Crimefest, ThrillerFest, International Crime Festivals, CSI Portsmouth - Crime Conventions Galore

Crime fiction conferences and conventions are growing in popularity in the UK, Europe and in the USA. And in my own small corner of the World, last year saw the first CSI Portsmouth event in Portsmouth, UK, a crime convention with a difference where crime fiction meets crime fact, as best selling crime authors come face to face with the crime experts, police and forensic experts.

I am happy to report that it was so successful that we are running another CSI Portsmouth this year on 5 November 2011.  I'm looking forward to being on the panel with my fellow crime writers, Mark Billingham, John Harvey and Michael Ridpath and officers from the Hampshire Police Major Crime Unit, Scene of Crime, and The International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth.  Plans are already being made for CSI Portsmouth 2012.


I'm also delighted to again be participating in CrimeFest in Bristol in May, and hope to be at the Harrogate International Crime Festival in July.

I might also get to go to the States, who knows, where there are some great crime conventions including Bouchercon is St. Louis from September 15-18. Too late to go this year now! And this one I have just been notified about for next year - ThrillerFest. 



2012 ThrillerFest, CraftFest, and AgentFest with Thriller Masters Jack Higgins and RL Stine as well as Spotlight Guests Ann Rule, John Sandford, and Lee Child ( who is also at CrimeFest 2012).

I wondered what CraftFest and AgentFest stood for but all is explained..



CraftFest—NYT Bestselling authors share their secrets on the craft of writing.

AgentFest—The top agents in the business will be on hand to hear your pitches.

ThrillerFest—Network with other writers and meet industry professionals at the fabulous panels. Special guests will be announced soon.

So if anyone reading this is interested in attending you can register for the Extra Early Bird pricing (last year’s Early Bird pricing), until midnight on September 30th, 2011.

And if you fancy CSI Portsmouth then tickets are now on sale at a very modest price of £10 for the day and that includes £3.00 off a crime novel.  Call the Box Office + 44 (0)23 9268 8685.

Perhaps I should draw up a directory of all the crime and thriller fiction conventions around the World, or has someone already done this?  As I said earlier they certainly seem to be growing in popularity which is  good news if you're a crime writer. Come to think of it I could probably spend my entire year at crime conventions travelling around the World. I'd love the public speaking and panels but I'd never get any writing done and that would never do!

Speaking of which it's time I got back to DI Andy Horton.

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