BLOODY SCOTLAND REVEALS THE CRIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT SUPPORT ACTS TO THE STARS AT THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL @BloodyScotland

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival continues to support up and coming writers and has pleasure in revealing those chosen for ‘Crime in the Spotlight’ at this year’s 10th Anniversary Festival.

Inspired by the concept of support acts at music festivals, Crime in the Spotlight pairs the rising stars of the crime fiction scene with established crime writers and to date over 100 authors have taken to the spotlight stage.

Most famously author, Graeme Macrae Burnet was paired with Ian Rankin in 2015 and went on to be shortlisted for The Booker. Claire Askew who was a spotlighter in 2018 went on to win the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2019 and this year is longlisted for the McIlvanney. This year we can reveal the ‘In the Spotlight’ pairings to be:

Thursday 15th
Liz Webb from London with Alex Gray and Denzil Meyrick
Heather Fitt a Scot from Hampshire with Ian Rankin and Abir Mukherjee
Amen Alonge from London via Lagos and Edinburgh with Irvine Welsh

Friday 16th
Graham Bartlett from Sussex with AK Turner, Mary Paulson Ellis and Doug Johnstone
Maureen Myant from Glasgow with Dr Marie Cassidy and Dr Sohom Das
Emma Styles from London with Denise Mina, Elly Griffiths & Imran Mahmood
Sarah Bonner from West Sussex with Jo Spain, Ellery Lloyd and Julie Mayhew
Tom Mead from Derbyshire with Ruth Ware, Jane Casey & Lisa Unger
Jonathan Peace also from Derbyshire with Lin Anderson, Chris Brookmyre & Claire Mackintosh
John Brownlow from Toronto with David Baldacci
Angela Edgar a local author from Dunblane with John Connolly & Alex North

Saturday 17th
Ross Macfarlane, an advocate from Edinburgh with S J Parris & Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Catherine Yaffe, from Yorkshire with Charles Cumming, Ben Creed & Kim Sherwood
Carole Johnstone, from Essex with Ann Cleeves
Nick Edmunds, a local author from Stirling with Jeffrey Archer and Abir Mukherjee
Karen Taylor from Cornwall with Brian McGilloway, Simon Toyne and C L Taylor
Joe Chacko from Glasgow with Anthony Horowitz (was previously at Pitch Perfect)
Scott Cumming from Aberdeen with Mark Billingham & Mick Herron
John Harkin from Glasgow with Frankie Boyle

Sunday 18th
F J Watson, local author from Braco near Dunblane with Joanne Harris & Janice Hallett
John Coughlan from Johnstone with Sarah Vaughan and Alan Johnson
Caron McKinlay from East Scotland with Louise Welsh, Lilja Sigurdarddottir & David Fennell

In the interest of inclusivity authors were given the option of appearing live on stage or via video link. We wish all our spotlighters luck and will follow their crime writing careers with interest.