There are a few events I booked to attend later this year.
1. Theakson’s Old Perculiar Crime Writing Festival (20th-23rd July 2023). This is held at The Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate, Yorkshire. Some of the worlds best authors come each year. This year, so far, there will be: Lee Child & Andrew Child, Ann Cleeves, Jeffery Deaver, Vaseem Khan, Val McDermid, and many more yet to be named. As well as authors there are also publishers, agents, and readers. The atmosphere is relaxed and people mix and talk to each other freely. Many make new friends there.
2. The Auckley Show at Doncaster, Yorkshire (19th August 2023). Last year was the first time I had taken any books to sell there. I took 100 secondhand books, and a number of my Booklets. I also took some Greeting Cards I’d had made. The Greeting Cards did not sell but the other did sell well. There wasn’t much stock to take back.
3. Mayflower Day (16th September 2023). This is still being planned. Last year I thought of holding a special stall on Worksop Market, Nottinghamshire. The Market Manager suggested contacting Retford Market, Nottinghamshire, as it is a bigger market and more of the Pilgrim Fathers came from around Retford. Another place with Pilgrim Fathers connections is Tickhill, Doncaster, Yorkshire.
Debut Crime Novel
I have now to produce a synopsis of the book and a covering letter. The synopsis tells the agents and publishers to story of the book. It has to contain details of the main characters in the book, main suspects, main lines of enquiries, main characters interviewed, as well as the sub-plots. The novel has thirty three chapters and the synopsis has to be one side of A4 paper. A daunting task in itself.
The covering letter is what writers use to sell their work to the agent/publisher. This is the writer’s way to pitch where they have to sell the book and themselves. It is similar to what the entrepreneurs do on Dragon’s Den. This applies to the writers letter. The book can be rejected, but not the author, Both the book and the author can be rejected, the book can be rejected, but not the author, the book can be accepted, but not the author, or the book and the author can be accepted. The latter should be the aim of the covering letter.
Work is underway on the 2nd Inspector Jack Kirby novel, ‘Barracuda Junction.’ Planning is continuing and with it research. This involves research into the characters, each one has to live on the pages, research into places, weather, seasons, food, etc. As Barracuda Junction is a railway place this needs researching and the trains using the railway lines. Even the serial killer has to be researched. Why does he do it? What is is motives?
