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I had a great time on the radio last week, talking to David Nove on Angel Radio Isle of Wight and Peter Walkden on Vectis Radio. Thought I'd share some photographs here taken during the radio interviews. From left to right: Carol Bridgestock, David Nove, Pauline Rowson and Bob Bridgestock Carol Bridgestock, David Nove and crime author Pauline Rowson Crime authors Pauline Rowson and Bob Bridgestock talking about how they write their crime novels That's it folks, the show is over Crime author Pauline Rowson getting ready to go on air with Peter Walkden Vectis Radio Peter Walkden, Vectis Radio and Crime Author Pauline Rowson Crime authors Bob and Carol Bridgestock and Pauline Rowson on Angel Radio with David Nove, and Pauline Rowson on Vectis Radio talking about their crime novels and CSI Portsmouth on 5 November at John Pounds Centre, Portsea

There are many things in this life I love and two of them are writing and talking, the latter my husband says I have inherited from my mother.  She loves to talk and will talk to anyone about anything. At ninety she is still totally independent, and still chatting to the man at the bus stop, the woman on the bus, the young couple in the cafe, the girl behind the counter, the cleaner in the shopping mall and anyone else she comes across on her travels. It doesn't matter who they are or what they do, Mum will talk to them.  If there was an Olympic Gold Medal for talking she'd win it hands down every time.  Whether she listens to their answers is, of course, another matter. I have inherited her desire to communicate with many different people, which is of great benefit to a writer, and especially a crime writer, because curiosity about other human beings is an essential requirement for the job. Sometimes this can be stifled because one of the other...

Round and About Magazine recently ran a competition for the chance to win a Signed Copy of Dead Man's Wharf, the fourth in the DI Andy Horton Marine Mystery crime series of police procedurals, which was given a starred review by USA reviewer Kirkus. Congratulations to the five winners who should by now, hopefully, have received their signed copies.  I hope you enjoy reading Dead Man's Wharf and the others in the DI Horton series. Horton and Cantelli are called to a nursing home where an elderly resident, suffering from dementia, claims she's been attacked by an intruder. Horton is ready to dismiss it as senile ramblings until he discovers that her room-mate has died, the dead woman's belongings are missing and her son, convicted for armed robbery, has been found dead in his cell. As if this isn't enough, Horton also has to deal with a series of threatening telephone calls to a television personality, and a mother's conviction that her son's death on C...

Are you always thinking about your characters? Are you just a tiny bit in love with DI Andy Horton? These are a couple of questions I'm sometimes asked and the answer to both is 'yes.' The relationship between writers and their characters varies but it is never dull. You can become a little bit obsessed with your characters. Oh, alright then very obsessed and more so I think when writing a series because they are with you all the time, they are as much part of your life as real people, occupying your thoughts on and off throughout the day, but strangely I never dream of them. I think about my characters a great deal and in terms of plot. Where are they? What will they do next?  How will they react to this or that situation?  What is happening in their private lives as well as in the job?  What is their relationship with their colleagues? But no matter how much I plan, the plot can get changed because once I  start putting dialogue int...

On Saturday 30 April I was delighted to announce the winner of the Young Crime Writers' Competition 2011 for the southern area at  an awards ceremony at Portsmouth Central Library, and present certificates to the shortlisted entrants from across the south. George Neame, (16) from Bognor Regis, West Sussex was awarded first prize for his entry The Photograph and will now go forward for the National finals in June. George Neame, winner of the Southern Region Young Crime Writers Competition 2011 Ewan Murphy (10) from Winchester was Highly Commended for his entry Schoolhouse Murder. I shortlisted fifteen young writers aged between eleven and seventeen from a total number of entries of one hundred and twenty one that came from across the region including, Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex. The competition was organised by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) of which I am a member and writers aged up to 18 were invited to submit ...

Next Tuesday, on 3 May, I will be on the Book Programme on PortsmouthLive TV talking to Sally Tickner about my DI Andy Horton crime novels , and the latest crime fiction books in the marine mystery series of police procedurals including Footsteps on the Shore , Blood on the Sand and Dead Man's Wharf .  Portsmouth is  DI Andy Horton's patch and the series is based around the south coast city of Portsmouth, the Solent area and the Isle of Wight. I've been on Portsmouth Live TV a couple of times and I'm looking forward to my chat with Sally on the book programme on Live at 5. Hope some of you can tune in at 5pm on 3 May - OK so it's not the Royal Wedding, which will have been and gone by then, and it might not be as gripping at Will's and Kate's performance but I'll do my best to make it entertaining. The week after, on Tuesday 10 May, I'll be on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent at about 6.45 am. It's always a pleasure c...

On Saturday 30 April at Portsmouth Central Library I will be presenting certificates to the fifteen talented young crime writers from across the south, shortlisted in the CWA National Young Crime Writers’ Competition 2011 at an Awards Ceremony, where I will also announce which of them is to go forward for the National finals in June. The young crime writers, aged between eleven and seventeen, have been shortlisted out of a total of 121 entries.  They come from across the region including Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex. The competition has been organised by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) of which I am a member and represents the interests of published crime writers, and library authorities nationwide. Writers aged up to 18 were invited to submit 1000 words of crime fiction through their local library.  Out of the 121 entries received by the libraries 62 reached the second selection stage and from these I shortl...

I'm a frequent traveller to the Isle of Wight where some of my novels are set, for example the thriller, In For The Kill and the DI Andy Horton crime novel, Blood on the Sand .   The DI Horton novel I have just finished writing, number seven in the series, called A Killing Coast , is also partly set on the Isle of Wight and partly in Portsmouth, Andy Horton's home patch. I travel either by Hovercraft or on the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne.  And I've also carried out two marathon book signings on the Wightlink ferry, travelling backwards and forwards over eight hours meeting travellers and signing copies of my crime and thriller novels in 2008 and in 2007. They were great fun and I'm very grateful to the Hayling Island Bookshop for organising them and to Wightlink for allowing me to do so. During these book signings I was fortunate enough to meet three Captains: Captain Medway, Captain Monk and Captain Marshall and I got to go up on the bridg...

There are advantages of setting crime novels, or any novel come to that, in a real place and that is being able to explore the area and draw inspiration from it, something that I do all the time with my thrillers and my DI Andy Horton crime novels, as my readers know. My crime novels are set around Portsmouth and the Solent area on the south coast of England. The sea is a very important feature in my crime novels, it creates the backdrop and atmosphere and almost becomes a character itself.  It's mean and moody, still and stunning, dangerous and deceptive, beguiling and beautiful and bustling with activity. And Portsmouth and the Solent area is indeed a very vibrant part of the UK, plenty here to draw inspiration from. I've started working on the next DI Horton novel, number eight in the series, and one thing I need to do, and soon, is visit the area where this DI Horton will be set, which is in Portsmouth, probably not far from the bustling commercial ...

There are a writers who write the same time every day come what may; others will write a certain number of words every day and say, 'when I've done my quota, I'll knock off writing.'  Me?  I have no routine and I don't count the number of words.  Some days the words will flow and I can spend up to eight hours, maybe more writing.  Other days I will struggle to find the correct words. If the latter happens I will usually pick up my knitting, do some sewing or go for a walk.  My mind is constantly working though, thinking through the plots or sub plots, developing characters. I do, however, try to write or 'think' my novels every day. And if I can, I usually work on my crime novels every late afternoon and early evening, knocking off about 7.30pm. I'm currently working in pencil on my outline plot, working up ideas for the new DI Andy Horton , which will be number eight in the series. Then I'll start to put down some character sketches before star...

I've started planning the next DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel , number eight in the series, which is set against the backdrop of the sea on the South Coast of England. How much planning is required when structuring a crime novel? The answer to that question varies with the author.  Some crime writers spend a very long time at the planning stage, up to a year, maybe more, others have only a rough outline before beginning the creative writing, and some will have an in depth synopsis written. When I begin a new crime novel or thriller I don't have a clue who did it or why? I start with an idea, and a body and then Andy Horton, accompanied by Sergeant Cantelli and often in conflict with his boss DCI Lorraine Bliss and the head of the Major Crime Team, Detective Superintendent Uckfield , set out to discover who killed her/him and why.  The first draft creates the characters, their motivations and personalities. It explores the relationships and determine...

Next week I have an interview on Angel Radio, this time on the Isle of Wight rather than at my local Angel Radio Station in Havant. It's always great to be on Angel Radio and I'm looking forward to chatting to David Nove between 12.00 and 1pm on 31 March on 91.5 fm. Angel Radio accentuates the positive aspects of being an older person and provides a radio station for older people to run themselves. It is unique in that it specializes in playing music made before1960.  It provides entertainment, information, reminiscence therapy, mental and physical stimulation, self-esteem, bereavement therapy, and friendly voices with natural personality, all produced by older people specifically for an audience aged 60 years and over. No other radio station in Europe provides this all encompassing service for older people. But you don't have to be over 60 to be on the radio! or to listen to it and I know that many younger people really enjoying listening to the 'vintage music...

I spent most of the weekend working through my latest DI Andy Horton novel, hoping to complete the final edits this week.  There was a little more work on it than I thought but that doesn't matter, and it's important not to rush it and skimp on it. I need to be satisfied that it's the best I can do. My aim is to finish this DI Andy Horton marine mystery police procedural it by the end of March which gives me another ten days, plenty of time.  I promised my publisher that they would have it in March and I like to stick to my deadlines.  That's a habit I formed from years of working in marketing and PR where if I missed a client deadline, I cocked up on a job.  I'm glad to say that I never missed a deadline, no matter how many late nights it entailed.  I've also been considering a title for the novel, and thanks to all those on Facebook for your suggestions.  I've whittled my ideas down to two and will shortly announce which it is to be, along wi...

My silence on my social network sites, on Facebook and Twitter, over the weekend was because I was hard at work finishing the second draft of the new DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel. I was at that tricky stage right at the end when I had to finally decide who the killer was and why. I'm pleased to say that it all came together nicely and I am happy with the outcome.  That doesn't mean to say the novel is complete though. The next stage is working through it again, making sure that all the facts are correct, the red herrings and clues are in place and the unanswered questions answered. Then it's reviewing the structure and examining the use of words and phrases. I also need to make sure that where Andy Horton leaves off in this novel in the search for the truth behind his mother's disappearance he can pick up in the next novel. And, yes, for those who ask, there is more on Andy's search for Jennifer Horton in this novel.

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 was delighted yesterday, before the clock chimed midnight and 2011 was ushered in, to meet my self-imposed deadline of finishing the complete first draft of the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, number seven in the series.  All right, so I wasn't working until midnight, only until seven p.m. when I had to get changed for a dinner engagement but I was determined to get those last few critical chapters on to the computer. Now I can begin in earnest the next phase, that of the revisions, i.e. making sure that everything ties up and fleshing out the characters personalities and motivations - really looking forward to it. I'm working towards a deadline of having the novel completed by the end of March, so I guess that's my writing New Year's Resolution, that and to continue writing throughout 2011 so I'd better get on with it. Happy New Year!

Murder and mayhem is on the agenda tonight when I will be guest speaker at the Women's Institute in  Broad Chalke, near Salisbury, UK giving a talk about my Inspector Andy Horton crime novels and my thrillers. I've spoken at many WI meetings and always enjoy them. Tonight, as at other WIs, I am sure that the audience will be friendly and welcoming. Hopefully I'll be able to post some photographs from the event on the blog tomorrow. Then it's off to the Isle of Wight next week to present prizes to the adult winners of the Wight Fair Writing Circle Winter Short Story Competition in aid of charity before supping coffee and stuffing croissants at the Julian Clegg BBC Radio Solent Christmas party in Southampton on Christmas Eve. A perfect run up to Christmas.

For me Christmas and New Year is a great time to crack on with the writing. It's a quiet time of year both in terms of e mails and dealing with work related matters, plus there are no talks or media interviews scheduled.  Not having any children or a large family I can spend it quietly indulging in the two Ws - writing and walking!  The walking will help to burn off the extra calories taken on board over the festive season and it will get me away from the computer keyboard for a while, thereby helping to rejuvenate the eyes after all that screen staring, rest the fingers from pounding the keyboard and let the little grey cells relax a little. I have a deadline of the end of March 2011 to finish the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel I'm currently writing (number seven in the series) and it's coming along well. I'm on second revisions and barring any last minute mishaps and unknowns I am on target to reach my deadline and you never...

Researching my novels is always a fascinating experience and I learn something new along the way. I'm currently writing the seventh in the series of Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels  and wondered if any fashion designers or fashion historians could help me out with a piece of research. Does anyone know of a dress designer in the late 1970s, designing floaty patterned dresses, which were sold in Bloomingdale's or any other top USA store or in their own designer store in New York in the late 1970s? I'm not going to say why I need it and spoil the plot of course. I've trawled the Internet and found a couple of top fashion designers from the seventies and one seems suitable: Thea Porter. Thea Porter designed high waisted maxi dresses with voluminous sleeves and Gypsy dresses with full-flounced skirts and colorful patterned fabrics and she sold from her own store in New York.  So she seems just what I'm looking for. Bu...

In this latest interview, just posted on You Tube, I'm being interviewed by Tony Smith of Angel Radio about the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels and my crime thrillers novels , in particular about researching them and the locations. I've added some photographs from where these novels are based. Hope you enjoy listening and watching the video.