CRIME and horror fiction fans are being invited to step into the shadows for Warrington’s first dark fiction event.
The Warrington Crime Festival will be held on Sunday, April 19 at the Village Hotel in Warrington.
With 20 of the North West’s most prolific dark fiction authors gathering for a day packed with sinister stories, gripping panels, and exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into the world of dark fiction writing.
Confirmed guests include Simon McCleave, the acclaimed author of the Ruth Hunter series—soon to be adapted for television. He is looking forward to taking part in a brand new literary festival in his genre: He said: “I’m delighted to be part of Warrington’s very first crime fiction festival and appear alongside so many talented writers. I’m really looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic celebration of crime fiction in the Northwest. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’re going to love it!”
Local favourite Conrad Jones will be attending. Conrad is a prolific writer with 36 novels to his credit, including the best-selling Cuckoos on the Mersey and the Anglesey Murders Series, and is currently one of the most prolific authors in the British Horror genre. His latest series, The Nest, New York, was number 1 in four continents: Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. The sequel, The Nest, London also hit the top of the Amazon charts.
Conrad said: “It is great to see a book festival in my own home-town. We hope the Warrington Crime Festival will go from strength to strength and become an annual fixture for fans of crime and horror fiction.”
British Fantasy Award-winning horror writer Ramsey Campbell will also be taking part in the festival. The Oxford Companion to English Literature calls Ramsey Campbell ‘Britain’s most respected living horror writer’, and the Washington Post sums up his work as “one of the monumental accomplishments of modern popular fiction.” In 2015 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for outstanding services to literature. Phantasmagorical Stories offer a sixty-year retrospective of his short fiction. The Village Killings collects novellas, Ramsey’s Rambles film reviews, while Six Stooges and Counting critiques the Three Stooges. His latest novel is An Echo of Children from Flame Tree Press, who publish many of his novels, including the Brichester Mythos trilogy. Ramsey says:“I’m delighted to be part of this splendid festival. Let’s celebrate the art of the dark.”
Psychological thriller author, Caroline England, who also writes under the name of CE Rose will be chatting about her e-book bestsellers and her most recent book: Behind her Smile. Caroline said: “As both a reader and a writer of crime fiction, I’m honoured and excited to be part of the inaugural Warrington Crime Festival, which I know will set the bar high for many more to come.”
Fans of Paul Finch will be able to find out more about how he approaches writing his novels. He said: “To meet and chat with readers is one of the coolest parts of the job. To be doing it in my native North West is something I’ve been waiting for. We all need to be there.”
