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

Libraries have been and still are under threat in both the UK and the USA.  While legal challenges mount in the UK to save our public libraries from these dire and barbaric cuts, the citizens in America have also challenged the closures and cut backs of a valuable and vital public service. So I was delighted to read that the citizens of Los Angeles have recognized the value of libraries to their community and have voted to restore and increase services. Budget cuts last year forced the 73 libraries in Los Angeles to reduce their opening hours. The libraries laid off 101 staff and reduced service hours to five days a week, reported the LA Times . The Los Angeles Public Library system notes that their hours were 'lowest level in the library's 140-year history.  But in March this year all that changed when the people of Los Angeles rebelled against the draconian cuts and approved Measure L, a proposal that gradually diverts larger shares of the city's prope...

Yesterday, for World Book Day, I was asked to comment on whether the e book will be the death of the printed book and the importance of reading and our libraries. I was happy to comment on both.  First up I was on the radio on BBC Radio Solent talking to the lovely Julian Clegg and then I appeared in an article in The News alongside fellow author, saga writer Dee Williams. I believe the printed book will survive.  When television came along people said it would be the death of the radio and cinema and yet all three are still avidly listened to and watched today.  When computers came people said it would be the end of paper, yet computers have created an even greater need for paper.  Sales of e books will grow and then probably reach a plateau and contrary to belief it is not just the young who are buying e readers, but the majority of buyers of e readers are the 55 + age group. However a survey carried out for World Book Day revealed both adults a...

Figures from Nielsen's library book loan tracking service LibScan on the first year of its operation show library goers favour crime and saga authors more than any other books, which is good news for me and my crime novels. And good news for  saga writers.  (I wrote three saga novels some years ago, which aren't published - maybe I should resurrect them!)  My marine mystery crime novels and thrillers  are available to borrow not only in UK libraries but also in libraries in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Not sure what library borrowers prefer in those countries, or if there are figures to track loans but I suspect the pattern would be similar.  Library loans are often different to book sales because libraries stock a vast range of books (currently under threat because of government cut backs as are libraries), and libraries also stock a great backlist of titles, so if you discover an author you like you can usually get access ...

Research by the National Literacy Trust has confirmed that young people's reading ability is linked strongly to their access to books at home as well as parental encouragement to read. The research, which involved more than 17,000 young people, showed 80% of children who read above the expected level for their age have books of their own, while only 58% who read below their expected level have books of their own. I can't recall my parents ever reading to me and although there were a handful of books in my house, neither of my parents read books and neither then did my brothers and sister.  My love of books came from my best friend's mother who was an avid reader and very fortunately introduced me to my local library where I discovered the wonderful world of Enid Blyton and the rest, as they say, is history. So although the research is important and is being used to back the National Literacy Trust's Tell Me a Story campaign, which aims to raise awareness of ...

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...

The Dagger in the Library Award is a prestigious annual award organised by the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain of which I am a member.  The Award is chosen by Librarians and Library Reading Groups. It is awarded to the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users. Nominations for your favourite crime author can be made through your library reading group, or if you're not a member or don't have a reading group, then you can put forward your nomination to your local librarian. The nomination should be for authors whose discovery has recently delighted readers, rather than long standing famous authors and is given for the body of an author’s work, not an individual title. Nominated authors must also be alive at the time of nomination, have published at least two novels and preferably be working in Britain. All libraries whose nominated authors are shortlisted will be entered into a draw for tw...

I'm in the top 3% in the PLR league table of authors most borrowed from UK libraries. So huge thanks to all you lovely people who borrow by books from libraries. For those of you who are not aware of what PLR is, it is Public Lending Right which allows authors to receive payment under PLR legislation for the loans of their books by public libraries. Payments are made annually on the basis of loans data collected from a sample of public libraries in the UK. Over 23,000 writers, illustrators, photographers, translators and editors who have contributed to books lent out by public libraries receive PLR payments each year. The money is not huge and capped at £6,600 but it's not about that (well not only that) it brings a warm glow to an author, to me at least that my books are borrowed and read. PLR systems have been established in many countries around the world. British authors can benefit from PLR payments in those countries which have a reciprocal agreement with t...

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...

I'm pleased to say that The Suffocating Sea , the third in the Inspector Horton Marine Mystery series of crime novels set in the Solent area, is to be published in Large Print in September. It will be available to buy via the Internet and on order from bookshops. It will, of course, also be available from libraries certainly in the UK and I believe also in America. I have been told that the talking book or audio version and download of The Suffocating Sea is also being published but I'm yet to have a date for this. When I do get one I will post something here and on my web site at http://www.rowmark.co.uk/ The Suffocating Sea was recently chosen by The Book Depository as one of ten 'Best of British Crime Fiction.' The Suffocating Sea DI Horton is called to investigate a suspicious fire on board a boat, but as soon as he arrives at the marina he experiences a premonition so strong that it’s almost audible. As he views the charred remains of the dead man he knows ins...

The National Year of Reading was launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Education Secretary, Ed Balls, in January in order to help build a greater national passion for reading among children, families and adult learners alike. Reading is a great leisure activity and highly affordable for everyone, especially when we need to tighten our economic belts. In fact it needn't cost a penny in the UK because we have a wonderful network of libraries. Personally I am very grateful to the library service because if it hadn't been for my small local library in Portsmouth, as a child I would never have discovered the pleasure of reading and writing, coming as I do from a non-book household. When people ask me which writers inspired me the wonderful Enid Blyton opened up a whole new world for me - a world of adventure and mysteries. I, like many others, devoured her Secret Seven and Famous Five mysteries before moving on to another great mystery writer, Malcolm Saville . Just seeing the...

Had an e mail from a colleague in crime, writer that is, Martin Edwards. We've been corresponding through his blog about the novels we like, hence my little note below about the Golden Age of Crime. He too likes Anthony Berkeley's novels and has recently written an article on him which is to appear in "Mystery Scene" magazine www.mysteryscene.mag Thanks, Martin, I would love a copy. I hadn't heard of the magazine before so I have just looked it up on the Net, and it certainly looks interesting. It's an American magazine, and I know that the Americans love mystery novels. One interesting thing out of the many they had on their site was how they were helping to raise funds for the New Orleans Library. In September "Mystery Scene" promised to donate $5.00 for every back issue of the magazine sold to the New Orleans Public Library. They started the fund with $500.00, and have now raised well over $3,000.00. Isn't that great? With our own libraries s...