Visit my website at www.rowmark.co.uk for details of all my crime novels

We knew it was coming and now it's here, the announcement of the next tranch of Waterstone's bookshops to close.  It's always sad news to a book lover, author and reader that a bookshop is to close and by the end of this week there will be eleven fewer in our towns and cities. The Waterstone's shops set to close are spread across the UK and Ireland and are mostly in locations where more than one Waterstone's store exists because some time ago Waterstone's bought up Ottakers creating two Waterstones in the same area. Staff at the affected Waterstone's stores have now entered into a period of consultation, but may be redeployed to other locations says Waterstone's. I hope they all find other jobs quickly. The HMV Group, which owns both HMV and Waterstone's, made the decision to shut stores after a tough trade performance over the Christmas period, but to my mind the writing was on the wall long before then. The book retailer has earmarked 20 sites ...

I rarely do book signings these days, in bookshops that is, although as readers of this blog and visitors to my web site know I give lots of talks to different sorts of groups all over the UK, which is something I really enjoy. However the bookshop in Portsmouth, (Inspector Andy Horton's patch) asked if I'd go in before Christmas for a book signing and to meet readers. So I'm obliging.  Tomorrow (Saturday 27 November) I'll be at Waterstones in Portsmouth (UK) between 12noon and 2pm.  I'll be signing copies of my  marine mystery crime novels and  my thrillers In For The Kill and In Cold Daylight.   But even if you don't want to buy a book do come along if you're in the area.  I'm happy to chat about my crime writing, my novels and the  inspiration behind my rugged and flawed detective, Inspector Andy Horton whose patch is Portsmouth CID. The address is below. Hope to see some of you there. Waterstones Portsmouth 115 Commerc...

I was up bright and early this morning to be interviewed by Julian Clegg on his Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent.  It's always nice chatting to Julian Clegg who is such a professional broadcaster and so cheerful in the mornings, but then we'd hardly want someone miserable to wake us up. I was very fortunate to be selected as one of Julian's Peo ple a couple of years ago, which means that Julian and listeners to his very popular show have been following the progress and news on certain people from the South Coast.  This morning we chatted about the success of the CSI Portsmouth Crime and the City event on 6 November and Julian is very keen to do something around the event in 2011, which would be great.  We also talked about my forthcoming appearance in Waterstone's in Commercial Road, Portsmouth this coming Saturday (27 November) between 12 noon to 2pm and the publication of the sixth in the Inspector Andy Horton series, Footsteps on the Shore , to be published o...

I've got a busy week next week, starting this Sunday 31 October when I'm giving a talk at a charity lunch on behalf of the NSPCC at Wallington Hall, Fareham.  It's a good cause and I hope it raises tons of money.  I'll be talking about my marine mystery crime novels featuring the rugged Inspector Andy Horton , and my crime thriller novels, In Cold Daylight and In For The Kill. Next up is a talk on Tuesday 2 November at the Koinona group meeting on my local patch of Hayling Island followed by a radio interview on Thursday 4 November when I'll be on the Sally Cronin Programme on Express FM between 1pm and 4pm.  On Friday 5 November between 4.30 and 5.30pm I'll be on Portsmouth Live TV  Then on Saturday 6 November I will be at the  Crime & the City, CSI Portsmouth  event at the John Pounds Centre in Portsmouth as part or Portsmouth Bookfest. All in all a busy week and an enjoyable one. Next up, after this, is a book signing at Wa...

I've been working hard on the copy-edits of my forthcoming Andy Horton crime novel today. It's called The Suffocating Sea and it will be published in hardback in March 2008. Fortunately there weren't many changes to be made just one or two little niggly ones that can throw out a few chapters or so. But it's nearly done and before my deadline of Thursday. Just need to read through it again tonight with a fresh eye and see if it makes sense. It's this final part of writing that I like the least. Once the novel is written and as perfect as I can get it, (which is never perfect enough for me) I like to get shot of it and move on to the next one, but of course that's not possible. Fresh eyes are needed to make sure all the loose ends in a crime/thriller novel tie up and the copy-edit needs to ensure the publisher's house style is followed as well as checking the punctuation holds together. Then there are the page proofs to read and it is SO difficult becau...