October 2006

Val sings Long Black Veil

Val has contributed to unique anthology called A Merry Band of Murderers, published by Poisoned Pen Press. The idea of the collection is that each writer involved in the project chose a song as the hook for a short story. As well as writing the short story, they each recorded their own versions of the songs, which appear on a CD that accompanies the anthology. more...>>

See more pictures ...>>

You can find out more about it at www.merryband.com, where you can also order the book.

Photo: Gary Warren Niebuhr

Sept. 2006

This is Val's latest newsletter sent out to everyone who has signed up via the 'subscribe' form at the bottom of most pages on this site.

• Val's recording debut
• Wire in the Blood series 4 hits the screens
• UK release of Wire in the Blood series 3 DVD
• Val becomes a publisher with Bloody Brits Press
• Australian tour
• New knees = Scottish country dancing at my wedding!
• Harrogate
• Bouchercon
• German tour
  

Val's recording debut
Yes, no sooner does the BBC cancel Top of the Pops than I make my debut as a recording artiste. Gone are my dreams of lip-synching to the rhythm of the gyrating hips of Pan's People while some ageing DJ abjures the pop-pickers to rush out and buy my debut track. However, you can still rush out and buy said debut track... It features in a unique anthology called A Merry Band of Murderers, published by Poisoned Pen Press. The idea of the collection is that each writer involved in the project chose a song as the hook for a short story. As well as writing the short story, we each recorded our own versions of the songs, which appear on a CD that accompanies the anthology. You can find out more about it at www.merryband.com, where you can also order the book.
My own choice of track was Long Black Veil. I remember first encountering Joan Baez's version back when I was a teenager learning to play guitar. From the first, I was intrigued. I wondered about the back story to the song; who the real killer might be; and what happened to the people caught up in the tragedy. So when this project was suggested to me, it provided an opportunity to move from idle speculation to useful conjecture. Plus I knew I could actually play the song.
Then came the question of how to record it. Most of my colleagues in the project are either professional or semi-professional musicians with access to proper studios in North America. I didn't want my track to sound like it had been taped in a teenager's bedroom, so I turned to my buddy Phil Smith. Phil runs a major entertainment venue in the North West of England but he's also managed the post-punk band Slaughter and the Dogs for years. And he's a keen musician with a mean collection of guitars. And I knew the spare room in his family home doubled as the computer room and the music room. Luckily, I caught him in a weak moment and he agreed that what he had always wanted to do was to arrange, play, mix and produce my debut track. We recorded the vocal track over a couple of evenings, with a duvet hanging over the door to improve the acoustic, then Phil put it all together. We're pretty pleased with the result, and now I am even more determined that the Songs of Love and Murder CD dream must become a reality...

Wire in the Blood series 4 hits the screens
Another departure from my usual work can be seen in the new series of Wire In The Blood, the first episode of which aired last night. (Six million people watched, earning us 29 per cent of the audience - nobody at ITV can remember the last time they scored 29 per cent with a drama series launch!) The fourth series of the award-winning TV drama provides me with a cameo role once again. In Episode 4, I reprise my role as a journalist in a dramatic skirmish. Sadly, most of my lines died on the cutting room floor, but as Tony Hill opens his door on the besieging journos, you can just about hear me say, "Good morning, Dr Hill." Don't blink, or you'll miss me passing across your screen in the general hurly burly.
But more importantly, the reaction to the new series has been remarkable. The real journalists at the press screening raved about the stylish images, the terrific scripts and the brilliant central performances. We were all a little anxious about the reception for the new character, DI Alex Fielding. Even though we knew Simone Lahbib had delivered a first-rate performance, we knew that fans would be resistant to anyone replacing Carol Jordan at Tony's side. But the reaction so far has been wonderful, with journalists and viewers alike rating this the best series yet. With new sets and cutting edge direction, WITB4 is, I think, among the best contemporary drama hitting our screens. Look out for it!

UK release of Wire in the Blood series 3 DVD
Something else to look out for if you live in the UK or Europe is the release of the DVD of WITB3. I know from the number of enquiries we get via email or the website forum that there are a lot of you out there who are eager to get your hands on this and who have felt very frustrated by the length of time it has taken for this release to happen. There were various reasons for the delay, but thankfully they have all now been resolved, so you can finally get your hands on it and wallow!

Val becomes a publisher with Bloody Brits Press
Yet another hat I've started wearing is that of publisher. I'm a glutton for punishment, I know. I have become the Editorial Director of Bloody Brits Press, a new American imprint specialising in bringing the work of British writers across the Atlantic. The imprint is the brainchild of my partner, American publisher Kelly Smith, who moved to England last year. "I've always loved mysteries," she said. "But when I arrived in the UK, I was surprised to discover that the British mysteries that are already published in the US are just the tip of the iceberg. Many writers of quality mystery fiction are still unknown to American readers, and I decided it was time to change that. Our list will present the US trade and the public with some of the finest British authors writing today, hand-picked for style and excellence. Psychological thrillers, police procedurals and cozies are all represented in our list. What unites them is the gold standard of quality." And my job is to pick those titles. Which seems to me to be about as good a job as it's possible to have.
Bloody Brits Press will be officially launched during Bouchercon 2006, the World Mystery Convention in Madison WI. We're holding our launch party on Thursday October 28th at 8pm at the Booked for Murder bookstore on University Avenue. If you're around, please join us. And check us out on www.bloodybritspress.com.
BBP will publish writers new to the US, but we'll also be bringing back into print books that we think should be available to US readers. The first BBP original title will be Bleak Water, by Danuta Reah, published in September, followed by Outside the White Lines, by Chris Simms. The first reprints will be my own six Kate Brannigan titles - yes, it's true, the only way I can get my books published is to do it myself!

There are more treats coming later in Bloody Brits Press first season:

• Shelter, an unsettling novel of love, death and loyalty from Chaz Brenchey, a remarkable storyteller who has been nominated for CWA Daggers several times.
• The Spider‚s House, a dark suspense novel from bright new talent Sarah Diamond; a novel where the horrors of an old murder case rise up again.
• Payment Deferred, the debut novel of the irrepressible and irreverent Joyce Holms, who reveals an Edinburgh tourists should be grateful they never see.
• Material Evidence, which introduces Detective Chief Inspector Carston who is confronted with a mysterious and brutal murder in the Scottish Highlands
• Set in France, The Burning Ground reveals the blend of banking and art that has made John Malcolm‚s intricate and fascinating mysteries so popular with readers.
  Read and enjoy!
  

Australian tour
So, what else have I been up to since I last wrote to you? In March, I returned to Australia for another entertaining tour. Well, I was entertained... I started in Adelaide, where I took part in their Book Week. When I left the UK, it was snowing. When I got to Adelaide, they were having a heat wave. The only way the British writers could cope was to sneak off to the hotel pool every afternoon and drink sparkling wine while up to our necks in water. Amazingly enough, we actually found ourselves talking about writing. Picture, if you will, Minette Walters, Patrick Gale, Andrew Taylor and me leaning on the side of the pool discussing the correct use of the semi-colon.
The trip got off to a slightly spooky start, however. South Australia is the serial killer capital of Oz, supposedly because it abounds in first rate body dumps. Anyway, the driver who picked me up at the airport insisted on telling me all about their epidemic of serial killers. Some of you may remember the case where police discovered lots of bodies and body parts stuffed in barrels in a bank in a remote township. He told me all about it with great relish, then finished up with, "Mind you, most of them were homosexuals, so it doesn't really count, does it?" I've never exited a taxi faster.
In spite of the strange taxi driver, we all thought Adelaide was a very pretty city, aided and abetted by a tram connection to the nearby shore where you can eat fish and chips while you watch the sun go down very tastefully. And the audiences were enthusiastic, although being told at least 15 times a day that the locals are not descended from convict stock did get old very quickly.
Oh, and thanks to Minette and me, it is now possible for UK drinkers to buy what is probably the best rose wine I have ever drunk. Made by Geoff Hardy at the K1 winery in the Adelaide Hills, his UK importer had been unwilling to add the rose to his list. But we insisted that we had to have it, so they finally agreed to take a chance on it, just in time for the best summer weather for years. Perfect! (http://www.stratfordwine.co.uk/)
I also revisited Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, catching up with old friends, returning to familiar bookstores and radio stations and generally having fun. I discovered Canberra, where I was delighted to find a packed lecture theatre of devoted readers. I wish the bar staff in our hotel had had half their enthusiasm. It took so long to get my first drink that I ordered the second one as the first one arrived. I couldn't credit it, not in a town packed with politicians and diplomats!
I ended up in Melbourne, co-hosting an event with Scotland's First Minister, Jack McConnell, showcasing Scotland's role as a centre of literary excellence as part of Glasgow's bid to stage the 2014 Commonwealth games. I was very proud to be asked to take part - the more people are encouraged to explore the rich diversity of Scottish writing the better. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to stick around for the games. Bad planning meant my plane took off just as the opening ceremonies began. But I did have the chance to see the amazing floating sculptures that snaked down the middle of the Yarra river on pontoons, which was one of the more amazing displays of public art I've ever seen.

New knees = Scottish country dancing at my wedding!
I had my second knee surgery in May, which ate up another chunk of the year. The result of the second surgery is, I think, even better mechanically, though I felt as if it took me longer to recover from the surgery itself. I guess having two major doses of general anaesthetic within six months of each other is not a recipe for health and well-being!. So now I have matching scars, though the December one has already faded almost to nothing for half its length. Having robot knees earns me respect from small children, though going through airport security is a nuisance. But that's a small price to pay for the absence of constant pain and the restoration of mobility that allows me to walk on the beach, play with my kid and perform Scottish country dancing at my wedding. Oh yes, I should mention that Kelly and I took advantage of the new laws and entered into a civil partnership this month. Ever the romantic, I took her on a whirlwind honeymoon in Barcelona where she saw the sights and I did publicity and promotion with my lovely Spanish publishers, RBA and Circulo Lectores!

Harrogate
Harrogate was a runaway success again this year, with PD James and George Pelecanos among the highlights of a star-studded programme. It was particularly special for me since The Torment of Others was awarded the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Crime Novel of the Year. To win a prize voted for by readers is particularly heartwarming because you are the people who actually buy the books. You don't have any axes to grind, you vote for the books you've loved. So I'm doubly proud of this award.
Harrogate has grown into the best festival of its kind anywhere in the world, I think. Now that I'm no longer programming chair, I can say that the programming is terrific - though I suppose I shouldn't say too much about that since they have invited me back next year as one of the special guests! However, Harrogate does have a unique atmosphere, and it just keeps getting better and better. (check it out at: www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/) For those of you living abroad, I'd heartily recommend it as the centrepiece of a holiday in the UK, much as my friend Piers is doing with Bouchercon and his US holiday this autumn.

Bouchercon
Which brings me seamlessly to Bouchercon, which takes place next week in Madison, WI. (http://www.bouchercon2006.com/)For those of you unfamiliar with Bouchercon, it's the World Mystery Convention. It moves from city to city, mostly in the US but occasionally in Canada or the UK. Readers, writers, publishers and booksellers converge to share their love of the genre, and every writer who registers by the cut-off date is placed on a panel so they can strut their stuff. It can be overwhelming to the newcomer, but once you relax, it's a fabulous weekend. I first attended at Seattle in 1994 and I've only missed a couple since then. It's a great chance to meet writers and readers and to discover new authors. I've got a couple of great panels this year. Dana Stabenow, Laurie King, Nevada Barr and I will be talking about series vs standalones and we intend to be as anarchic as is humanly possible. Giles Blunt, Carl Brookins, John Lutz, Denise Mina and I will be discussing how to create thrilling villains, and I will be appearing with others of the Merry Band of Murderers at various events throughout the weekend.

German tour
Following Bouchercon, I am off to Germany for the Frankfurt Book Fair and a subsequent tour to promote The Grave Tattoo. At the book fair, Canadian writer Giles Blunt will be performing a cabaret at a party hosted by our German publisher, Droemer Knaur. We are both deeply nervous about this "it's hard to rehearse with an ocean between us...
Here are the dates for the German tour. Do come up and say hello if you're able to make it to any of the events.

9 - 13. October 2006: Reading Tour
  • 9th of October: Thalia Book Shop, Berlin
  • 10th of October: Book Shop Weiland, Hannover
  • 11th of October: Boulevard Book Shop, Bielefeld
  • 12th of October: "Mord am Hellweg" Crime Festival, Unna
  • 13th of October: Book Shop Ganghofer, Ingolstadt

And then it's head down to get Beneath the Bleeding finished on time. So far, it's going well. Tony and Carol are having their usual grim time... But please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I hope you all have a wonderful autumn with piles of terrific reading material!

All the best
VAL

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September 2006

Wire in the Blood - ITV1 (UK)
Wednesday 20th September 2006 - 21:00 to 22:30

Val Says...
Yes, for those of you living in the UK. it's the TV event you've all been waiting for. Tomorrow night at 9pm on ITV1, series 4 of Wire in the Blood is finally unveiled. With Simone Lahbib of Bad Girls fame making her debut as DI Alex Fielding, it's an exciting evening for all of us involved in the making of the show. We've got our fingers crossed that you're going to love her as much as we do. For me, seeing the finished episodes, it was impressive to see how Robson Green continues to grow into the role. I couldn't see how he could improve on his previous performances, but I think he's excelled himself in the four episodes of series 4, one of which is based on The Torment of Others. Oh, and I have a small cameo role in Episode 4. See if you can spot me and my line!

It is, of course, a different beast from the books. But it's great TV. Ihope you enjoy it as much as I have.

And for those of you who like to savour past episodes, the DVD of series 3 is finally released in the UK at the end of this month. I know a lot of people have been eager to get their hands on it, and thankfully, the wait is now over. We'll be having a competition on the website soon to win copies of it.

So sit back and enjoy a double dose of the best crime drama on British TV!

Happy viewing!

Val

More about Wire in the Blood TV series...>

September 2006

Wire in the Blood - ITV1 (UK)
Wednesday 20th September 2006 - 21:00 to 22:30

Time To Murder And Create - Series 4, episode 1.
An old case reopened catches Tony Hill out. So does the surprise news that Carol Jordan has been replaced. Combative and wily new detective Alex Fielding doesn't like Tony or his methods, but she gradually realises that he knows much more about her first major murder case than he should.

Starring: Robson Green, Simone Lahbib, Mark Letheren, Emma Handy,
Peter Sullivan and Mark Penfold.

More...>

September 2006

Based on the characters created by Val McDermid, Wire In The Blood stars Robson Green as Dr Tony Hill and Hermione Norris as detective Carol Jordan.

Clinical Psychologist, Dr Tony Hill and Detective Inspector Carol Jordan are reunited for four more dark and disturbing cases, hunting brutal killers terrorising the northern town of Bradfield.

An obsessive fascination with the fractured criminal mind, leads Dr Hill and D.I. Jordan on an intense and vivid journey into a dark world of faceless serial killers. It is a race against time as they try to anticipate the killer's very next step.

Vulnerable and lonely children are being abducted and murdered, but what is their connection to a similar case some years before? A notorious killer has been released from prison and it's not long before the brutal slayings start again, bearing all the hallmarks of the infamous "Mack The Knife". Exactly how 'safe and rehabilitated'is one Michael Thompson?

Life is imitating art in the tense case " Nothing But The Night ", as a schizophrenic killer leaves his taunting messages scrawled over walls, in his victim's blood, and what does Tony's "wife" have planned for Carol?

In " Synchronicity ", Tony is forced to confront his own mortality whilst hunting down an anonymous sniper. But is anything real anymore? Who can he trust?

Contains the episodes :

-  Case 1: Redemption

-  Case 2: Bad Seed

-  Case 3: Nothing But The Night

Special Features :

•  Free book sampler of Val McDermid's novel   'The Grave Tattoo'
 

Wire in the Blood III DVD out now in the UK.. Order Now>>>

More about Wire in the Blood TV series...>>

July 2006

We are delighted to announce that the Val has won the 2006 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year prize with The Torment of Others, the fourth Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novel. The announcement was made on the opening night of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, where Val was chair of the Programming Committee for the first three years. Val said, 'I was genuinely gobsmacked. It was a great shortlist and I really didn't expect to win. It's a particular delight for me because this award is voted for by readers and also because it is awarded at this festival. It feels very special to be honoured here because of the closeness of my involvement with what has become the best crime writing festival in the world.'

Val received £3,000 and a handmade, oak beer cask at the opening ceremony of the Theakston's Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Writing Festival presented by sponsor Simon Theakston.

Visit: http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/

July 2006

This is Val's latest newsletter sent out to everyone who has signed up via the 'subscribe' form at the bottom of most pages on this site.

We are delighted to announce that the Val has won the 2006 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year prize with The Torment of Others, the fourth Tony Hill and Carol Jordan novel. The announcement was made on the opening night of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, where Val was chair of the Programming Committee for the first three years. Val said, 'I was genuinely gobsmacked. It was a great shortlist and I really didn't expect to win. It's a particular delight for me because this award is voted for by readers and also because it is awarded at this festival. It feels very special to be honoured here because of the closeness of my involvement with what has become the best crime writing festival in the world.'
Val received £3,000 and a handmade, oak beer cask at the opening ceremony of the Theakston's Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Writing Festival presented by sponsor Simon Theakston.

In a very different vein, viewers can see Val wearing another hat on BBC2 tomorrow night at 7pm in a programme called A Lot of Balls. No, not a football commentary, but an episode in a series called Lefties which deals with aspects of left-wing politics in the 80s. Val talks about her involvement with the ill-fated newspaper, News on Sunday. None of her fans will be surprised to hear that she pulls no punches...

June 2006

Val Says...

I'm thrilled to tell you that I've made the shortlist for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for the second year running, not least because it's the only award voted on by the people who actually buy and read books. Now it's up to readers like you to decide who gets to take home the specially-made Theakston's beer barrel at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in July (http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/). This is where you go to vote for the award: http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp

The presentation of the award to Mark Billingham last year was quite the occasion. Three of the short-listed authors were present to read from their books and the other three were memorably impersonated by Stella Duffy whose thespian skills let us see their work in a whole new light! It should be a great night again, whatever the outcome.

Here's the shortlist. If any of them are strangers to you, it's got to be worth taking a punt on reading them, especially since they're all in paperback.

Strange Blood - Lindsay Ashford
Megan Rhys is trying to solve the ritual killing of a woman, found with a pentagram carved on her face, but has to fight every step of the way to get her voice heard. And as she argues with her boss, the press, the police and her family, more women die...

The Coffin Trail - Martin Edwards
Edwards skilfully evokes the atmosphere of the Lake District in this 'clever psychological thriller' (Sunday Telegraph). A cold case review of a savage murder shakes up the village of Brackdale, and a murderer once again stalks the Lakes.

The Torment of Others - Val McDermid
Criminal psychologist Dr Tony Hill returns to find himself involved in one of his strangest, most dangerous cases yet. 'No one compares to McDermid when it comes to the deviant side of human nature' The Guardian

One Last Breath - Stephen Booth
Fourteen years after being jailed for murder, Mansell Quinn is released, and another body is found. But who really is the killer, and who could be the next target? Another atmospheric tale set in the Peak District

The Various Haunts of Men - Susan Hill
A young policewoman and an enigmatic Chief Inspector must unravel the mystery behind a strange sequence of disappearances in an otherwise quiet cathedral city in Hill's masterly crime debut. 'A subtle study of the mind of a psychopath' Daily Mail

Fleshmarket Close - Ian Rankin
Investigating the death of an illegal immigrant is just one of Rebus's worried - his bosses want shot of him, and aren't being too coy about letting him, know. Fifteen books in and Rankin just gets better - Fleshmarket Close is one of the best Rebus novels yet.

Don't forget: this is where you vote.
http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp

April. 2006

Yes, it's that time of year again. The longlist for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2006 has just been published and I'm proud to say I have made it to the longlist again. The award, which is presented at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival (http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/index.html) is the only major UK crime fiction award chosen by public acclaim. It's organised in association with Ottakar's bookshops, the official festival book retailer, and their booksellers have drawn up the longlist of their favourite 20 crime novels published in paperback last year. Now it's up to readers to whittle that down to six. You can vote for me, or for any of the other 19, at: http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp.
And the great thing about a longlist like this is that you are guaranteed to find at least one writer you haven't tried before!
Happy reading.
Val

April. 2006

Val reads from her book 'The Distant Echo' and talks to Ramona Koval about her work and her early influences.

Book Show
Weekdays 10am and Sun 7.10pm
Radio National's daily book program featuring interviews with Australian and overseas authors as well as topical, thoughful and entertaining features on the best writing from Australia and overseas.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2006/1601285.htm

February. 2006

Here's the public events I'm doing in Oz. I am also doing lots of media -- print and radio interviews, so people should keep an ear/eye out for me.

Val's Dates in Australia 2nd March to 13th March 2006

• Sydney - Thursday 2 March, 7pm - Bookstore Event
  Gleebooks
  49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
  Tel: 02 9554 7071
   
• Canberra - Friday 3 March, 5.30pm - Australian National University Event
  Lecture and book signing
  Haydon Allen Tank
  Tel: 02 6125 8983
   
• Adelaide - Sunday 5 March, 1.00 - 1.45pm - Adelaide Festival - "Meet the Author" solo session
  West Tent - Pioneer Women's Memorial Gardens
  
  For more information go to: www.adelaidefestival.com.au
   
• Adelaide - Monday 6 March, 8pm - 10pm
  Elder Hall, North Terrace, Adelaide
  Evening One with Visiting Writers
  with Val McDermid, Andrew Taylor, Minette Walters, Sarah Waters
  Chair: Julia Lester
  
  For more information go to: http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/program/writersweekev1.aspx
   
• Adelaide - Thursday 9 March, 11.00 - 12.15pm
  West tent – Panel discussion "Too Chilling" with Gail Bell, Dorothy Johnston, Nicholas Jose, Val McDermid
  Why is the thriller a dominant popular form in our time?
  Why do contemporary readers seek out thrills, spills and chills?
  Is sensation everything?
   
• Brisbane - Friday 10 March
  • 12.30pm Literary lunch - Dymocks Brisbane
    Libby Marshall, Dymocks Brisbane
     
  • 6pm Author Event - Talk, reading & Q&A
    Venue: Avid Reader, Boundary Street, West End, Brisbane
    Tel: 07 3007 2803
     
• Perth - Monday 13 March, 6.30pm - 8pm - Author Event - Dymocks Garden City
  Venue: Bluewater Function Centre, Duncraig Road, Applecross
  Tel: 08 9364 7387

Feb. 2006

Val has written an article for The Times about the research she did for The Grave Tattoo. You can read it at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-2044221,00.html

Enjoy!

Feb. 2006

This is Val's latest newsletter sent out to everyone who has signed up via the 'subscribe' form at the bottom of most pages on this site.

• The Grave Tattoo out in the UK: tour dates
• Wire in the Blood 4 in production; series 3 wins major award
• Australian Tour next month
• BBC Radio3 interview Saturday February 4th.
• Singalonga Val
• Raith Rovers
  

Those of you who have been subscribers to this list for a while will remember that I used to send out one of these chatty newsletters a few times a year. The observant among you will have noticed there hasn't been one for a while. I could make the standard sort of excuses - I've been frantically busy with work, I had major surgery in December, that sort of thing. But I don't want to make excuses. I don't want to hide behind half-truths and brush off my silence airily.

The truth is I have been struggling with my writing. And I didn't feel comfortable with writing a cheery newsletter to cover up the fact. Nor did I have the nerve to sit down and tell you how hard a time I was having. Apart from anything else, it felt so self-indulgent to be whining about what is, by any standards, a pretty charmed life. There were various reasons why I was having such a difficult time. Some were practical upheavals in my personal life, renovating my house by the coast with such savagery that I literally had nowhere to write for about nine months, and constant arthritic pain in my knees. Thankfully all these problems are behind me. Life is good. I have a fabulous office to write in. And I've had the first of two total knee replacements so my pain levels have plummeted. But other reasons were far less easy to deal with. I've often said I've never experienced writer's block, and I'm still not sure that's how I would describe what I've been going through. In truth, it felt much too dynamic and seismic to be referred to as a blockage. It's turned out to be nothing short of a revolution in the way that I write. And like all revolutions, it's been tempestuous and scary and unnerving. Not to mention having an unpredictable outcome.

I think most writers use their first two or three books to figure out what method of writing works best for them. I wrote Report for Murder more or less by the seat of my pants. I didn't know where it was heading, or how it was going to get there. I wasted a lot of time writing myself into blind alleys and trying to shoehorn characters into unlikely behaviour. With the second book, Common Murder, I thought it might help to have a better idea of where I was going. So I wrote a brief outline. Just a couple of scribbled pages. But it made life so much easier. I felt freed by its presence, as if it were a talisman that would keep me on the straight and narrow. By the third book, I was writing a ten-page chapter-by-chapter breakdown. It worked for me. It was like a roadmap, and having it allowed me to drive off in any direction that took my fancy because I always knew where I was heading for to get back on to the story spine. And that is pretty much how it stayed until The Torment of Others.

Now, I have always maintained that writing is a process in which we never arrive at the destination. Every book is a challenge to do better or to do different than before. Every book is an opportunity to learn the mistakes of the past (and of other writers!) and to push harder at the limits of one's capabilities. So I've always been open to the possibility of change and development.
I just didn't think it was going to come at the expense of everything I thought I knew about method.

It started with The Torment of Others and it felt like a serious problem. Everything up to the point where I was about to start writing had gone as usual in my head, I'd taken the story from first starburst of idea to something that had a bit of shape. I knew whose story it was and how they got to where they were at the start of the book. I could hear their voices in my head and I thought I was ready to roll. I started working on the synopsis, and the beginning went as usual. I had the outline of the eighty or so pages neatly in place. And that's when the trouble started. I couldn't articulate what happened next. There was a vague, amorphous shape in my head, but I couldn't grasp it. I wrestled with this for a while, then decided to leave it alone on the general principle that my subconscious would have it sorted when I went back to it. Wrong again. I did some work on the end of the book, trying to make clear where I was headed to see if that would help me figure out how I was going to get there. And the ending seemed to come together quite readily. At least now I knew what I was aiming for. I went back to the synopsis. And still it wouldn't come together. By now, my deadline was looming and I had no alternative but to buckle down and write the damn book. I just got my head down and wrote straight through, barely pausing to sleep and eat. It was physically draining and mentally exhausting. And ironically, my editor maintained this was the strongest first draft I'd ever handed in.

I thought it was just a glitch. A one-off. That when I got stuck in to The Grave Tattoo, everything would be as it was before. After all, I'd been building this book in my head for years, doing the research, figuring out the story. And I did have a reasonable idea of the story. There were those three paragraphs I'd written for my editor, after all. But again, I just couldn't get it down in the familiar form. And this time it was worse. I couldn't even get the beginning or the end down. Yes, I knew more or less where I was going, but I couldn't pin down the kind of detail that would let me draw my map. It was a nightmare. I really was beginning to wonder if I had lost it. If I had come to the end of the road as a writer. But again, the deadline was looming and so I tried to get the book down. It felt like walking out on a high wire without a safety net. And the first time, I fell off. I got about fifty pages in and I panicked. I would sit for hours staring at the screen, trying all the tricks I knew to kick-start myself. But nothing worked. I crashed the first deadline with embarrassing aplomb. I'd never been late before, had been scathing about the irresponsibility of authors who messed everyone around by not delivering on time, and here I was, being scathed by my own words.
I was so embarrassed about the whole thing, I pretended it just wasn't happening. I was nonchalant when asked about the book, insouciant about its potential delivery date. It was awful. I wasn't sleeping properly, I was avoiding other writers and I felt like a fraud.

It was desperation in the end that got me moving. I couldn't go on pretending to write the damn thing forever. I forced myself to my desk and made myself do it. And as I did that, something shifted. I realised there was another way of doing this crazy thing that was working for me now. It's what I later discovered the American writer EL Doctorow calls 'driving at night writing'. Imagine you're setting off at night to drive somewhere. You know where you are heading, you know the way there. But you can only see a small part of the road lit up ahead of you. And as you drive forward, the road reveals itself piece by piece until you finally reach your destination. And that is the kind of writer I seem to have become. I am now, it appears, a night driver.
All of which is a lengthy and long-overdue explanation of my silence.

So, to our news items. The Grave Tattoo is officially published on Monday, February 6th here in the UK. I'm not doing many events (mostly because I still get tired easily after my surgery), but those that are scheduled are going to be fun, I think.

• Tuesday 7th Feb: 6.30pm event and signing at Carlisle Ottakars 66/68 Scotch Street
  
• Thursday 9th Feb: 7.00pm Blackburn Central Library, Blackburn
  
• Wednesday 15th Feb: 6.30pm Event and signing at the Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street, Manchester
  
• Thursday 16th feb: 7.30pm Event and signing at the Literary and Philosophical Society, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne
  

I'm also going to Australia to promote The Grave Tattoo in the first half of March. I'll be visiting Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. There may also possibly be an event in Melbourne, but that's still being discussed. As soon as I have a final itinerary for this trip, I'll post it on the website.

I really hope you all enjoy the book it's a bit of a departure again from what I've done before, but luckily most of you seem to enjoy the variety I provide you with!

There's a chance to hear me talking about it on Saturday night on BBC Radio3's The Verb. Hosted by the inimitable Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan, it goes out around 9.45pm. The timing is flexible it depends on when the Saturday night opera ends However, it is possible to listen to it at your leisure by going to the BBC website's radio home page (www.bbc.co.uk/radio), launching the radio player, choosing Radio3 and clicking on The Verb. I had a great time recording the programme. Unlike so many national radio interviews, this show gives writers a decent chunk of time to talk at length about their work. And Ian is a great presenter.

The TV series of Wire in the Blood continues on its upward trajectory. Coastal are currently filming series 4, which includes an adaptation of The Torment of Others. I've seen all the scripts and I think they're even better than before, hard though that is to imagine. I was on set yesterday with the cast and crew, and I have to say I think this series is also going to look even better than before. There is a dramatically new look to the police station, and I think we're going to end up with some very exciting TV when the series airs in the autumn.

Meanwhile, series 3 has just received a remarkable accolade it's been awarded a World Drama Gold Medal at the New York Television Festival. And Redemption, the first episode of series 3, written by Guy Burt, has been shortlisted for the Edgar award for the best script in a TV series. (Up there alongside Tarantino's CSI...)

Now, I know that some of you have been exposed to my singing. One or two of you have even been kind enough to compliment me on it. Well, we can't all have musical ears, can we? Soon, however, you'll be able to singalonga Val in the privacy of your own home. Later this year, Poisoned Pen Press will be publishing an anthology with a difference. A Merry Band of Murderers is a collection of short stories which are all inspired by a song. And accompanying the book will be a CD where each of the writers performs the song in question. I'm doing The Long Black Veil, which has been recorded by an eye-watering range of artists from Johnny Cash to the Rolling Stones. Try not to get killed in the rush to buy this excellent product!

Finally, something very dear to my heart. My dad was a talent scout for Raith Rovers Football Club when I was young. I learned to love the beautiful game on the touchlines of amateur and semi-pro matches, and on the terraces at his beloved Starks Park, where he was latterly turnstile manager. My dad discovered and signed a played called Jim Baxter, who was the Scottish George Best, a player of dazzling talent who was naturally snatched up pretty quickly by a bigger and richer club. But the romance of his discovery lingers on, and Raith Rovers fans remember when the greatest player of his generation graced their pitch. Recently, the Rovers were taken over by some businessmen who reckoned there was more money to be made by selling the ground for housing development and closing down the club. It was devastating news for the town of Kirkcaldy, and for those of us who love a club that was once shipwrecked on its way to play a series of friendlies in the Canaries and who were once 1-0 up against Bayern Munich on the Germans' home turf. Anyway, to cut a long story short, in a campaign spearheaded by Chancellor of the Exchequer and local MP Gordon Brown, the supporters managed to raise enough money to buy the club for the community. I'm proud to say that I am part of that consortium that helped save the Rovers. And that my publishers are also supporting the club. So if you want to see what is probably the only advertising hoarding at a professional football ground promoting a novel, make your way to Starks Park for a home match.

Sorry this is such a long letter. But I'm even more sorry that you had to wait so long for it. Now I'm back on an even keel, I promise there will be more regular missives. Oh, and just to prove that jocularity is back as the order of the day:

Q: How many crime writers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to screw it in most of the way and another to give it that final, unsuspected twist.

All the best
Val

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Jan. 2006