A Weekend at the Capital Crime Writing Festival 2019

This weekend I attended the inaugural Capital Crime Writing Festival! The event started with an opening night reception on Thursday and ended with the Readers’ Awards on Saturday night. In between were 2 days of packed schedule featuring discussion panels, interviews and authors signings.

The event was held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, with complimentary coffee and tea throughout the festival courtesy of Pan Macmillan. The lineup of authors and guests taking part was incredible. The various sessions made me wish I could be in two places at the same time!

The panels I attended were informative, engaging and infused with humour. The Wrong Side of the Law with Tony Kent, Steve Cavanagh, Harriet Tyce and Imran Mahmood had the audience in stitches as they recounted stories during their legal careers. The Psychology of Tension with Claire McGowan, Lisa Jewell and Mark Edwards discussed the rise of “property-noir” in fiction and whether twists are overused in thrillers (they’re not!). Chilled to the Bone with Karen Sullivan, Ragnar Jónasson, Will Dean, Antti Tuomainen and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir talked about Scandi noir, puffin hunting (!) and writing in sub-zero temperatures.

I really enjoyed the panels where authors discussed diversity in crime fiction. Is Crime Fiction a Problem for Feminists? with Julia Crouch, Sarah Hilary, Amanda Jennings, Collette McBeth and Kate Rhodes discussed tired tropes and how the publishing industry needs more women in jobs at the top. They also pointed out their privilege as white authors compared to female authors of colour and the need for intersectionality in feminism. Crime on a Global Scale with Vaseem Kahn, Leye Adenle, David Hewson, Craig Russell, Shaun Harris and Abir Mukherjee talked about how locations play a part in creating a story and how crime fiction needs more stories set outside the usual Western locations. This is echoed in the panel Britain’s Toughest Streets where Dreda Say Mitchell, Steph Marland, Amer Anwar, David Mark and MW Craven discussed being authors based outside of London, and how digital publishing has expanded to support authors of colour in reaching audiences outside the normal publishing routes.

Interviews with Martina Cole and David Baldacci shared the same advice for fellow writers – to keep writing and don’t give up. The key is consistency, and picking the right story so as not to lose interest halfway through writing the manuscript. John Connolly talked about his career and included a slide show as he shared alternative covers of his books and hilarious emails from fans. It was an entertaining session and a nice change from the other panels.

Goldsboro Books provided books by every author in attendance for purchase. I bought more books than I planned (there were so many choices!). I had the chance to get the books signed and chat with the authors who were all warm and friendly. Ruth Ware said I have a beautiful name and that she might steal it – I’ll have to be on the lookout for her next book! My personal highlight was meeting John Connolly after being a fan of his writing for years. He was jovial in person – nothing like his fictional private detective Charlie Parker!

As a celebration of crime and thriller fiction I found the Capital Crime Writing Festival to be a huge success. On Saturday night I went home with tired legs, a huge bundle of books and plenty of happy memories. I’m already looking forward to next year’s festival!

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