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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 ...

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've started reading the entries for the CWA Young Crime Writers Competition 2011 and already I know it is going to be a tough decision choosing the shortlist and deciding on the winning entry.  I've only read a handful of the many entries submitted through the participating libraries in Portsmouth, Southampton, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight and I am very impressed with the quality of the writing and amazed at the imagination. It's great to receive so many startling entries from both boys and girls some as young as eight who have made a fantastic effort. I was privileged to be the judge for the south coast of England for the  Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), Young Crime Writers Competition 2010 and again for this year. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to an Awards Ceremony at Portsmouth Central Library on Saturday 30 April where I'll be presenting certificates and announcing those who are highly commended and the winner. The winner from the south wil...

I'm delighted to have been asked to present the prizes for the latest exciting crime writing competition organised by the Wight Fair Writers Circle. I was privileged to present the prizes at their winter short story competition in December and now I will be back on the Isle of Wight in June to dish out the latest prizes for the winning entries of this new crime writing competition with money and book tokens as the prizes. Each winning entry will also receive a certificate at the awards ceremony to be held at Castlehold Baptist Church, Newport, on June 20. The competition is set to run for two years, thanks to sponsorship from an anonymous donor.Wight Fair Writers Circle is working with the Isle of Wight Council, Island schools, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and many other partners in order to make the competition a success. Proceeds from the competition will go towards two Island charities, the Isle of Wight Homeless and Love Russia. Carol Bridgestock, chair of W...

Budding young crime writers have until Friday to polish off their entries and hand them in to the library where they picked up their entry forms for the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), Young Crime Writers Competition 2011. I don't know how many entries I will be reading this year from the participating libraries in my own area, the south coast of England, but I'm certainly looking forward to it. I am the judge for the south and the winner from this region will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Writing Week, 13- 19 June. Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate at an awards ceremony on 30 April, which is being held at Portsmouth Library while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize, which includes a selection of signed books from the UK’s top crime authors and tickets to CRIMEFEST 2012, Britain’s international crime fiction convention and sponsors of ...

Budding young crime writers have until 18 February to get their entries in for the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA), Young Crime Writers Competition 2011. Competition entries in the south are being judged by yours truly and I'm looking forward to seeing what the youth on the south coast come up with this year.The winner from the south will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Writing Week, 13- 19 June. Entry forms are available from libraries in Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex. The crime stories should be under 1,000 words and entrants must be under 18 years. Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate at an awards ceremony in April while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize, which includes a selection of signed books from the UK’s top crime authors and tickets to CRIMEFEST 2012, Britain’s international crime fiction convention and ...

Yes, I've had some good coverage in the media for the Young Crime Writers Competition to find the best young crime writers in the UK in a national competition launched by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and sponsored by CRIMEFEST , an International crime convention held in Britain. I've been talking about it on Portsmouth Live TV and on Spirit FM and tomorrow I wil be live on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent at about 7.20am, and then chatting to Darren Gamblen on Express FM 93.7   at 9.30am or thereabouts. The Chichester Observer and West Sussex Gazette are planning to cover the story in this week's newspapers. Ventnor Blog on the Isle of Wight has put details of the competition on their very popular blog and I'm hoping that the Isle of Wight County Press will run it this week.  I'm also hoping that the Portsmouth News and Southampton Daily Echo will pick up on the story.  The more young people who enter the better. The Book Tr...

For the second year running I am delighted to be the judge for the south coast to find the south's best young crime writer in a national competition organised by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) and sponsored by CRIMEFEST, Britain’s international crime fiction convention. The winner from the south will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, which starts on June 13.  The competition will appeal to writers aged up to 18 (born on or after September 1, 1992). Stories up to 1,000 words should be submitted between January 10 and February 18 through participating libraries, which in the south includes Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and West Sussex. There are more details on my web site along with a checklist on How to Write a Good Crime Story .  Entry forms are via the libraries, so check out your local library for further information and to see if they are joining in the competition. There will be an aw...

Getting published is tough no matter what genre you write and the crime genre is particularly competitive. While winning The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Debut Dagger Competition doesn't guarantee publication it could expose your work to top literary agents and publishers as well as motivate you to write and provide valuable feedback on your writing. The CWA 2011 Debut Dagger Competition Competition opened on 30th October 2010, and will close on 5th February 2011. So there's time yet to write or polish up something you've already written. You can submit the opening chapter(s) – up to 3000 words – and a short synopsis of your proposed crime novel. There are full details on the Crime Writers' Association Website and you can also sign up to a free mailing list and receive a newsletter every two weeks with the latest news and useful hints and tips to help you perfect your entry. The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commerciall...

The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) (of which I am a member) has announced that it will again run two highly successful initiatives next year, which were first introduced this year. National Crime Writing Week, formerly National Crime Fiction Week, will run between June 13 and 19, 2011. The name change is designed to encompass both non-fiction and fiction and the nationwide celebration of crime writing will see the culmination of the CWA Young Crime Writers' Competition, which was run by libraries and the CWA this year and attracted 600 entries nationwide. I was the CWA representative and judge for entries on the South Coast of England this year and I am happy to say that I will be next year.  I very much look forward to being involved and once again reading the entries from young writers. In addition, during National Crime Writing Week, members of the CWA, including yours truly, will take part in readings, discussions, read...

The Southern Area Awards Ceremony for the shortlisted entrants for the first National Young Crime Writers' Competition, organised by the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain and supported by the Library Service was held on Saturday 24 April, hosted by Portsmouth Central Library. I was delighted to present certificates and a signed and dedicated copy of one of my Inspector Andy Horton Marine Mystery crime novels: The Suffocating Sea to the ten shortlisted entrants. It was so lovely to meet so many young people who enjoy writing and reading and it was an incredibly difficult task choosing a winner. In the end I had to choose between two stunning entries. I awarded a Highly Commended to the runner up George Neame , a hugely talented young writer whose command of English was superb. His entry was entitled "The Secret of Seven West Street". It is extremely well written and his style lends him greatly to writing novels. I expect to see his novels on the books...

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...

I’ve been judging the entries for the Young Crime Writers’ Competition organised by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) of Great Britain , (of which I am a member), and what a tough job. I am one of the judges for the Southern Area Awards to find the South’s best young crime writer who will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, June 14-20 . It's been incredibly difficult whittling down the entries to ten. The competition was aimed at writers aged up to 18 and stories were submitted via participating libraries across the UK in January and February with a word limit of 1,000. Participating libraries for my area in the south of England were libraries in Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the larger branches in West Sussex, which included: Bognor Regis, Burgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Littlehampton, Shoreham, Storrington and Worthing. There were some great entries and fascinating sto...

A nationwide celebration of crime writing is to take place in the UK 14-20 June 2010 under the banner of  National Crime Fiction Week . It is an initiative from the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain (CWA) to help promote and raise the profile of crime fiction, which is already one of the most popular genres in the UK. Crime fiction encompasses a vast array of novels from cosy murders, to gruesome hard boiled stuff, from historical to romantic suspense, thrillers, private detective, police procedurals and probably lots more in between.  My novels  In For The Kill and In Cold Daylight   are classed as thrillers while the marine mystery series of crime novels featuring my flawed and rugged hero, Inspector Andy Horton, are detective police procedurals.  They are not gruesome, because I'm not a fan of reading gruesome crime novels myself, neither are they full of endless descriptions, but are fast-paced, and, I am pleased to sa...

I’m pleased to announce that I am involved in an exciting new initiative from the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) of Great Britain, which represents the interests of published crime writers and library authorities nationwide. I am one of the judges for the South Coast of England to find the South’s best young crime writer in the inaugural National Young Crime Writers’ Competition who will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, which starts on June 14. The competition is aimed at writers aged up to 18 (born on or after September 1, 1991). Stories need to be submitted via the participating libraries across the UK between January 18 and February 19 and the word limit is 1,000. Participating libraries for my area in the south of England, are all those in Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the larger branches in West Sussex, which includes: Bognor Regis, Burgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Littleham...

National Crime Fiction Week is taking place in 2010 for the first time.  The Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain (CWA), of which I am a member, is organising a celebration of crime writing during the week of 14-20 June 2010.  It also coincides with Independent Booksellers Week in the UK. During the week members of the CWA, including yours truly, will take part in readings, discussions, readers' group events and workshops all over the country. So keep an eye out here for my events or on my official web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk/ The crime genre is very broad so there should be something for every crime fiction fan.

Avid crime fiction readers and crime writers in particular will welcome the news that The Times has linked with CrimeFest for 2010 to provide media coverage for this exciting convention. The Times will also be covering the Crime Writers Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which includes the CWA Dagger in the Library.  I was long listed for the Dagger in the Library Award in 2008, a fact I discovered by accident from the Internet.  However, unbeknown to me, I was not meant to tell anyone, don't ask me why, but it's some kind of big secret until the shortlist is announced.  I got slapped knuckles for broadcasting my joy at being put forward by librarians in the UK, and I still detect an icy wind blowing in my direction from certain quarters of the CWA.  Still they didn't expel me so that's something I suppose. Anyway to get back to CrimeFest .  For those of you who haven't heard of it it was first organised in June 2008 and has become one of ...

The News in Portsmouth are running a very worthwhile campaign called Spread The Word , which aims to get more children and young people reading. Part of this initiative is to record well known local and national people talking about their favourite books and what reading means to them, so I was very honoured and pleased to be asked to contribute. Here I am talking about one of my favourite books from the Golden Age of Crime ( 1920s to 1940s). The Port of London Murders by Josephine Bell, who incidentally was one of the founder members of the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) of which I am a member. Published in 1938 this book is not only a great puzzle but realistically portrays what life was like in London in the 1930s and shows the sharp contrast between the rich and the poor. The reader visits a London that has long since vanished, with working barges on the River, the many wharfs and docks alongside it, the London smog and much more. It also focuses on a very modern problem, dru...

There are hundreds of thousands of books in the World. And lots of crime novels and crime writers. So in a crowded market how does an author make his or her books and name stand out? Recent research has shown that in the eyes of the buying public publicity is a very strong factor in boosting sales (think "Richard and Judy"). But we can't all get on "Richard and Judy", and besides the programme is moving television channels and might not be so influential in the future. Us authors need all the help we can get to promote our books and create name awareness. Having our books entered for awards and competitions like the World Book Day Spread The Word Prize, (In Cold Daylight ) The Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction , the CWA Dagger Prizes , The Man Booker Prize and so many more is extremely valuable in terms of increased profile and publicity. This publicity starts with the speculation about who might be selected to win an award and it builds when the longlist is a...

Guilty as charged. I’ve finally joined the criminal class. No, I haven’t robbed a bank or joined the throngs of drunken teenagers pissing it up outside Tesco Express, I’ve become accepted as a member of the Crime Writers’ Association. http://www.thecwa.co.uk/ And my qualifications for being admitted to these hallowed realms? Well, apart from my fourth crime novel Deadly Waters , being published in September, I’d say that my background was a contributory factor: running my own marketing company taught me how to concoct amazing stories around completely boring products, delivering workshops on understanding personality types to psychotic management helped me to see how devious people are, facing a real-life axe man threatening to smash me and the jobcentre I was working in at the time to tiny pieces showed me how to do fear, and being married to a fire-fighter who can do gory better than any forensic scientist have helped me to create my fearless detective, Harley Davidson riding and sa...