Category: Blogging

Posted in Blogging

Reader’s Digest 100 Word Story Competition 2016 – Enter now

Posted on by J

600x633x600x633_100-word-story-v2.jpg.pagespeed.ic.jCx00AB7f5Fancy having a go at some Flash Fiction?  Reader’s Digest has, this month launched it’s annual 100 word short story competition.

There are three categories—one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged 12–18 and one for children under 12.

Your stories should be original, unpublished and exactly 100 words long—not even a single word shorter or longer!

Entries must be in by February 20.

The editorial team will then pick a shortlist of three in each category and post them online on March 6.

You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes will scoop the top prize.Voting will close on March 27 and winning entries will be published in our June issue.

 

What you can win…

 

Adults: The winner will receive £2,000, and two runners-up will each receive £200.

12-18’s: The winner will receive a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0, WiFi) and a Samsung Gear S watch (choice of colour), plus £150 for their school. Two runners-up will each receive £100.

Under-12’s: The winner will receive a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0, WiFi), plus £100 for their school. Two runners-up will each receive £75.

 

More information and details on how to enter can be found on the Reader’s Digest website here.

Posted in Blogging

Now open – Bristol Short Story Prize 2016

Posted on by J

BSSPNot just one for crime writing fans, the Bristol Short Story Prize is an annual international writing competition open to all published and unpublished, UK and non-UK based writers. Each year they award cash prizes, publish the winning stories in their annual anthology.  The 2016 competition opened this week, and don’t worry if you haven’t got a story ready yet, the competition doesn’t close until 30th April 2016.  That’s a whopping SIX months away!

Here’s what their website has to say about entering and prizes.

 

Stories can be on any theme or subject and entry can be made online via the website or by post. Entries must be previously unpublished with a maximum length of 4,000 words. There is no minimum length. There is an entry fee of £8 per story.

20 stories will be shortlisted for the first prize and published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 9.

1st Prize is £1,000, 2nd Prize £700, 3rd Prize £400. 17 further prizes of £100 will be presented to the writers whose stories appear on the shortlist.
The winners will be announced at the 2016 Bristol Short Story Prize Awards Ceremony in October 2016. The Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 9 will also be launched at the event.

Rules of entry, and further information on prizes and previous winners can be found here.

Posted in Blogging

Twelve words.

Posted on by J

There was a time in the late nineties / early noughties when I spent all my spare time entering competitions, and I was good at it.  My list of wins is long, adventure packed and value wise topped £50k in the years I was active.  During this time my preferred competitions were those where I needed to complete a sentence or phrase in a limited number of words.  The other day I was reminiscing over these days and it gave me an idea for a new feature, a spin on the usual Q&A the plan is to ask authors a handful of questions, but they could only answer in maximum of 12 words.

I spoke with a few author friends who all seemed up for the challenge, so once I get round to writing and sending out a few questions, get ready for a new series, it could be fun….

Posted in Articles, Blogging

#TeaWithLeigh

Posted on by J

12049428_10153151341282844_2841710274308182234_n“The quintessentially British tradition of afternoon tea is usually credited to Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford in the early 1800’s.”

Or so says the menu of Anna’s tea room, as I peruse its thick, heavy-set and gilded pages trying to make a decision.

You see last month I was a very fortunate (and very smiley) reviewer who was invited by No Exit Press to experience the delights of afternoon tea with accompanying champagne at The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. There were several other reviewers and bloggers there along with Guest of Honour, author of the DI Geraldine Steel and DI Ian Peterson serial thrillers, Leigh Russell.

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Me with Leigh

We gathered initially in the Library where I presented Leigh with her very own “Blood Axe” (albeit a plastic one with no blood, although I did provide some red paint) and after a few fun photos

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Fellow reviewer Kirstie Long protecting her champagne from Leigh’s new Blood Axe

we were directed to our tables to order.

Tea was the first order of the day, and there were plenty to choose from, however as a person whose preference is “builders brew” that comes mainly from Yorkshire, I think I was a tad over ambitious in my selection, but in the spirit of adventure I had to try their Flowering Red Amaranth tea, just because it sounded so intriguing.image

After tea, some seat shuffling and a few more photo’s we were given a palate cleansing tropical fruit coupe, before being served with finger sandwiches, mini pastries and deliciously sweet desserts, before the final course of warmed plain or raisin scones with a selection of jams and clotted cream. All of which was absolutely gorgeous, and surprisingly more filling than you may think.

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Cakes, pastries and sandwiches

For four hours we laughed, ate, drank, (did I mention the champagne?) asked questions, talked books and reading, and Leigh’s upcoming releases. I had a fabulous time. In stark contrast to the dark themes of her regular #1 bestselling thrillers, Leigh is a delightfully sunny person to be around, is welcoming to all who enjoy reading, and supportive of those still aspiring publication. If you get chance to catch up with her at any of her regular book signings, or events (details of which can be found on the No Exit Press website) I highly recommend you do so.

 

 

 

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DI Geraldine Steel 7 – Out Now in e-book & paperback
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DI Ian Peterson 3 – Out now in e-book. Out in paperback 25th November
Posted in Blogging

CSI Southampton – October 24th

Posted on by J

Don’t worry crime fans, the festival season isn’t over yet!

CSI Southampton drops in next month and looks like a fantastic one day event for all enthusiasts of the genre. Well priced with some big names this looks like a brilliant way of ensuring your Autumn crime fiction fix.

As part of Southampton’s So To Speak Festival, here’s what they have to say about the event….

Where:- Northguild Lecture Theatre, Central Library, Civic Centre, S014 7LW

When:- Sat 24th October 10:00am – 5.00pm

Price: £18.00 (including £4 reduction in the price of a book) plus booking fee

Join us for CSI Southampton where the cream of crime fiction writers meet real life crime experts. The morning session kicks off with a panel where crime authors Pauline Rowson and Natasha Cooper will be debating with crime scene experts from Hampshire Police, Carolyn Lovell and Jane Aston just how crime fiction differs from crime fact. There will also be the chance for you to ask your questions of the panel and to have your fingerprints taken!
In the afternoon Peter Lovesey will discuss how a decent law abiding man can think up 200 ways of murdering people, followed by Jessie Keane and Sue Wilkins in discussion with Penny Legg on how they create their crime novels. There’ll be book signings and the chance to mingle with both crime authors and crime experts.

Posted in Blogging

Home again

Posted on by J
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Me “Under The Blue Umbrella” from Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

It’s been two weeks since I made the journey up North to Harrogate, and it already seems a world away, and yet at the same time, for now at least, and for reasons both good and not so good, it’s not a festival I am going to forget in a hurry.

Following the opening party on Thursday night, I took a spill on the hotel steps, and ended up spending the early hours of Friday morning in a local accident and emergency department, before returning to the festival to spend the rest of the weekend making my way around on crutches.

After last years proposal, this was a source of some merriment among some of the more regular festival goers who were keen to discover what the plan was for next year to ensure that everyone attending knows who I am….  Still as can be seen from Col Bury’s Harrogate write up, I wasn’t the only one to leave the festival with more than a few bruises.

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The Harrogate Book Haul.

So the not so good news is I’m still suffering quite a lot of pain, although I’m walking around unaided, but being positive, injury aside,  I still managed to come back from the festival with an impressive amount of books, mainly due to directing my friends between events and giveaways by means of a waving crutch.  I now have a great excuse to spend all my spare time with my feet up and I’ve plenty to keep me busy for a while, all I need to do is remember to post my reviews!

Also as I was once more attending the festival as a representative of CrimeSquad.com, the website run by the fabulous Chris Simmons for whom I also review and report for, I was lucky enough to spend some time in the company of both Hakan Nesser and Arnaldur Indridason, two fantastic gentlemen, who were both an easy delight to talk too – You can read my interviews with both of them over on the CrimeSquad.com Harrogate Microsite

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A tired me, a very smooth looking Hakan Nesser
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Arnaldur Indridason. Awsome man, fabulous books
Posted in Blogging, Festivals

Heading for Harrogate

Posted on by J

theakstonscrimefictionvestlogo200Yes, it’s that time of year again, I really can’t believe it has come around so quickly, but tomorrow I shall be heading up north for what is now the ninth time to attend the 2015 Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival.

I have some amazing activities lined up, a few dinners and party invites to take up, and I’m looking forward to catching up with the many friends I have there that I only get to see when the festival comes around.

I’m looking forward to going even more than usual this year however.  Wearing my Crimesquad.com hat I will be interviewing Hakan Nesser & Arnaldur Indridason for articles to be posted over there so I’m ridiculously squeeing, and at the same time I’m terribly nervous.  When the interviews go up I’ll add some links, or alternatively if you haven’t already, make sure you add CrimeSquad.com to your favourites.  It’s a fantastic site I love being a part of, and since it’s recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, there is an absolute wealth of reviews to be discovered in its archives.

Now I’m off for some last minute packing and prep.  Do stop me and and say hello if you are up at the festival this year, you’ll more than likely find me in the bar…..