Bloody Scotland

by Oor Anonymous Snitch

Early December, 2012, and several people make their disparate ways through Stirling town, some walking up between the tall, black walls of Castle Brae past the old cemetery, others heading up the cobbled streets of Old Town towards the ancient gaol. A cold mist has settled about the edges of the town, and all the trees and houses sparkle with rime; all is shrouded and hushed. At the huge wooden doors of the Barceló Hotel these people meet, give each other brief hugs, shake hands, step into the square courtyard of the old school, looking towards the corridors running their way around the courtyard, and up towards the Astronomical Observatory built into a tower above the old Headmaster’s Study. The place is as dramatic, historic, and imposing, as the reason they are all gathered here today.

‘So,’ says one. ‘No going back now.’

‘No going back,’ agrees another, with a shake of her head.

‘Are you sure we can do this?’ someone else asks quietly, blowing on his hands, trying to bring them back to life. The others exchange glances, and a few tentative, perhaps terrified, smiles.

‘We have to,’ say their leaders in unison, two blonde women, one tall and wraithlike, the other smaller – an iron fist fitted perfectly within her soft, velvet glove.

These people have come from Edinburgh, from Glasgow, one taking a chance on the 400 mile round-trip in her rickety old van from the wilds beyond Inverness, and all with one common purpose, one common goal: to establish the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival, and make of it a household name.

Facts:

The Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival will take place In Stirling, September 14th – 16th 2012

Bloody Scotland is the brainchild of two of Scotland’s most successful writers of contemporary crime fiction: Lin Anderson and Alex Gray, who will be headlining the festival along with other shining lights of Scottish Crime Writing

Full details of the programme will be announced in mid-May, but we can give you a sneak preview, due to the writer of this article being on the Bloody Scotland Committee:

Amongst those attending will be the biggest names in Scottish Crime Writing, including Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Anne Perry, and Alanna Knight

There will be an international dimension also, and I can also tell you (though I may have to be shot afterwards) that the programming so far is radical and exciting, containing many elements new to Crime Writing Festivals as we know them, and bound to cause controversy in one form or another, so keep yourself tuned!

And also, budding writers – time to start tapping at your keyboards, as the Short Story Competition is not to be missed, not if you want to meet your criminal heroes and launch your work into the Crime Writing scene, so don’t miss out.

Get yourself hooked up to the website (going live 23rd February 2012) and twitter for the latest news:

www.bloodyscotland.com

And look out, Stirling, here we come!

Clio Gray (oor not-so-anonymous snitch after all) is the author of the Stroop Series of crime novels, her latest, The Brotherhood of Five published by Headline, and all due out too as e-books from March 2012 – and up for grabs in the After Burns Scottish Book Prize Draw!