Authors Electric

It's been a very long two years, hasn't it? One of the things I've missed most during this time is literary meet-ups e.g book launches or book festivals. Moving online helped a bit but being in person makes such a difference. I had three book launches online. They worked well as they reached people far away but for me, it was hard not seeing people. Last year I made it to Theakston's CrimeFest in Harrogate. It was lovely to go but a lot of people were missing and the vibe just wasn't the same. This July though, things should be back to normal and I've just booked tickets for the panels I want to go to. I decided to do this rather than buy a full pass as it's cheaper this way. Excitement is building on social media as we discover who else is going. It's like being kids at Christmas again. Of course, one of the best things about Harrogate is Betty's. No trip to the crime festival is complete until you've sampled their superb hot chocolate! Are ther...

Last month, as everyone packed their bags and headed home after another fantastic Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate , I was buzzing. And, as much as I enjoyed the festival, it actually had nothing to do with my feelings of excitement and fear. Sunday 23 July was a big day for me because the third book in my DI Hamilton series, Deadly Friendship, was published. I thought my emotions would be far more contained than they were - not only was this my third book in the series, but, in total, it's the fifth I've published, so I should be used to publication day, right? Wrong! I've realised my nerves build the more I write ... and I'm sure many authors feel this. We're constantly in competition with the last book we've written - if readers loved it, can we match, and even exceed, their expectations? And if they hated it, can we better ourselves and our stories? We all know that we can't please all the people all the time, but gosh,...