NEWS FROM CRIMEFEST 2020

Bristol, the buzziest city in Britain, hosts one of the country’s biggest crime fiction conventions as CRIMEFEST returns from 4-7 June, 2020.

The website is updated with new participating authors and attendees. The fee for the Full Weekend Pass increases on 16 December. So, buy your TICKETS now!

MARTINA COLE:  Sadly, Martina Cole has had to withdraw as a Featured Guest Author from next year’s CRIMEFEST. This is due to a prior agreed appearance at Harrogate’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Harrogate International Festivals organisers state that, as a "small arts charity, with an artistic programme that depends on delivering distinctive cultural experiences" their Special Guest authors are required to appear "exclusively at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and not as a special guest, guest of honour or headline interviewer at any other crime fiction festival/convention taking place in the UK within the same calendar year." We appreciate that CRIMEFEST’s later 2020 dates are close to those of Harrogate’s and would not purposely duplicate Featured Guest Authors. Instead we very much look forward to welcoming Martina as a Featured Guest at a future CRIMEFEST.

ROBERT GODDARD & LAURA LIPPMAN:

Robert Goddard Robert previously appeared in 2013, but next year he returns as the Godfather of the Genre after Goddard recently claimed the Crime Writers’ Association’s most prestigious award: the Diamond Dagger, the lifetime achievement award for authors whose careers are marked by sustained excellence. Considered to be one of Britain’s best crime novelists, he joins the pantheon of other recipients of the accolade including Simon Brett, Lee Child, Ann Cleeves, Michael Connelly, Lindsey Davis, Colin Dexter, Sue Grafton, John Harvey, P.D. James, Peter James, Ian Rankin and Andrew Taylor. Goddard is a consummate stylist and a champion of the traditional virtues of pace, narrative propulsion and plot.

Laura Lippman We are delighted to have one of America’s most loved crime writers – and twice winner of CRIMEFEST’s eDunnit award (for Wilde Lake and Sunburn) – attend as a Featured Guest Author. Best known for her series featuring Tess Monaghan, more recently she has turned to writing outstanding standalone crime novels. Garnering huge respect from readers and writers alike, her award-winning novels are acclaimed as “deeply moving explorations of the human heart.” Attendees will be able to find out a lot more about Laura in My Life As A Villainess, an upcoming collection of essays which, along with her fiction, she will be talking about when she comes to Bristol next year.

2020 CRIMEFEST AWARDS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS The 2020 CRIMEFEST awards are now open for submissions. With one exception (the TV Crime Drama Award—more on this below), only publishers are able to submit entries. If you are an author, then please encourage your publisher to do so. To ensure that even small publishers are able to enter, there is no charge for taking part. The official deadline to do so is 29 November.

MORE TO COME!

CWA Diamond Dagger

The British Crime Writers’ Association has selected author Robert Goddard as the recipient of its 2019 CWA Diamond Dagger.

CWA (Crime Writers Association) Press Release:

“The Dagger award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.” Goddard will be given this commendation during the CWA’s Dagger Awards ceremony in London on October 24. 

Martin Edwards, Chair of the CWA, said: “Robert Goddard has been entertaining crime fiction fans across the world for over thirty years. His books are notable for their breathtaking plot twists, sharp characterisation, and insights into history. It is a genuine pleasure to celebrate his illustrious career with the award of the Diamond Dagger.” 

Robert Goddard said: “I’m greatly honoured to be this year’s CWA Diamond Dagger recipient, particularly since it’s an award conferred by my fellow writers, who know about the challenges of the craft from the inside. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure when trying to make a go of writing turned into a career, but it’s been a hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience and recognition like this is much appreciated. It also gives me encouragement, for which I’m very grateful, to look ahead to all those books yet to come!”

HT: J.Kingston Pierce, TheRapSheet