Crime writer ready for challenges ahead

[John Dean]

I was pleased to hear that crime writer Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin has been elected as the new Chair of the Society of Authors.

The novelist takes over from Joanne Harris to begin a two-year term as Chair of the SoA’s board of directors. Joanne has held the position since 2020 and has now come to the end of her second two-year term.

Vanessa, who writes crime as Irish bestseller Sam Blake, was unanimously elected as Chair of the Society of Authors’ Management Committee – the member-elected board of directors and charity trustees. The Committee meet six times a year to govern the direction of the SoA.

Vanessa is also a prominent member of the Crime Writers’ Association and I have previously worked with her to help promote the annual Crime Reading Month, which happens in June  (more information at https://crimereading.com/).

She was the founder of the Inkwell Group publishing consultancy, Europe’s biggest online writing resources magazine writing ie, and Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival.

Vanessa said: “It is a great privilege to take on this role from Joanne, and I look forward to working with board members and the staff team on the challenges ahead. We are seeing many already – from AI to falling incomes, not to mention cyber-attacks on the institutions that pay authors. I can’t wait to get started.”