The three of us (Me, Michelle and Yvonne) all went to see Val McDermid talking about her new novel; Broken Ground. It was Sold Out so we all arrived super early so that we would not make the same mistake as last time (Ann Cleeves) when we ended up sitting right at the back! This strategy paid off, not only did we get a space in the car park but also front row seats!!
Broken Ground is the latest novel in her Karen Pirie series. When a body is discovered in the remote depths of the highlands (it says here), DCI Karen Pirie finds herself in the right place at the right time. Unearthed with someone's long-buried inheritance, the victim seems to belong to the distant past - until new evidence suggests otherwise, and Karen is called in to unravel a case where nothing is as it seems. Val told us that the story had come from an anecdote - a "Wee Glimmer" - that a bookseller had told her.
Val was an excellent speaker and told us how she ended up as a crime writer. She was born in a small town in Fife and her family lived opposite a library. This meant Val could pop across the road and borrow books whenever she wanted. She developed a habit of reading crime stories early on and was reading 'Murder at the Vicarage' when she was 8/9 years old.
She said before she was a full time writer she would think about her novel all week and was very productive when she had her 'writing' time. You need to pencil in that writing time and stick to it! She was eventually able to leave her job, aged 35, after she had sold the first two Kate Brannigan novels. She states she made a loss in her first two years but hasn't looked back and in 1995 was awarded the Gold Dagger for 'The Mermaids Singing'; the first Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novel. This novel she said, dropped fully formed; although she knew nothing about psychological profiling initially.
Although Val does feel you need: Talent / Hard Work / Luck to be successful, she still feels energised herself to write, as its the only thing she has ever wanted to do. The ideas / stories still keep coming. Although currently she is reading the Booker Prize Short List as she is on the judging panel. She has had recent appearances on the Radio - Any Questions, and on the TV; including Have I Got news For You? and Mastermind
Val was an excellent speaker and told us how she ended up as a crime writer. She was born in a small town in Fife and her family lived opposite a library. This meant Val could pop across the road and borrow books whenever she wanted. She developed a habit of reading crime stories early on and was reading 'Murder at the Vicarage' when she was 8/9 years old.
She said before she was a full time writer she would think about her novel all week and was very productive when she had her 'writing' time. You need to pencil in that writing time and stick to it! She was eventually able to leave her job, aged 35, after she had sold the first two Kate Brannigan novels. She states she made a loss in her first two years but hasn't looked back and in 1995 was awarded the Gold Dagger for 'The Mermaids Singing'; the first Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novel. This novel she said, dropped fully formed; although she knew nothing about psychological profiling initially.
Although Val does feel you need: Talent / Hard Work / Luck to be successful, she still feels energised herself to write, as its the only thing she has ever wanted to do. The ideas / stories still keep coming. Although currently she is reading the Booker Prize Short List as she is on the judging panel. She has had recent appearances on the Radio - Any Questions, and on the TV; including Have I Got news For You? and Mastermind
As I have yet to read any other novels in the Karen Pirie series (Broken Ground is the 5th) I bought the first novel as well as the latest. Here is Michelle getting her copy signed:
