OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR
I've just heard that BLIND TO THE BONES has been nominated
for the UK Crime Novel of the Year Award, sponsored by
Theakston's Old Peculier (a very strong British beer, in
case you were wondering!).
This is a new fan-based award, voted on by readers. The
prize of £3,000 and a hand-made engraved beer barrel from
Theakston's will be presented to the winner on the opening
night of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in July.
I don't think much of my chances here! There's seriously
stiff competition for the award - a 'longlist' of 20 books
by some top writers, from which readers will vote for six
finalists, and then for the final winner. Voting takes
place either in Ottakars' bookstores in the UK, or via the
website:
http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp
As an extra incentive to vote, you get to have your name
entered in a competition to win a weekend break at the
Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.
The prize includes three nights bed and breakfast
accommodation at the four-star hotel Cedar Court Hotel
(based on two people sharing a twin room), plus admission
to all events at the festival. The festival runs from 21st
to 24th July.
Voting is open now, and continues through to 31st May. If
you're voting via the website, it looks as though you only
have to give a name and an email address.
But please note - if you want your name entered for the
prize draw, make sure to click on the little button just
above 'Submit'.
Further details here:
http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime
Along with the 'usual suspects' it's always good to see
authors nominated for awards who are otherwise
under-appreciated. I'm delighted to see people like Stuart
Pawson and Kate Ellis on the Old Peculier list.
But there are still some great writers who are constantly
overlooked, for whatever reason. For example, John Baker
springs to mind.
What does everyone else think? Do you have favourite
British authors who never seem to get the recognition they
deserve? Let us know, and send in your suggestions:
comments@stephen-booth.com
You never know - the awards committees might take notice!
I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Previous issues have
been posted on the website so you can catch up. Follow
these direct links or paste them into your browser:
http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterJan05.htm
http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterSept04.htm
http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterJune04.htm
http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterApril04.htm
http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterFeb04.htm
Scores of new subscribers have again been signing up since
the last issue of the newsletter, so a big welcome to you
all. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends who
might be interested.
And don't forget, if you have any suggestions for what
you'd like to see in future issues, don't hesitate to let
me know. Send your ideas to:
newsletter@stephen-booth.com
All the best
Stephen Booth
ONE LAST BREATH
The UK paperback of ONE LAST BREATH is out today (Monday
4th April), and as usual HarperCollins have done a great
job with it. This time, they've kept the same cover from
the hardback - it's the stunning red artwork with an
actual photo of the ruins of Peveril Castle (which
features in the story).
This is the book The Independent described as "the
traditional crime story, endowed with literary strength"
and led the Sunday Telegraph to describe me as "one
of our best story-tellers". Isn't it nice for crime
fiction to get a bit of recognition from the upmarket
press now and then?
There's always a standard disclaimer in the front of a
novel, which states that all the events and characters
mentioned in the book are 'fictional' and the product of
the author's imagination.
This is rarely entirely true. Like other authors, I
constantly refer to real places and real historical
events, some of them well within living memory, such as
the 1984-85 Miners' Strike, which is mentioned a couple of
times in the series.
But so many people commented on the story of the young
caver Neil Moss in ONE LAST BREATH that we have changed
the wording of the disclaimer for the paperback.
Yes, the story of Neil Moss is true. It was one of the
factors that inspired me to write the novel, because the
thought of that 'last breath' was something I couldn't get
out of my mind. If you don't know what I'm talking about,
you'll have to read the book!
Incidentally, if you've already read ONE LAST BREATH and
you want to know more about Neil Moss, there's a book
recently published called 'Derbyshire Heroes', written by
David Bell, which recounts this incident and other
fascinating stories from the area (Countryside Books at £7.95).
Meanwhile, ONE LAST BREATH should be available pretty much
everywhere in the UK (HarperCollins at £6.99). If you
happen to live near a Tesco or an Asda, you might even be
able to fill your trolley with a few copies for your
friends.
The paperback will also be arriving shortly in Canada,
Australia and other parts of the world. US readers see
below!
THE DEAD PLACE
Monday June 6th in the UK will see publication of the
sixth Cooper & Fry novel, THE DEAD PLACE. My agent
says it's the best so far - and she's usually right! So
get your advance orders in now (HarperCollins at the
bargain hardback price of £12.99).
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
Well, here's the news that readers in the USA have been
waiting for (and emailing me for!).
My new US publishers, Bantam Dell, currently have the
paperback of BLIND TO THE BONES scheduled for publication
in February 2006, followed by the hardcover of ONE LAST
BREATH in April. Obviously, this is some months away yet,
so plans could still change!
By then, it will have been about two and a half years
between books in the USA, so I hope you guys haven't
forgotten me!
I'm excited about having a new publisher and I think
Bantam Dell will do a great job with the series. They've
already signed up for THE DEAD PLACE, and for the seventh
Cooper & Fry novel (as yet untitled).
For a taster of OLB, the first chapter has been posted on
the website:
http://www.stephen-booth.com/breathchapter.htm
LOVE IS MURDER
Even without a new book to promote, I haven't been staying
away from the USA. I was in Chicago for 'Love is Murder'
in February this year. This was great fun, and it was a
privilege meeting and working with my fellow guests of
honour - particularly Anne Perry, who is a sweetie.
The event was well-run, but relaxed, the way a convention
should be. I even survived an interview with Joe Konrath
(author of 'Whiskey Sour') and a session of his 'Stump the
Stars' panel game, in which we had to identify lines from
our own books.
That isn't as easy as it sounds, and I was amazed by the
ability of my fellow panellists. Ms Perry has written
nearly 50 books, for heaven's sake. How do you remember
all those?
CASTING, CASTING...
Following the last newsletter, we've had lots of
suggestions for actors to play the roles of Ben Cooper and
Diane Fry (well, rather more for Ben than Diane, for some
reason!).
Photos of all the actors you've nominated are on the 'Virtual
Casting Page' on the website. There's quite a variety.
Plenty of good actors, among them, but if the series does
ever make it to the screen, most of these people are going
to be disqualified on grounds of their advanced age, I'm
afraid.
And then there's the Iron Maiden guitarist. Good try, that
one! The suggestion also lead to a discussion of Ben
Cooper on the Iron Maiden Bulletin Board, which Ben was
dead chuffed about!
http://www.ironmaiden.org/showthread.php?t=34579
AROUND THE WORLD IN 70 DOMAINS
The Stephen Booth website has now racked up visitors from
70 different countries. Most of them are countries where
my books aren't officially published - at least, not in
the local language - and some of them are quite surprising
(Togo? Papua New Guinea?).
In fact, I thought I'd heard of all the countries in the
world, but I did have to get out the atlas to see where
Niue is.*
By far the largest number of visitors to the website are
from the UK and USA, but with Canada and Sweden close
together in third and fourth place, and Australia, Japan
and Finland showing well behind them.
Recently, the most frequent visitors to the site have been
a school in Luxembourg and the Swedish Police, who seem to
be keeping a close eye on my activities for some reason!.
* It turns out to be a tiny island in the South Pacific,
and it's the first country in the world to get free
nationwide wireless internet access, in addition to its
existing free email services. But then, it does have a
population of only 2,000.
Well, I've got some unique prizes to give away this time.
You lucky people! On offer are:
1. A set of six coasters based on the covers of all six
Cooper & Fry novels to date (yes, your maths are right
- that includes THE DEAD PLACE, which hasn't been
published yet).
2. A ONE LAST BREATH mug (in white with the cover of the
book printed on the side).
3. Signed UK first editions of ONE LAST BREATH.
Oh, I'm also going to dish out some nice Stephen Booth
bookmarks and pens, and whatever else I can find lying
around the house.
Pictures of the main prizes will be on the website
shortly. Newsletter subscribers are getting a head start,
but I'm going to open up this competition to website
visitors -including those from Togo, Papua New Guinea, and
even Niue. If the Swedish Police win first prize, you'll
know it's a fix.
OK, so what do you have to do to stand a chance of winning
these goodies? Just answer the question below, and email
your answer (with your full name, please). There's no need
to give your address just yet - you'll be contacted for
it, if you win.
I'll let the competition run for a while, with a closing
date of 1st May. Good luck!
QUESTION:
Name the convicted murder who is released from prison on
licence at the beginning of ONE LAST BREATH.
Email your answers to:
competition@stephen-booth.com
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150,000 READERS CAN'T BE WRONG
ONE LAST BREATH was chosen for a nationwide library
promotion in the UK called Borrowers Recommend.
Based on the latest library loan figures from the Public
Lending Right scheme, the promotion is designed to
highlight authors 'discovered' by large numbers of library
readers. The slogan is: "150,000 readers can't be
wrong."
ONE LAST BREATH was one of 21 books chosen across all
genres, fiction and non-fiction.
SPECIAL EDITIONS
HarperCollins are producing an 'own brand' special edition
of BLACK DOG for Ottakars' bookstores, which will go on
sale in May.
Ottakars' will also run a 3-for-2 backlist promotion for
the whole Cooper & Fry series through May, leading up
to the hardback publication of THE DEAD PLACE. I'm sure
many of my fellow writers will echo my appreciation of the
very supportive role that Ottakars' play in UK crime
fiction.
Scorpion Press are planning a special limited edition of
THE DEAD PLACE later in the year.
Last year, Peter Robinson was asked to write an
appreciation for a special edition of ONE LAST BREATH, but
sadly the book failed to appear due to a contractual
problem between Scorpion and HarperCollins.
All being well, this should be one for collectors to keep
an eye out for:
http://www.scorpionpress.org.uk
BRISTOL 2006
Left Coast Crime is one of my favourite US mystery
conventions, and I'm delighted to say that it will be
coming to the UK in 2006.
Thanks to organisers Adrian Muller and Myles Allfrey, the
convention will be held from Thursday to Sunday 16th -
19th March 2006 at the Marriott Royal Hotel, Bristol.
I expect plenty of American visitors will be travelling to
England for this one, and it promises to be one of the
biggest crime fiction events in the UK for some years.
The four-day event will include a gala dinner, interviews
with best-selling guest authors from Britain, Europe and
the US, award presentations, author panels and writers'
workshops.
Guests of honour include Anne Perry, and the toastmaster
will be Lee Child. Among US authors I can already see
registered are Meg Chittenden, Barbara Seranella,
Jacqueline Winspear, Donna Andrews, Sharan Newman and Rick
Riordan. And, of course, I'll be there, so I hope to see
you!
This may seem months away yet, but I recommend registering
early. You can download a registration form from the Left
Coast Crime 2006 website:
http://www.leftcoastcrime2006.com
SWANNING ABOUT WITH SWEDES
In Sweden, the Cooper & Fry novels continue to sell
well. ONE LAST BREATH ('ETT SISTA ANDETAG') will be a book
club main selection in May, which my Swedish publishers,
Forum, are very pleased with.
I met some of my European publishers at a rather swish
cocktail party during the London Book Fair (it's a tough
life being a published author, you know). Also swanning
around the elegant surroundings of the English Speaking
Union in Mayfair were Mark Billingham, Martina Cole and
Anne Perry.
The Book Fair itself was pretty impressive - imagine the
vast halls of the Olympia exhibition centre packed from
wall to wall with publishers, agents and booksellers from
around the world, all frantically doing business with each
other for three days solid. The noise level was amazing.
Afterwards, I was told that one of the increasing
'problems' about the book fair is the number of aspiring
authors prowling the aisles with unpublished manuscripts
in their hands, ready to pounce on unwary agents and
editors.
Many editors say they've learned to use evasive manoeuvres
whenever they see an 'author' badge approaching.
I have a sneaking admiration for hopeful writers who are
willing to do things like this in their attempts to get
published. I would personally never have had the courage
to do it. It's a tough life being an unpublished author,
you know.
But this phenomenon also explains why one editor that I
know greeted me in the aisles of the book fair with the
remark: "Oh, look - a REAL author!"
TRANSLATION NEWS
In France, L'AIGLE SANGLANT (BLOOD ON THE TONGUE) has
recently been published in paperback by Livres de Poche.
In Sweden, ETT SISTA ANDETAG (ONE LAST BREATH) will be
published by Forum in June.
In Finland, Blue Moon have bought BLIND TO THE BONES,
which they will publish in 2006.
In Germany, Goldmann have bought BLIND TO THE BONES and
ONE LAST BREATH, but I don't have any publication dates
yet.
AH, THE AULD COUNTRY
During May, I'll be spending a week on the west coast of
Ireland. "What, a holiday?" I hear you say.
Well, yes - a quick break before the busy summer period
starts.
However, I'll also be visiting for the first time the area
that some of my ancestors came from. One branch of my
family left Galway for Liverpool during the Great Famine
in the 1840s, and I've managed to track down the birth of
my great-great-grandmother Bridget to the town of
Ballinasloe.
Must polish up my Gaelic a bit before I go...
A NOVEL FUND-RAISER
A novel by the most writers in the world - ever! That's
the aim of a group of charity fund-raisers in the North
East of England, who asked me to contribute a sentence to
their record-breaking novel, along with local celebrities
such as Terry Deary ('Horrible Histories'), Eamonn Holmes
of GMTV, and Sunderland FC manager Mick McCarthy.
Members of the public can now become 'co-authors' for a
donation of a £1 per sentence. The story is based on the
legend of The Lambton Worm, and is the brainchild of The
Sunniside Bookshop and Art Galley:
http://www.thesunniside.co.uk
I was very happy to support this effort - not only because
it sounded like such an interesting and unusual idea, but
because proceeds go to the Grace House Appeal, which is
trying to raise £5 million to build a hospice for
terminally ill children.
The hospice will be named after six-year-old Grace Jones,
who suffers from a mystery illness that has left her
disabled and unable to speak:
http://www.gracehouse.co.uk
I expect to be back in the Windy City for Bouchercon, the
World Mystery Convention, which takes place in Chicago at
the beginning of September 2005:
http://bouchercon.net
FORTHCOMING DATES
Back in the UK, I'll be at the Crime Writers' Association
annual conference in Glasgow, Friday to Sunday 22nd - 24th
April. And here are a few events already scheduled for the
summer when THE DEAD PLACE is published:
Saturday 11th June, 10.30-11.30am
Holymoorside and Walton Arts Festival, Chesterfield,
Derbyshire.
(For ticket enquiries, phone 01246 567118).
Thursday 16th June, 7.30pm
Ellesmere Port Library, Civic Way, Ellesmere Port,
Cheshire - with Carla Banks (aka Danuta Reah).
Thursday 23rd June, 7.30pm (to be confirmed)
Halifax Central Library, Northgate, Halifax, West
Yorkshire - with Stuart Pawson.
Saturday 25th June (times tba)
Queen's Square Books, Queen's Square, Poulton-le-Fylde,
Lancashire
The Corner Bookshop, Thomas's Court, Garstang, Lancashire.
Saturday 2nd July, 9.30am-5pm
West Sussex Writers' Conference, Field Place, The
Boulevard, Worthing. Chaired by Simon Brett, other
speakers include Carole Matthews, Susannah Waters and Jane
Wenham-Jones. For details, visit the website:
http://www.westsussexwriters.org.uk
Monday 18th July, 7.30pm
Talk to Ashby Writers' Group, Brown Court, Ashby de la
Zouch, Leicestershire.
Tuesday 19th July, 6.30pm
'Bodies in the Bookshop', Heffer's bookshop, Trinity
Street, Cambridge.
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Don't forget to send your comments or suggestions for the
newsletter to:
newsletter@stephen-booth.com
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