What is it About Crime? by Thorne Moore
Republished from www.promotingcrime.blogspot.co.uk. Thanks to Lizzie Sirett of Mystery People - www.mysterypeople.co.uk - for permission. Crime Fiction is, apparently, the most popular genre out there. And you have to ask why? It’s not as if all crime readers/writers are secretly would-be gangsters, longing to be set loose on the world, to murder, plunder and rape. Far from it. In real life, crime is at best an irritation and affront, at worst a matter of horror. So, what makes it soattractive to us in fiction? Perhaps it’s because it speaks to some fundamental aspects of human nature. There is the [...]
A BOOKER TALK PODCAST with DIAMOND CRIME’S PHIL ROWLANDS
Welsh authors Meet A Welsh Author — Phil Rowlands recalls childhood bedtime favourites November 30, 2022 BookerTalk 4 Comments Phil Rowlands, Welsh authors My latest guest in the Meet A Welsh Author series is screenwriter and novelist Phil Rowlands. In an earlier life he was a television and film actor but changed course to become a producer and writer for film, drama and documentary. He has since published three novels and co-founded Diamond Crime — an indie publishing house. Earliest Reading Memory Probably Robin Hood. My mum used to read it to me at bedtime and when I was ill. It was the first book I read myself when [...]
Sneak Preview of GB Williams’ Next Book, PLAY the GAME
PLAY THE GAME will be published on 29th November by Diamond Crime. Coincidentally, 29th November is also Gail B Williams' birthday! CHAPTER ONE “I need a library.” What Elaine actually needed was a bibliothèque. It was one of the few French words that had stuck in her mind, mostly because it had sounded a lot more fun than any discotheque could. Unfortunately, her French was extremely limited. She could ask “où est la bibliothèque?”, and she did, several times. The problem was, she didn’t understand a word of the answers and relied on hand signals instead. This would be [...]
Childhood Memories from Diamond Crime author, Phil Rowlands
Published by Welsh author, Judith Barrow on www.judithbarrowblog.com Places in our Memories with Phil Rowlands Posted on November 7, 2022 There are places that remain in our memories, the details may become slightly blurred, nostalgia may colour our thoughts, but they don’t fade. And how those places made us feel at the time is the one thing that remains. Today, I’m so pleased to welcome Phil Rowlands. I seem to have known Phil as part of the writing world for as long as can remember. I have interviewed him a couple of times for and he was always a [...]
Diamond Crime at Chapter One Bookshop, Narberth
Chapter One Bookshop at Narberth Museum Diamond Crime author, Jacqui Harrett, gives a writing workshop. From left to right, Phil Rowlands, Thorne Moore, Gwyneth Steddy and Jacqui Harrett in conversation with Welsh novelist, Judith Barrow, shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year 2021 with her novel 'Memory'. Competitors in the Diamond Crime quiz.
Diamond Crime on the Road at Chapter One – 15th October 2022
Diamond Crime takes to the road with a visit to The Chapter One Bookshop at Narberth Museum on Saturday 15th October. Join the Create a Character Workshop with Diamond Crime author, Jacqueline Harrett. See Thorne Moore, GB Williams and Jacqueline in conversation with author Judith Barrow Test your crime fiction knowledge with the Criminal Masterminds Quiz
Diamond Crime at the Craig y Nos Book Fair Sept 25th 2022
Diamond Crime authors, Thorne Moore, Gwyneth Steddy and Phil Rowlands had a great weekend in the Brecon Beacons at the Craig y Nos Book Fair
PHIL ROWLANDS on WRITING
I think a couple of things that are always helpful, or have been to me, are that firstly the core storyline, that simple a plus b equals c, has to be clear, the outline and foundation that allows you to build and explore; if you want to submit to a publisher, your manuscript has to be as good as it can be at that stage of development and fit with the format they want; the editor is a collaborator and only wants your story to be the best it can be for you. Reading and learning from other authors is a must. Three of my go-to crime writers are Ken Bruen, James Lee Burke and Anne Cleeves.
Q&A with Gwyneth Steddy, winner of Crime Cymru’s First Novel Prize
Congratulations, Gwyneth, on winning the English-language competition in the Gwobr Nofel Gyntaf Crime Cymru First Novel Prize! Your winning entry, Do Sleeping Dogs Lie?, has gone on to be published by Diamond Crime which is a fantastic achievement. Can you tell us a little about the story?It’s essentially a cold case story. My main protagonist, Malcolm Bell, has retired from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He was a DI and worked in Omagh for all of his career. He is now living in Portrush with his wife, but he is bored. Retirement isn’t quite working out the way he thought it would. [...]
Great Review of Phil Rowland’s TimeSlip
Book Review by Jon Gower Abook you find yourself devouring in a single sitting is often recommendation enough but, in the case of Cardiff-based Phil Rowlands’ latest offering, reading it all in one go also lets you appreciate the tightening tension and change of tone more fully as the author ratchets things up a notch or three. It also allows you see to see the way things darken and twist away from the first half’s light-hearted comedy, moving along at a lick into the territory of conventional crime fiction. Knives flash in the dark. A policeman is stabbed. A Nazi [...]