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A couple of new speaking engagements and book signings have come my way. Kicking off Oxfam Bookfest 2010 On Saturday 3 July 2010 at 10.30a.m  I will officially launch the start of Oxfam's BookFest 2010 in Fareham, Hampshire at Oxfam Books and Music. I'll be signing copies of my marine mystery crime novels and available to answer questions about my writing. Please join me if you're over that way. 182 West Street, Fareham PO16 0EQ oxfamshopf4009@oxfam.org.uk Telephone: 01329 286531 I'm in the East Midlands in September On Tuesday 28 September 2010 I will be at Burton-on-Trent Library at 10am where I'll guest speaker at the “reading café” in the library. For further information contact: Tel: 01283 23 9564 paul.tovell@staffordshire.gov.uk   http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ And in the afternoon  at 2pm I will be speaking at Nottingham Central Library.  I'll also be signing copies of my novels. For further information and tickets pleas...

I’m often asked which actor I would like to see playing Inspector Andy Horton in a television adaptation of my marine mysteries and I'm not sure really because my view of the right actor in terms of looks and build might not fit with other readers. It's difficult, isn't it, because each of us builds a picture in our minds of the characters in a novel as we are reading it and when the casting fits with that image, then bingo it works.  But when it doesn't the television adaptation of the crime novel can fail and sometimes dramatically. I think they got it right with Inspector Morse, in fact everything was right about that series.  OK, so I know Morse doesn't drive a Jag in the novels but I'll let the TV people off that small point. And, of course, things do have to be changed when adapting for the small screen or big one come to that. I often have lively debates with readers at my talks over the successes and failures of putting favourite novels on ...

Tomorrow is the awards ceremony for the southern area Young Crime Writers' Competition, organised by the Crime Writers' Association and supported by the Library service, and which I have had the pain and pleasure of judging.  I say pain because the entries were so  good and two in particular brilliant that I have been agonising over which one will go forward for the national finals. And I so hate to disappoint  nine of the young people who I have shortlisted and who along with their families will be at Portsmouth Central Library tomorrow morning to receive their certificates and learn which of them has won the area award. Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize. The national winner will receive an engraved pen, a selection of signed books, and a weekend pass for the winner and one accompanying adult, including one night’s accommodatio...

With great difficulty or considerable ease is the answer. Some titles can come instantly, almost the moment the novel hits the page (or rather the computer screen) Dead Man's Wharf was one such case. Others are like pregnancy, taking months to develop and even then when the novel is finished I might still have no idea for a suitable title. A bit like the Horton novel I'm currently working on. It doesn’t matter when the title comes to me though, what does is that it must suit the novel, and if possible be memorable, although in my experience people rarely remember the title of a novel unless it's been made into a film or a television series. Occasionally the Publisher will help with the title, or can suggest changing it to one they think more appealing or suitable. And titles are often changed in translation to suit the country, and sometimes even when it is an English speaking country but with different spellings of a word. For example, Deadly Waters started out as Dea...

I know I've covered this here before but because it's the question that people ask me most often I thought there would be no harm in covering it again, albeit in a different way and with more information. People are genuinely fascinated to learn where writers get their ideas from and many people tell me they'd never be able to come up with an idea for a book let alone enough ideas for a series of novels.  But ideas really are the easy part of writing - once you have trained your mind to openly look for them, or spot them when they miraculously occur - it is turning the ideas into a novel of 80,000-100,000 words that is the tricky bit. Ideas for novels come from a variety of sources: overheard conversations, stories relayed by others, personal experience, locations and the news, which pops up in my Google Reader: for example a Windsurfing Festival on Hayling Island could serve as a potential investigation for an Inspector Andy Horton marine myste...

I've just received the author copies of my new Inspector Horton crime novel, Blood on the Sand , and I must say it looks great. It is the fifth in the series and in hardcover due officially to be published in the UK on 26 February 2010. American readers have to wait a little longer, until April or May, I believe.  It is always a thrilling (and scary) moment when you receive the first printed copies of your novel.  Thrilling because it is at last a tangible thing after months (and years if you count the time it takes to get published in the first place) of hard work. Scary because it is there now in black and white for anyone to read, review, enjoy, hate, love, scorn, enthuse whatever.... And when I turn to that first page I'm always thinking, could I have changed that? Could I have written it better?  Too late. But the novel looks good and thanks to Severn House, my publishers.  Hope my readers enjoy it.

I'm delighted to announce that the second  marine mystery crime novel featuring my rugged fictional detective, Inspector Andy Horton, has been selected as one of ten titles to be featured in a special promotion in the UK throughout February aimed at promoting new and burgeoning talent. Deadly Waters will be featured as part of an "Arts Council initiative in conjunction with Legend Press called ‘Exclusively Independent’ aimed at bringing independent bookshops and independent publishers together to feature some of the best books from new and burgeoning talented authors." Wow! Books are selected on a monthly basis by an industry panel to feature in the promotion. Participating libraries in London are Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham. Co-operating bookshops include: Housmans Bookshop, Peckham Review, Bolingbroke, City Books, Scarthin Books, Red Lion Books, The Family Bookshop and One Tree Books, and I think there might be others. My books are already sold nationw...