A Criminally Good Day Out

Last month I went to Goldsboro Books' Capital Crime Festival for the first time. I'm clearly on a roll with festivals and events this year as this is another one I will definitely be back to.

My brother Paul is also a writer and had invited me to go with him for the day. Although I don't usually write crime or thrillers, I decided to go based on the fact that I read a lot of crime and that some of the talks would be relevant regardless of genre.

I was right to think so. It was great meeting authors such as Elly Griffiths, who was lovely to chat to, and Will Carver, who won best genre-busting book in the awards. There were lots of new crime books in the bookshop and even a freebie in our goody bag: I'm currently reading Jo Murray's Dissection of a Murder and loving it. I felt there was a good mix of authors I already knew and authors I enjoyed finding out more about. The panels and discussions really helped with this; having a group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals in conversation drew out the best of all participants. There was certainly more than enough to entertain throughout the day. As a writer myself, listening to publishers, editors and agents really helped my understanding of the 'behind the scenes' of the publishing business and provided invaluable insight.

Quality time with my brother, entertainment and learning: the perfect day out. Next time, I might make a weekend of it!