Death in the Dales
I’m delighted to be involved in the Sedbergh Crime Festival again this year. At 11.30 on Saturday 18th October, I’m moderating ‘Over the hills and far away: crimes in foreign parts’ with David Beckler, Lea O’Harra and Angela Wren. That same evening, at 7.00pm, I’ll have the fun of acting in a murder mystery, The Case of the Lost Cook, written by Kate Ellis.
Meet Marsali Taylor
On 11th October, I’m off to Fife for two events: a signing and chat session at 11am in the St Andrews Waterstones, followed by a talk in Colinsburgh Library, at 2pm.
A Talk at Pentlands Festival
I’ll be doing a talk about my writing at the Pentlands Festival - more details nearer the time!
Death in the Dales, Sedburgh Crime Festival, 11 - 13 October 2024
I’m delighted to be moderating the first panel on Sunday morning, Rocks and Hard Places: Landscapes of Murder with three fantastic authors: Frances Brody, Martin Edwards and Malcolm Hollingworth
Bloody Scotland
Come and see my fantastic ‘Dark Islands’ panel, George Paterson, Liz Webb and Claire McGowan talking about why they’ve chosen island settings for their latest crime novels. To get a ticket, go to https://bloodyscotland.com/dark-islands-george-paterson-liz-webb-and-claire-mcgowan/
A Talk at Biggar Library
Come and meet up at Biggar Library for a chat about my writing life, how the series came into being and has progressed since, then a Q&A session.
Chat and book signing session at the Shetland Times Bookshop
Bringing out the next Cass book is always exciting, and it’s a great chance to meet readers - do come along and say hello, and get your copy signed.
Book launch: Death at a Shetland Festival
The latest Cass adventure, Death at a Shetland Festival, will be launched on 9th May at 18.30 in our own Shetland Library. Please come along – there will be tea and homebakes! https://www.facebook.com/events/319768057496312?ref=newsfeed
An Afternoon of Crime at Central Library, Aberdeen
I’m delighted to be joining three wonderful fellow-authors, Adam Oyebanji, A J Liddle and Lydia Travers, for a session in Aberdeen Central Library. Please book to reserve a place. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/events/afternoon-crime
Short talk followed by chat and signing
I’ll be at Waterstones in the Bon Accord Centre In Aberdeen to celebrate Cass#12, Death at a Shetland Festival. Please come and join me!
Author Talk and Q&A at Cromarty Crime and Thrillers Weekend
Cromarty Crime and Thrillers weekend is 3-5 May, and I’m on at 10-11am on Sunday 5th May. This one’s live only, and it’s going to be a fantastic weekend, so if you’re anywhere in the area, do check it out! https://www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk/crime-and-thrillers
Watery Graves panel at Gwyl Crime Cymru
Crime Cymru is an online festival, and my panel is with Andy Griffee, moderated by Philip Gwynne Jones. It’ll be available online afterwards. Find out more at https://gwylcrimecymrufestival.co.uk
Dundee Central Library: An afternoon with Marsali Taylor
I’ll be talking about my writing, how I think up plots, choose and investigate locations, and create characters, and then answering questions from the audience. I’m really looking forward to meeting readers again.
The Giffords of Busta: a family tragedy and its consequences
A talk in the Rankin Lounge, Aith Hall, for the Aith History Society.
Murderous Sisters Conference 2022
I’m thrilled to be invited to the Murderous Sisters conference in Bad Vilbel, Germany, as their keynote speaker.
https://www.moerderische-schwestern.eu/ueber-uns/aktuelle-projekte/vollversammlung/
Shetland Family History Conference: talk: the Giffords of Busta - a family tragedy and its consequences.
This conference is a day of talks, and my contribution is ‘The GIffords of Busta: a family tragedy and its consequences”. The talks were to be filmed, so I decided mine would be mostly voice-over with photos of the places, people and documents of the story. My husband Philip put the photos together, and I think he’s done a superb job - tune in and see! https://www.shetland-fhs.org.uk/sign-up-for-free
Bloody Scotland
Hurrah, at long last I’m going to be at Bloody Scotland again! I’m not on a panel, or hamming up one of dear Alanna’s plays, but I’ll be about throughout the weekend (including cheering on the BS Scottish football squad), so do stop me and say hello.
Carrying my torch in the opening procession, 2018.
Cass gets a new look!
My wonderful publishers Headline are reprinting the first five Cass adventures with new titles (all including the word Shetland) and gorgeous eye-catching covers. They’re ready to pre-order now on Amazon.
9th December: A Shetland Christmas Mystery is out!
Cass’s 10th sleuthing adventure is due out on 9th December. I hope it’ll be possible to have a launch in the Library and a signing session in the bookshop - further details once I know them. Meantime, here’s the blurb:
It’s the dark nights in the run up to Christmas, when Shetland’s little people, the trows, are traditionally allowed to wander around human houses. Sailing sleuth Cass Lynch wakes to find tiny footprints in the snow around the cottage she shares with Gavin, her policeman lover. Theirs isn’t the only house that’s been visited by creatures that can apparently vanish. Is it just ingenious local teenagers staging a protest against Cass’s father’s windfarm, or is something more sinister going on? Then a young man disappears, leaving only a trail of footprints into the middle of a snowy field...
Wordplay: interview with Mary Paulson-Ellis
I’m looking forward to meeting one of today’s most innovative mystery writers - check out The Other Mrs Walker and The Inheritance of Soloman Farthing. Intricate plots, a cast of larger-than-life characters - a treat for everyone who’s ever speculated on the history of an object found in a drawer or a junk shop.
The Shetland Sea Murders Official Launch
A huge thank-you to the Swan Trust for letting The Shetland Sea Murders have a very special launch, on board the ship which Cass is crewing on in the novel - Shetland’s very own tall ship. Swan. I’ll read the opening of the book and talk about the inspirations behind it, including voyages on the Swan. The reading/talk will be about 20 minutes, then there’ll be time for questions and chat. The session will be in the open air, on deck in the Swan’s Scalloway mooring, behind the Fisheries College. Everyone welcome!
The Shetland Sea Murders Signing session
Please join me at the Shetland Times Bookshop, Lerwick, for a signing event to celebrate the launch of Cass’s 9th adventure, The Shetland Sea Murders. It’ll be wonderful to meet readers again!
The Shetland Sea Murders Blog Tour
Thank you to all my hosts on this blog tour: Bookaholic (2nd August), Reading between the Lines (3rd August), Caron Allan Fiction (4th August), Big Words and Made Up Stories (5th August), Ginger Book Geek (6th August), Andrew’s Writers Block (7th August), Celtic Connexions (8th August), Pamela St Abbs (9th August).
Reading Between the Lines online book festival, Friday 26 - Sunday 28 March 2021
I’m so excited to be invited to join this online book festival! I’m on from 12-1300 on Saturday 27th March, with fellow crime-writers Myra Duffy and Helen Forbes, in conversation with the festival organiser, Lynsey Adams. https://www.facebook.com/events/2898854960438008
An evening with Marsali Taylor
I’m really looking forward to meeting readers again, virtually. Please join me!
https://www.culturepk.org.uk/whats-on/an-evening-with-marsali-taylor/
Signed books from The Shetland Times
Due to Covid regulations, I can’t sign live at The Shetland TImes Bookshop but signed copies will be available as soon as possible - I’ll post the date as soon as I know it. The first box of books went astray, so the publishers are hurrying a second box northwards (Wednesday 7 October is a guess, because this page insists it has to have a date). If you want your book personalised, please let the bookshop know before then.
Call the Shetland Times on 01595 695 531
RECORDED event in the Shetland Library, followed by a LIVE event on Facebook
Join me in the Shetland Library on YouTube for a recorded celebration of Indestructible Oldies on Thursday 1st October, at 7.30pm, and afterwards live on Facebook.
Crime Conferences
If you read crime but haven’t tried a crime festival yet, treat yourself! You’ll hear your favourite authors talking about their work, of course, but there are also events like lectures on forensics, the chance to be ‘you the jury’ for an unsolved mystery, concerts (that Val McDermid sure can sing!), trips to places of special interest to crime-lovers and even torchlight processions – as well as a great excuse to visit somewhere you’ve never been.
Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Denise Mina leading the fiery procession through Stirling. Bloody Scotland, 2017.
Reading one of Alanna Knight’s Inspector Faro plays with (from left) Doug Skelton, Abir Mukarjee, me, Harley Coben and Gordon Brown. Bloody Scotland, 2017
Crime writing’s finest pose with their trophy after Scotland won the Scotland vs England football match. Bloody Scotland 2017
Singing Burns at the Crime at the Coo party, Bloody Scotland 2017.
Yay, I’m in Toronto! Bouchercon 2017.
The Sheraton Hotel, Toronto, even had an indoors waterfall
No, crime festivals aren’t just an excuse to eat cake. Bouchercon, 2017.
Showing off my Shetland jumper on the UK crime panel. Bouchercon, 2017.
Some of our writers’ group at Shetland Noir, 2015: me, Nat Hall, Barbara Fraser, June Ross-Smith, Doug Forrest and Beth Fullerton.
I had the fun of playing my own heroine Cass in our murder mystery. Shetland Noir, November 2015.
Stuart MacBride, Matthew Wright and organiser Donald Anderson getting ready to kill!
The conference dinner at St Hilda’s, Oxford, 2016.
A welcome from First Nation singers, Left Coast Crime, 2019.
A lovely way to start the morning – and there was a hot tub to finish the day in too.
Crime conferences often include a ‘special interest’ tour – these are exhibits in the Vancouver Police Museum. Left Coast Crime, Vancouver, 2019
Speed-dating: tell the table all about your books in two minutes! Left Coast Crime, 2019.
Singapore author Ovidia Yu and I jointly hosted a table at Left Coast Crime, 2019.
I love the way Vancouver is constantly reflecting itself.
One lovely idea at this Left Coast Crime was the ‘author-reader connect’ where you offered a limited event, like a coffee, or, in this case, a walk round the harbour, and chatted away.
Guernsey crime writer Jason Monaghan goes to Holyrood! Edinburgh CWA conference, 2017.
Other Events
Dressed up for ‘A Guid Cause’, the centenary re-enactment of the Women’s Suffrage procession in Edinburgh.
My first ever book signing in our fantastic indy bookshop. The Shetland Times Ltd.
With Luke Patience, 420 sailing Olympic medallist, at the RYA Scotland Boat Show, Largs, 2013.
A thrilling moment for a new author – I’m in Waterstones!
With Jean Briggs and Martin Edwards at an event in Ulverston Library, 2019.
The Westside Writers combined with the Shetland Library for an event commemorating the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s death, July 2017. We had food from period recipes, fun activities like a vote for the sexiest TV/Film Mr Darcy and of course costume!
At Blackwell’s, Edinburgh, with Lin Anderson.
This made me feel like a filmstar or royalty – cutting the ribbon for the opening of DrAl’s Reading Hut in Michaelswood, Aith., helped by his two grandchildren.
Dressed up as Third Mate Cass for the launch of Death in Shetland Waters.