What I learned at Crimefest 2012

Writer, friend (and of course reader!) Janet O’Kane and myself at Crimefest 2012

Until last Thursday, I was a virgin. Not in the conventional sense (is there a traditional way to pop one’s cherry?), instead it was my first time not only in visiting the beautiful city of Bristol but also as a delegate at Crimefest, the annual crime writing conference held there every May.

I decided to attend this year as a glut of my crime writer friends were going, but also because my crime novel The Missing Link (featuring DS Constance Ward – who I always say looks like Rita Hayworth but doesn’t know it) is at its very final stages of redrafting and is being sent out to the agents who have expressed an interest, after the Bank Holiday (eek, nail chewing time for me), and I wanted to make a few more contacts at Crimefest (which I did) and meet up with some familiar faces to give me a confidence boost.

What a top banana time I had indeed, the weekend was amazing. The talks and discussions, the social events, the company…all fabulous.
Not only that, but I learnt a lot over the four days, namely:

Every writer needs a shed (Bristol panel)

Risotto is not an easy dish to get right (Gala Dinner).

The Bristol Marriot Hotel serves the best chocolate tart, EVER (Gala Dinner).

THAT choc tart

You’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting a table for eleven at a decent restaurant in Bristol city centre on a warm summer’s evening. But, if you have the right company then rubbish food in a wipe your feet on the way out eaterie isn’t as bad an experience that you’d imagine.

To not get above myself.
This is mainly because a well known crime writer approached me over the weekend and said, ‘You’re Cath Bore aren’t you?’
Yes I replied, blushing shyly at the notion he would even know I existed. My goodness! Here was I, just learning the ropes and here was he…
‘Thought so,’ he continued. ‘I follow your husband on Twitter’.
GULP!

Seagulls in Bristol are large and have noisy, liquid digestive problems (confirmed by Lee Child)

Crime writers stay up longer and tell the most glorious, filthy jokes. (I knew this already but it’s always nice to have these thing confirmed)

So there you go, Crimefest in a glorious elongated nutshell.
Roll on next year!

@cathbore

Broken, a collection of my Liverpool based short stories, is available on Amazon for Kindle now here.

Constance finds the body!

Reblogged from The Missing Link:

The knot at the top of the nearest bin bag was cruelly tight so I pinched the plastic with the thumb and first finger of both hands before pulling in opposite directions. The bag’s flimsy plastic split open after a couple of tugs and a circle of blood splashed out onto my right shoe, soaking in the fabric and blending in with the pattern.

Read more… 120 more words

I've set up a new blog especially for my novel The Missing Link. Why not nip over there and take a look?

Introductions…

Screenwriter Billy Ivory

When I was lucky enough to win Marie Claire Magazine’s Inspire & Mentor and began being mentored by Amanda Nevill from BFI, lots of people didn’t understand the set up.

‘Will she be critiquing your scripts?’ was one question (no), another was ‘are you moving to London then?’ (no disrespect to the big smoke, but HELL NO!) and  ‘Why you?’ (dunno, you’d have to ask Amanda that one).

Fair enough questions, all – and to be honest it was very much an exercise in suck it and see when we began all this – but from the start I knew that one of the main problems is that living in t’north one’s a bit isolated and away from the businesses of publishing, television drama and film – which are the areas I work in and in which I would like to expand further . So, apart from the other marvellous advice Amanda has been giving me she’s also been good enough to introduce me to people not based in Merseyside.

Last week, screenwriter William Ivory came to Liverpool as part of the Writing on the Wall Festival, to take part in a Q&A about his amazing career in general (Common As Muck is up there as one of my favourite TV dramas, ever) but also Made In Dagenham (2010), the film he wrote about the female Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968, in pursuit of equal pay for women.

(I must admit when hubby and I went to see this film I shed a tear when the women got equal pay, but then I’ve always been a sucker for a happy ending!)

We Want Sex (EQUALITY, that is!) One of my favourite scenes from Made In Dagenham

Amanda was good enough to set up a meeting with Billy for me while he was in Liverpool, and we had a great writing chat. It’s fabulous to have some of the things you believe confirmed by someone who knows the business so well and has such experience of what I’m trying to do.

It was especially good to hear that television is always searching for new female comedy writers, as most of those around are men; top news for me as I’m writing sitcoms now, such as The Adventures of Tommy Sex and enjoying it very much. I’m a big believer that sitcoms show the way the world really is, and provide a very unique insight into the human psyche.

Thanks to Billy for sparing the time to talk about his career with me and offering such encouragement.

www.twitter.com/cathbore

Lights, camera…action!

Filming at The Brink this morning!

I spend a good amount of time at The Brink, a cafe and dry bar in Liverpool city centre, firstly because the food and peppermint tea is top notch and secondly when I need somewhere to write it’s just the right place, you don’t get bothered and there’s free wi-fi (a bonus for any writer).

So, when Liverpool’s Pencil Trick Productions approached me to ask if I’d like a free promotional film doing (YES PLEASE) they wondered if I could suggest a venue. As my sitcom The Adventures of Tommy Sex was written at The Brink then I didn’t have to think about that for long.

Jenny, Luke and Jack from Pencil Trick interviewed and filmed me at The Brink this morning and the film should be completed in a couple of weeks.

We talked about this here blog as well as the work I do for Hello! online, my short film Past Glories, Big Society The Musical the feature film I co-wrote, my novel The Missing Link, the forthcoming 100RPM flash fiction collection I’m privileged to be part of, The Adventures of Tommy Sex and much more.

I can’t wait to see the film myself and for others to watch it as well!
Thanks to everyone at Pencil Trick and The Brink for looking after me so well.

Dale Street Associates nominated for top award!

I’ve been writing for the Liverpool Post’s Dale Street Associates for a good few months now, and I hear today the blog has been nominated in the Best Commentary/Blogging category in the Online Media Awards 2012!

Fantastic news and I’m really chuffed to be a part of such a great project which is up against Channel 4, the Huffington Post, Reuters and The Times.

Truly, wow…

@cathbore

Broken, a collection of my Liverpool based short stories, is available on Amazon for Kindle now here. 

Pulp Idol does Wirral!

(L-R)  Heads down, judges…David Jackson, Caroline Smailes and myself at the Wirral heat of Pulp Idol

Birkenhead was awash with writers on Monday night, both published and those just starting out – because the Wirral heat of annual novel writing competition Pulp Idol took place at the town’s YMCA.

Judged by  critically acclaimed authors Caroline Smailes and David Jackson, eleven budding novelists read out excerpts from their unpublished novels to fight it out for a place in the competition’s final, held in Liverpool on 31st May.
I was the compere for the night, a very easy job indeed with such marvellous writing and great company.

Both David and Caroline stressed how difficult it was to decide on the two that would be chosen to go through on 31st May, and I’m sure anyone who was there could attest to the very high standard of writing.

Well done to Clare Kirwan and David Hartley the two entrants who were chosen, and indeed all the writers for taking part and wowing those judges.
Also a big thank you to both Caroline and Dave for volunteering their precious time and judging the heat.

Pulp Idol 2012

Pulp Idol judge Caroline Smailes

It’s the Wirral heat of Pulp Idol tomorrow, where authors Caroline Smailes (Friday project/Harper Collins), Jonathan Mayhew (Bloomsbury) and David Jackson (Pan MacMillan) are judging the work of up & coming unpublished novelists.
The winners of the heat will go through to the final, held in Liverpool city centre at the end of the month.
If you are in the area, why not come along and support new writing?
I’m the compere for the evening and it would be lovely to meet folks there!
The heat will be held at YMCA, Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead. 6.30pm start. FREE.

Loadsa Kindle money

I had to chuckle at this fab post by YA author Christine Rose when I found it today, where she talks about just because she’s published then a whacking great number of people assume she’s raking it in.

Believe it or not in my own much smaller scale way, I understand where she’s coming from.

The public are bombarded by headlines about JK Rowling’s ‘easy’ wealth (yeah right, you try writing one novel let alone a series of them) and more recently the successes of the self-published via Kindle – the John Lockes, Amanda Toppings, Louise Vosses and Martin Edwards of the world.

I dipped my toe into the self-publishing via Amazon/Kindle a month ago when I released my collection of short stories, called Broken.
The actual sales of Broken will remain between me and my God (ie Amazon) for now, but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised indeed at the response – just last week Broken was No3 in Short Stories for Women category which resulted in me doing a merry jig around the living room with my cats looking disturbed at my actions (my hubby knows me well after 17 years so didn’t blink).

However, because of this modest good fortune, I’ve been AMAZED at the number of people who think I’ll have to set up a dodgy bank account in Monaco to avoid the millions of quid tax bill bound to be due, and that when my first royalty cheque come through I’ll be sprinting up the housing ladder, leapfrogging over millionaires without a care.

It’s very easy to get drunk on tales of the successes of others, but the reality for most working writers is very different.

I am happy to say I earn a living from writing – but much of that is from journalism as I freelance for a number of different outlets; the creative strand is getting there.

Christine Rose in her blog actually explains her income as a mid-list author using broad brushstrokes (she’s far braver and more open than I) but it’s worth having a look to see how much most authors actually earn (or don’t) – it may surprise you!

You can download Broken here for just 77p.

Woman ‘flu

You read and hear lots about man ‘flu don’t you, about blokes laying it on thick struggling through the lurgy, whereas women in a similar condition carry on regardless, and downplaying symptoms (aka woman ‘flu).
Well I tried the woman ‘flu thing this week and did my best to crack on,  but it just didn’t work for me I’m afraid and once the signs of ‘flu presented themselves I took to my bed and stayed there.

Duvet day? I’ve had a duvet week.

I’m no hero and quickly gave in to the squirty bum (I did escape to the loo for that I promise you), pukiness, sneezing, aches, fever, delirium, confusion (nowt new there tbh), sore throat, bunged up-edness, wet and dry cough (at the same time), horrendous headaches and – the most disturbing of all – loss of appetite.

One night – and please don’t ask me which it was, as all the last week has merged in my head to a massive blurry mess –  I was in such a fever that I convinced myself genius had struck! I’d plotted the finest short film ever and it would win an Oscar oh yes it would – and I finished editing my novel The Missing Link too, no probs.

I nearly cried the next morning on realising I’d forgotten ALL OF IT and it’s only now the delirium has abated I’ve come to realise the odds were, the script I ‘wrote’ in my head was a load of baloney and anyway  I probably subconsciously nicked the plot of my Oscar winner from an episode of Coronation Street.

Oh, and I discovered the novel still needed polishing; I hadn’t completed that little task in my feverish sleep, either…

Needless to say I haven’t managed to do any writing at all this week, which is probably a good thing in retrospect – I dread to think the damage I would have done to my novel with a roaring fever and such excessive delusions of grandeur!

Like other writers I feel that familiar pang of guilt when I don’t pay appropriate attention to my current WIP but over these last days staying away has been for the best for all concerned, I think…

Broken, a collection of my short stories, is available on Amazon for Kindle now here. 

The Little Girl Giant settled in well during her brief stay

Broken, a collection of my Liverpool based short stories, is available on Amazon for Kindle now here.

 www.twitter.com/cathbore