Much of the writing process relies on catalysts, little bombs that explode and infuse the narrative with energy (I appreciate that chemistry practitioners may now be yelling at the page in protest at the mixed metaphors contained in that sentence but you get the idea).

So what do these catalysts look like? Well, an example from the new DCI…

Author Ian Robinson has a new crime novel out - and it’s attracting plenty of glowing reviews.

Criminal Justice (The Book Folks) introduces undercover police officer Sam Batford, a man who walks the narrow line between successful detective and corrupt cop. The novel sees him sent to work with a serious crime team in London in an…

I have just started writing my next crime novel and I have more time to concentrate on it now that Kirkcudbright Book Week, which I help organise, has come to an end for this year.

In fact, the subject of how best to begin a story cropped up during Book Week, not least when I chaired an in-conversation event at the Selkirk Arms, featuring…

I am working on a new DCI John Bizzard crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks, and that means being faced with the dreaded blank first page.

So, how do writers get going under such circumstances? How do they start writing their story? Well, in this hectic world, I have always felt that there is a lot to be said for holding back and…

Traditionally, events featuring crime writers are very popular at Kirkcudbright Book Week in Dumfries and Galloway and tend to sell out. However, with just three weeks to go until the beginning of the event, there are still plenty of tickets available for the three crime fiction offerings.

Crime writers due to appear…

I am delighted to have played a small part in this book making it into print

Castle Douglas writer David L Haigh has had his first novel published, telling a  tale of murder in a rural community.

Crime novel Land Kill, which has been published by Michael Terence Publishing, tells the story of a former stockbroker turned pheasant farmer,…

I have just started writing my next crime novel for my publishers The Book Folks and as with every new book, that blank first page is at once exciting and daunting.

The excitement comes because it takes all that planning that I’ve been doing over recent weeks…

Audience members attending a specially-organised night of crime fiction during Kirkcudbright Book Week will be given a free copy of a 100-page deluxe brochure exploring crime fiction across the British Isles.

The brochure has been put together by the expert team at publisher The Book Folks, which has four of its authors attending the…

Contemplating a spring holiday/short break? Then why not choose the stunning scenery of Dumfries and Galloway and combine it with your love of crime fiction and choose Kirkcudbright when the town’s annual Book Week is on between March 4-10? I will be chairing one of the events.

You can check out the details at…

I have been editing the working draft of the latest Jack Harris crime novel before sending it off to my publishers The Book Folks at the end of the month.

For me, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, this is the most intense and most enjoyable stage of the writing process and it’s worth recapping why all writers need to give the process due…

I am absolutely delighted that my recently-released DCI John Blizzard Kindle box-set of crime novels (The Book Folks) has hit Number One in three of Amazon's crime anthology charts, earning the coveted Orange Bestseller Logo.

Thank you to everyone who bought the box-set and has supported me down the years…

Ever thought about writing a bestseller? Well, if you have, the talk to be given by author Ryan Stark during Kirkcudbright Book Week is well worth attending.

Ryan moved from IT Specialist to full-time novelist eight years ago. The learning curve was steep and, with no knowledge of the writing process, it was quite a journey. Yet from a…

Crime writer James Davidson has been added to the panel for an in-conversation evening staged by publisher The Book Folks during Kirkcudbright Book Week.

He has agreed to appear following the recent death of author James Andrew, who was due to appear.

Event details: Wednesday March 6 In Conversation with the Book Folks Crime Writers…

The process of writing continually teaches the author new lessons. It also reiterates the wisdom behind old ones. The truth of that statement has been proved to me yet again as I write the final chapters of my latest DCI Jack Harris novel for my publisher The Book Folks.

I have found myself struggling with pulling together the threads of the…

I am really looking forward to being part of this event as part of Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs in the Dumfries and Galloway town between March 4-10 2024.

Wednesday March 6 In Conversation with the Book Folks Crime Writers Selkirk Arms High Street Tickets £8 7pm - Publisher The Book Folks presents an evening with some of its…

The latest DCI John Blizzard Kindle box set (the first seven in my series of Blizzard crime novels published by the Book Folks, for just 99p) is storming the Amazon best-selling charts!…

I am proud to have been part of the team that has revamped the Crime Writers' Association's (CWA) prestigious Dagger in the LIbrary award for crime writers.

I was involved because I am one of the CWA's UK Libraries Champions (I am our representative in Scotland) and one of the main aims of the revamp is to increase the number of library staff…

I am really looking forward to this event, which is part of Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs in the Dumfries and Galloway town between March 4-10 2024.

Monday March 4   Ryan Stark Selkirk Arms High Street 2pm Tickets £6

Ryan Stark is a Midlands-based thriller writer and publisher. His Aidan Beckett and Daley & Whetstone…

I am really looking forward to this event, which is part of Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs in the Dumfries and Galloway town between March 4-10 2024.

Thursday March 7 An evening with Simpson Grears Selkirk Arms High Street 7pm £5 Supported by Scottish Book Trust through its Live Literature programme

The crime writer talks…

Book Review The Ferry Port Mystery by David Pearson (The Book Folks)

What do you do if you are the author of a couple of popular crime fiction series but fancy a change? The answer is to create a new series with a new cast of characters, which is exactly what David Pearson has done with The Ferry Port Mystery.

The first in a new series…