I'll be at the Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival, April 2023
If you like the look of any of the events on the programme, be sure to book ahead. I'm reliably informed that there will be no tickets "on the door" for any of the events.
Here are the events that I'm involved in.
Gala Quiz Night
Friday April 21st, 19.00 – 23.00 at Ceredigion Museum
Day 1 of Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival 2023 comes to a close, with the chance to mingle with your favourite writers and, who knows, maybe even win a prize or two…
I'm very excited about this part of the festival as the live murder mystery play that I co-wrote with Louise Mumford will be being performed and, hopefully, my fellow writers and mystery enthusiasts will have some fun trying to work out who committed "Murder Most Aberystwyth".
Back in the mists of time, I used to write murder mystery dinner party games. We'd bought and played a few and, in the way that I tend to do, I'd noticed a distinct pattern in how they played out. That led to me writing a few of my own, that we played with friends at parties. One of those friends was Louise. So, years later, when she innocently asked me if I could write another for a special occasion, I said "yes". I'm the Marty McFly of writing - the slightest hint of a challenge and I'm there.
It was only after I had said "yes" that Louise came clean with exactly who the audience would be.
Writing a mystery for your friends is one thing. Writing a mystery for an unknown and unknowable reader is something else. Writing a mystery for a room full of people whose particular passion is crime and mysteries?
That's something else entirely.
I'm mean... let's face it, if I screw this up? There are a lot of people in this room who have spent a lot of their time coming up with really clever ways to kill people...
Book your slot at the Gala Quiz Night here...
Event 11: Children's Crime
Saturday April 22nd, 13.30 – 14.30 at the Aberystwyth Library Mezzanine
Start them young. Many of us grew up reading the Famous Five and similar, but who are the new generation of writers and what is it like writing crime for children? Sarah Todd Taylor and Chris Lynch discuss the serious matter of writing for young minds, chaired by Caryl Lewis.
My journey to being a children's author has been a somewhat circuitous one. I've been a comic book writer, created a TV pilot, wrote a movie, wrote a horror novel... it's been a ride. These days, most of my work is aimed at kids around my kids' age. It's a great way to avoid growing up.
Writing for kids is, in many ways, far harder than writing for adults. Kids are fully fueled imagination machines, complete with go-faster stripes and furry dice hanging in the window. Writing stories for kids is strapping yourself into the cockpit of that machine and pulling the "go" lever - without a spacesuit on. Kids are simultaneously the best, worst, most supportive, and most terrifying audience you'll ever write for.
In this workshop, my co-panellist, Sarah Todd Taylor, and I will hopefully be able to demystify the world of writing mysteries for children just a little!
Book your place at Event 11 here...
