction, filling our festival with tales of inspiration, overcoming hardships and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when good things happen!

If you want to learn more about the event, which authors are appearing or book tickets for this event you can find out more here…  https://www.morecambecrimefest.co.uk

You self-published your 9th book Her Last Tomorrow with great success. What made you decide to move from self publishing at this point to a publisher? 

I didn’t move to a publisher at this point — it was the year after. In short, they offered me a very good sum of money for a book which had already been out for months and had mostly saturated its market, plus they wanted my next book, which I was only half-sure about releasing as I wasn’t massively keen on it. It was a no-brainer for me to take the money and run. As expected, it didn’t work out particularly well and the sales they achieved for the books was far lower than I was doing on my own, so I took back control of my rights and re-published the books under my own imprint.

 

What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a publisher?

In terms of advantages, it’s great for people who aren’t interested in learning how to publish and market effectively and don’t mind giving up 90% of their royalties for the small chance their publisher might give them that support. For anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit and who wants to take advantage of the massive shift in the industry and to have a direct relationship with their readers and the people who carry their books, going indie is ideal.

 

What are the advantages/disadvantages of being self published?

I think this is mostly covered above, as it’s more or less the same question. But the disadvantages would be that it’s a huge amount of work and a steep learning curve. I enjoy that challenge, though, and relish it.

 

What’s your biggest achievement since you began writing?

That’s a really difficult one and I’m going to sound like I’m blowing my own trumpet! I’ve been very fortunate to have multiple worldwide number 1 bestsellers, to hit the USA Today bestseller list twice, to be ranked by Amazon as the most widely-read author in the world for a brief period in 2017 (J.K. Rowling was in second place!) and to be made a Doctor of Arts by the University of Bedfordshire last year — the highest academic award in the UK — in recognition of my ‘services to literature’. The inverted commas are mine, as I’m not entirely sure what I do could be considered ‘literature’ but still, it looks nice framed in my downstairs bathroom.

 

What advice would you give to other indie authors?

Get going, keep going, carry on.

 

Quick five questions

Favourite drink?

Beer or red wine, depending on my mood and whether we’re talking evening meal or breakfast.

Favourite book? 

I get asked this a lot and it’s impossible to pick one, but I tend to plump for To Kill A Mockingbird because it makes me sound intelligent.

Favourite film? 

I’m not a great film watcher, but I like anything that makes me think long after I’ve watched or read it. A rather bizarre film called Swimming Pool (I think) did that a few years back. It’s not exactly a blockbuster, but it still makes me think about it years on.

Are you a panster or a plotter?

I’m definitely a plotter, but I give myself the freedom to pants it if I need to. I find it vital to have some form of structure or skeleton, otherwise it’s pure anarchy.

Describe yourself in five words? 

Far too old for this.

Tell Me I’m Wrong by Adam Croft

What if you discovered your husband was a serial killer?

Megan Miller is an ordinary woman with a young family — until a shocking discovery shatters her perfect world.

When two young boys are brutally murdered in their tight-knit village community, Megan slowly begins to realise the signs all point to the lovable local primary school teacher — her husband.

But when she begins to delve deeper into her husband’s secret life, she makes discoveries that will make her question everything she knows — and make her fear for her young daughter’s life.

Facing an impossible decision, she is desperate to uncover the truth. But once you know something, it can’t be unknown. And the more she learns, the more she wishes she never knew anything at all…

There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a book that misleads the reader, one that constantly has you questioning each characters narrative, and Tell Me I’m Wrong by Adam Croft does exactly that! With an array of psychological thrillers on the market and one of my most read genres I find it difficult to find a book that stands out from the crowd. For me a psychological thriller has to mess with my head, keep me gripped and most importantly hit me with that “OMG I never saw that coming” moment and yes this book managed to do just that!

Like most psychological thriller Tell Me I’m wrong could not be considered to be fast paced, but like any really good psychological thriller the author builds on the suspense and mystery the whole time leading the “reader down the rabbit hole” into the world of Megan and Chris, where nothing is as it seems. On the surface Megan and Chris seem to be a “perfectly normal couple”, when two young boys are brutally murdered in their tight-knit village community, Megan slowly begins to realise the signs all point to the lovable local primary school teacher, her husband, Chris.

Fuelled by lies and mistrust the story is told in alternating chapters from the POV of Megan and Chris. As I got to the 60% I can honestly say I had no idea where this book was heading, yes I had numerous theories but I found myself so caught up in where the author was leading me I really couldn’t turn the pages of my kindle fast enough. The sense of foreboding radiates from the pages of this well told tale, at times I find myself holding my breath as the tension and mistrust between Megan and Chris grew.

Adam Croft certainly surprised me with a couple of those “OMG I never saw that coming” moments, so I applaud the author for being so devious. Well written, this is a book that I will definitely be recommending to anyone who loves a gripping psychological thriller with some very devious plot twists. Tell Me I’m Wrong is the first book I’ve read by Adam Croft but it certainly won’t be my last!

Buying links:   Amazon UK 🇬🇧         Amazon US 🇺🇸

Paperback: 274 pages

Publisher: Circlehouse (18 Jan. 2018)

My thanks to author Adam Croft for my ARC in exchanged for an unbiased review, and for taking the time to answer my questions.

My thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book On The Bright Side Publicity for giving me the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.

Follow the blog tour for author interviews and reviews…….