I have had occasion in recent weeks to experience, either in classes, reading sessions or in competition entries, some pieces of writing that have stirred deep emotions within me. Emotion is something of which some writers are wary, preferring to produce work without revealing too much of themselves or their views. However, for many other writers, there cannot be fiction without a sense of themselves. For some authors, there is always part of them peering through, their fears, their hopes,…

I am one of a group of crime writers appearing in Sheffield for National Crime Writing Month events. I will be joining Penny Grubb, Jane Finnis and Danuta Reah on a panel on Friday June 22 at 11am at Parson Cross Library, Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield S5 8NL. Booking is advised on 0114 203 9533 and the event is free. A similar event is taking place on Wednesday July 4 at 2pm at Ecclesall Library, Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield, S11 9PL with Valerie Laws, Paul Adam and Rikki Thomas. You can…

Darlington for Culture (DfC) will stage the next in its series of open mic nights for authors and audiences at Darlington Arts Centre on Monday May 28. Run by John Dean, the events form part of the programme run at the centre by DfC, which is a Community Benefit Society, a type of co-operative.

Seven open mic nights have already been held by DfC, all on the last Monday of each month. Open mic nights are events where authors can take to the floor and read their material, anything from…

As part of National Crime Writing Month, I'm talking to Ferryhill Library Reading Group, Ferryhill Library, North Street, Ferryhill, Co Durham, DL17 8LX, on June 19 between 2-3pm. The Library number is 01740 651236. All welcome. No fee.

Got a story to tell? Keen to be a writer? Then this could be your big chance

Creative writing tutor John Dean has announced that he will be running his popular courses at the Friends’ Meeting House in Skinnergate, Darlington. The adult learning courses, previously staged at Darlington Arts Centre, deal with all aspects of creative writing, focusing primarily on prose, including short stories, novels and writing as well as occasional forays into the world of stage, theatre and…

Darlington for Culture (DfC) will stage the next in its series of open mic nights for authors and audiences at Darlington Arts Centre on Monday April 30. Run by me, the events form part of the…

I'm having a busy old time of it on World Book Day, talking to students at Hummersknot Academy, Darlington, in the morning, about what makes for good writing, and children at Firthmoor Primary School, Darlington, in the afternoon on my creation Haghir the Dragon Finder. Talking of Haghir, publisher Certys has entered the world of e-books on Amazon with the publication of four titles for Kindle, including Haghir the Dragon…

The Crime Writers Association has announced that the 2012 winner of its prestigious Diamond Dagger award is thriller writer Frederick Forsyth. Chair of the CWA Peter James said: "Frederick Forsyth is a hugely deserving recipient and The Day of the Jackal remains one of the greatest thrillers of our times. He has set a new standard of…

Want to join the fight to save Darlington Arts Centre (and Cockerton Library) from closure? If you go to www.darlingtonforculture.org we explain how to have you say or you can do it direct at Darlington Borough Council's website. If folks say nothing, we cannot complain when cherished places close.

As you know, I am part of the Crime Writers’ Association, which stages events in libraries to do our bit to highlight their importance in an age of austerity cuts. Talking to crime writers, one of the reasons they champion libraries is the impact that they have on children, allowing parents to give their youngsters access to books which maybe they cannot afford. The importance of libraries’ role in encouraging young readers was further…

As you know, I and many other crime writers do what we can to help libraries at a time when they are seen by many as a soft target as budget cuts bite. So I was delighted to hear that best-selling crime author Karin Slaughter is to write a short story to benefit libraries. The project will be a digital original short story titled "Thorn in My Side" from Amazon Publishing's Thomas & Mercer imprint, available exclusively as a Kindle Single on August 25th. One hundred percent of Slaughter's…

Just announced the Summer Fling programme (Aug 30-Sep 3). Far too much going on to list it all here (music, dancing, readings, art fair etc etc) but you can find it at www.darlingtonforculture.org (click on the right hand box on the home page, which says wpshower, and all will be revealed)

Darlington for Culture (DfC), which was set up late last year to help save Darlington Arts Centre, has organised two writing workshops, one for adults, one for young people, to be held on Tuesday August 30.

The books and writing day will launch the week-long Summer Fling organised at the Vane Terrace centre by DfC, a Community Benefit Society, a type of co-operative. There will be a range of events, including a book fair and appearances by local authors.

The…

You will recall that some months ago, I wrote several blogs expressing concern at the impact on libraries of public sector cuts in the UK.…

Darlington, where we are based, hosted the annual conference of the Crime Writers' Association over the weekend. For two days, some of the finest crime writers in the world attended a series of talks and events devoted to the world of crime. I was the organiser and what shone through time and time again when listening to the delegates was that they share a passion for their art, a passion for their genre and a passion for constantly learning and developing their craft. And that made for a…

Interested how one issue keeps coming back time and time again for the writers using this site - and it is one that fascinates me. The question asks how much of ourselves do we place into our fiction? It's back at the top of our forums sections at the Global Short Story Competition's social networking site after one of the members started a discussion on the subject. A similiar discussion that we had a few weeks ago was equally fascinating.

My personal view has always been that, as…