Interviews
Val McDermid: ‘Even on a romantic holiday my thoughts turn to murrrder’; The Guardian, AUGUST 19, 2017
BY Katy Guest
The queen of crime on the new generation of writers, how the genre has changed in 30 years – and how she’s promised not to kill off Tony Hill and Carol Jordan
“I can’t actually think of a time in my adult life when we haven’t been living in troubled times, I think what we have now is a greater perception of the troubled times around us, and that’s partly because of … the 24/7 news cycle.”
Val McDermid: ‘Left to our own devices, writers adopt the habits of a hermit crab’; The Guardian, SEPTEMBER 3, 2016
BY VAL MCDERMID
The crime writer on bingeing on West Wing, taking time out on computer games and the joys of first-class train travel
“When I first became a full-time writer, I mostly had writing days. People seldom wanted to listen to me read, consult my opinion or watch me perform. But the combination of success and the proliferation of literary festivals and media platforms has profoundly altered the even tenor of my mostly isolated days.”
Interview: Val McDermid is excited for her future novels; The Scotsman, AUGUST 22, 2016
BY SUSAN MANSFIELD
Scotland’s most revered crime writer, Val McDermid, publishes her 30th novel this week – but she has no intention of stopping there, finds Susan Mansfield.
“Perhaps books are a bit like birthdays: you don’t really add up how many you’ve written until you hit a significant milestone. And then someone, your publisher, for example, reminds you that your next book will be your 30th. “It’s still quite astonishing to me,” says Val McDermid, who received an award at this year’s Harrogate Crime Writing Festival for her outstanding contribution to the genre.”
Val McDermid Interview: “There were no lesbians in Fife 1960S”; The Big Issue, AUGUST 22, 2016
BY JANE GRAHAM
Tartan noir queen Val McDermid on her love for her son, playing folk clubs with Billy Connolly – and experiencing profound heartbreak
“At 16 I was preparing for my Oxford entrance exam. I was very driven. I pushed myself in everything. I played hockey for the 1st 11 in the East of Scotland. I played guitar and sang in folk clubs. I won debating prizes. Everything I did, I wanted to do really well.”
Val Mcdermid – Splinter The Silence – The Miami Herald, JANUARY 6, 2016
BY CONNIE OGLE cogle@miamiherald.com
Crime writer Val McDermid has never been the victim of cyberbullying, but she’s well aware of the effect it has, often on women…
“I’ve been lucky; I haven’t really been trolled at all, though I do have a public profile here in the UK that goes beyond writing,” says the author of 30 novels, who was born and lives in Scotland and has been compared to such crime royalty as P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. “My son says it’s because I’m too scary. I’m not sure that’s what you want your child to say about you!”
Val Mcdermid – The Guardian, 1 April 2015
Why crime fiction is leftwing and thrillers are rightwing…
Today’s crime novels are overtly critical of the status quo, while the thriller explores the danger of the world turned upside down. And with trust in politicians nonexistent, writers are being listened to as rarely before.
Val Mcdermid Investigates The Finest Criminal Minds
The Big Issue – Saturday 15 July 2013
Val McDermid discusses the crime fiction genre – ahead of chairing Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
Online Interview (In German): Val Talks To Alexandra Plath
www.Droemer-Knaur.De – July 2013
My Secret Life: Val Mcdermid, 57, Author
The Independent Magazine – Saturday 27 October 2012
‘I wanted to be Joni Mitchell’ – Things you might not know about Val…
Val Featured For ‘My Favourite Teacher’
Times Educational Supplement Scotland – 05 October 2012
One teacher knew the author wanted to go to Oxford, so he helped her by offering up his free time and his library.
Profile Interview With Val
The Herald Scotland – 15 September 2012
Val looks beyond The Vanishing Point
Val Talks To The Journal
The Journal – 26 March 2012
SCOTTISH-born Val McDermid is one of the UK’s leading crime writers and has a home in Alnmouth on the Northumberland coast…
Val Talks To Savidge Reads
Savidge Reads – 01 March 2012
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting up with the lovely Val McDermid for a good long coffee and catch up thanks to the joys of twitter and knowing she was in the vicinity…
An Exclusive Interview
Harrogate International Festival – 16 November 2011
During the madness and mayhen that was the 2011 Festival, journalist Sonia Kilvington caught up with international bestselling crime writer Val McDermid, whose novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan have sold millions of copies worldwide.
Val In Paris
An interview Val did with Bernard Lehut – 22 April 2011
An interview Val did with Bernard Lehut on French radio (external link – audio).
Chiller-Thriller Writer Tackles Oxford
The Oxford Times – 23 September 2010
Thriller writer Val McDermid has a soft spot for Oxford. It is the setting for her latest blood-thirsty novel Trick of the Dark, and she says her time as a student here in the 1970s left her with a love of detective fiction.
Niche Off The Leash – Val McDermid on progress in lesbian fiction
The Oxford Times – 12 September 2010
A decade ago, she was told that writing a novel with a lesbian theme would be ‘commercial suicide’. Now, gay writers are mainstream. Here, Val McDermid charts the cultural shift that began with Radclyffe Hall.
Val McDermid talks to David Robinson
Scotsman.Com – 04 September 2010
Val McDermid tells David Robinson how a sexual awakening at Oxford helped define her life as a writer.
The Perception Of Crime Fiction
Crime Time – 0 January 2010
Val talks to Julian Maynard-Smith from crimetime.co.uk about crime fiction.
