FESTIVAL FUN 2022
I have attended some fantastic book festivals this year. Read on to see what I got up to or access recordings of events you might have missed!
2022 FESTIVAL SEASON
ICELAND NOIR: DARK FUTURES
Saturday 19 November, Reykjavik
Wow, what an amazing time we had in Reykjavík for Iceland Noir in November, a literature festival “celebrating darkness in all its forms”.
My first ever foreign gig and my first ever trip to stunning Iceland and on our first night we saw the Northern Lights!! Yes, this is a real picture that my other half took. We’d just come out of Bernadine Evaristo’s excellent talk and were confronted by this happening in the skies, in the middle of the city, over what is called ‘the pond’!
I really enjoyed our Dark Futures panel with Tim Glister, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Maria Elisabet Bragadottir beautifully moderated by Sverrir Norland, where we discussed how fiction can help us navigate even the most unsettling futures...
I loved Iceland and definitely want to return for longer so I can explore further afield.
NEWCASTLE NOIR: A CRIME UNIVERSE NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY…
Sunday 11 December, Newcastle City Library
We had such a good time on our panel at Newcastle Noir, another first for me!
Louise Mumford, David Beckler and I managed to find hilarity in dystopian visions, excellently chaired by Rosie White.
All our books provide chilling glimpses of an all-too-possible near future, whether it be the perils of genetically engineering our children, a dystopian London under the grip of privatised security firms or a mother and daughter living off-grid in a bunker escaping a polluted world.
The other panels were superb, too, and it was a lovely way to end my festival year.
CAPITAL CRIME: A TASTE OF MEDICINE
September 30, London
London’s international festival celebrating thriller and crime brings authors and filmmakers together for a fabulously criminal weekend, and I had a fantastic time on our 'A Taste of Medicine' panel where I discussed Off Target and all things medically thrilling with fellow authors Rachelle Atala and A K Turner.
BLOODY SCOTLAND: YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS
September, Stirling
Scotland’s international crime-writing festival attracts a fantastic list of authors and I was so delighted to attend for the first time, on a panel with Jack Jordan and Simon Stephenson, brilliantly moderated by Liam Bell. We discussed what makes a good medical thriller, the importance of research and some of the ethical dilemmas our respective novels pose.
The festival provided an excellent opportunity to listen to other authors on a diverse range of panels as well as organising some superb social events like the games night hosted by Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee, and ‘Crime at the Coo’ where a selection of authors who are also very talented musicians treated us to some brilliant renditions!
Possibly my highlight though, was the Torchlight Procession on Thursday night from Stirling Castle down through the streets of the old town, after listening to a band of pipers play at the castle, including a minute’s silence for the Queen.
Truly magical, with breathtaking scenery, that is something I won’t ever forget.
Yup, that’s me on the left with Drax, the host of Second Life Book club, chatting about Off Target!
SECOND LIFE BOOKCLUB
Wednesday July 6th
Well this was quite an experience!! I embarked on my first ever book club in a virtual world with Draxtor on Second Life with my very own avatar, designed around the baby from the front cover of Off Target. (Yes, it is very creepy…!) This was a bit of an adventure for me as I am new to the virtual realm and my battered old laptop struggled a little so my avatar did a few disappearing acts, but it didn’t interrupt the flow of questions and discussion; we had three readings and Drax ( the host) did the most amazing job with excerpts from the book and the website.
You honestly have to check it out!
The amazing design team built in all kinds of details from the book, using the Mokosh clinic as the main set, with Fruit of the Womb protestors, genetically edited dogs and much more!
You can check out the world they built for Off Target here, at the Mokosh Clinic on island #2
And if you missed it, you can also watch a recording of the book club here!
A Fruit of the Womb anti-GM protestor outside the Mokosh Clinic, from Off Target
‘FUTURE PROOF’ AT THE CYMERA FESTIVAL:
Friday June 3rd, 7.30- 8.30 pm
The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh
How far would you go to ensure survival?
Cymera is Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and I was on a panel with debut author Rachelle Atalla discussing just how far our characters are prepared to go to get what they want and survive.
Rachelle’s apocalyptic debut is The Pharmacist, set in a bunker at the end of the world.
SUSPENSEFUL THRILLERS & CAPTIVATING CRIME:
FICTION YOU CAN’T PUT DOWN
MCM London COMIC CON
Sunday 29 May,11.00, ExCeL Centre
This was such a blast! For those not in the know, the MCM London Comic Con is an epic fan convention of all things pop culture with writers, actors, gamers & film makers from all over the world coming together to celebrate.
I was on a panel with the amazing Matt Weslowski (author of the acclaimed Six Stories series) and Will Carver (author of Psychopaths Anonymous & The Daves Next Door) chaired by T.L.Huchu (The Library of the Dead) discussing how we add a touch of terror to the crime novel.
CRIMEFEST
I had such a blast at CrimeFest Bristol: my first actual real live crime panels, thanks to the delights of Covid. Not only did I get to speak on 2 panels, I also met a whole host of other authors, including many I had got to know ‘on screen’, and it was a real delight to chat to the crime fiction fans who had come to hear about our books.
THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
This panel delved into science, tech & social media, featuring four other authors:
Simon Conway, (author of spy novels The Saboteur & The Stranger), Fiona Erskine (author of The Chemical Detective and Phosphate Rocks), Antony Johnston, (author of The Exphoria Code & the Brigitte Sharp thrillers) and our panel chair Christine Poulsen (author of Cold, Cold Heart).
The event was huge fun with some rich discussion about how science and tech are being used to craft compelling storylines and settings for modern thrillers, and where authors find and research their ideas, with insights into all the authors’ crime novels, including Off Target!
BURYING SECRETS: WHO KNOWS WHAT, WHEN, AND WHY?
This panel explored how authors bury those dirty little secrets in their plots until the final masterful reveal, and just how far some characters are prepared to go to keep them…
There were even some revelations from certain authors about secrets of their own…
The panel featured four other authors: crime author Mason Cross, psychological thriller writer Stephen Edger, who writes as M.A. Hunter (Mummy’s Little Secret), Russ Thomas, author of the DS Adam Tyler series (Cold Reckoning), and our moderator, the wonderful suspense writer Emily Koch, (Keep Him Close).
CHIPLITFEST: OFF TARGET & MY ROAD TO PUBLICATION
Sunday 24th April
The Library, Chipping Norton
I had such fun at ChipLitFest talking about Off Target and my road to publication.
Thanks to everyone who came on a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon in the Cotswolds!
OFF TARGET VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH
Recording now available!!
If you missed this event, or struggled to get on with the delights of zoom, fear not!
It was recorded and you can watch it here.
It was a fabulous event with my two fellow Orenda Books authors, and fascinating to learn about their writing process and the research and personal experience that went into their novels.
I answered questions about the inspiration for Off Target, and some real-life facts that I discovered during the writing process, as well as the challenges of writing book number two and some of the more difficult scenes in the book. And, of course, I elaborated on those juicy moral dilemmas…
The queen of New Zealand crime, Vanda Symon, discussed her shocking standalone thriller: Faceless, and Hamburg thriller writer Simone Buchholz was talking about the fifth in her Chastity Riley series: River Clyde.
Our event was hosted by the doctor of noir herself, Jacky Collins, so the evening delivered on insight, intrigue and laughs… Well worth a watch!
CRAWLEY WORDFEST: VIRTUAL NOIR AT THE BAR
WATCH THE RECORDING!
I was so excited to join Crawley Wordfest, as part of the Virtual Noir at the Bar, where I read an excerpt from my latest novel, Off Target.
You can watch my reading, and that of ten other crime and mystery authors, including AA Chaudhuri, Amen Alonge, Awais Khan, Jack Jordan, Neil Lancaster, Victoria Selman and SJ Watson.
The event is recorded in two parts ( I’m in part two).
BAD BUGS BOOKCLUB:
ASK THE SCIENTISTS
Wednesday 16th March, 8.00pm BST
Come and ask questions about the science and genetic dilemmas behind the book with some real scientists, some of whom helped me check the science behind the ideas in Off Target, on a live Twitter Q&A.
Just type in the hashtag #badbugsbookclub and follow me @evecsmith or the head of the Bad Bugs Bookclub herself: @JoVerran.
There will be some initial questions posed by Jo to kick off the discussion and opportunities for you to comment and ask questions yourself, using the hashtag.
We had a fabulous discussion with the Bad Bugs team a couple of years ago on The Waiting Rooms, so I do hope you can join us!