Tag: Books

Competition Alert: CWA Debut Dagger has opened!

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Entries have opened for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger competition. Budding crime writers can enter the competition from now until the closing date of 2nd February 2013.

The competition offers a prize of £700 and all shortlisted entrants receive a professional assessment of their entries.

The shortlist will be announced at CRIMEFEST in May, and the winner announced at the glitzy CWA Awards Ceremony in July 2013.

To enter you’ll need a 500 – 1000 word synopsis and the first 3000 words (or fewer) of your novel, plus you’ll need to complete the entry form, pay the entry fee and ensure you’re abiding by the competition rules.

To find out more about the competition and how to enter, head over to http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/debut/index.html

While you’re there, you can also sign up for regular competition updates, and check out the wealth of writing hints and tips.

So what are you waiting for?

My Reading List

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Piles of books

Piles of books (Photo credit: ollily)

So many crime fiction books, not enough time!

I’ve always been a real hoarder of books, but recently my ‘To Read’ pile seems to have grown far more than usual.

On my list at the moment I’ve got:

  • BAPTISM by Max Kinnings
  • Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne
  • Snakes & Ladders by Sean Slater
  • Dark Eyes by William Richter
  • Sleep Walkers by Tom Grieves
  • The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
  • 11.22.63 by Stephen King
  • A Wanted Man by Lee Child
  • Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz

And with the darker nights drawing in, it’s the perfect time to curl up by the fire and read my way through them.

What’s on your ‘to read’ list at the moment?

Looking for a little Paper Passion?

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I stumbled across this via a link on the awesome Novelicious [http://www.novelicious.com] website.

Paper Passion is a new  fragrance by Geza Schoen, Gerhard Steidl, and Wallpaper* magazine. The rather awesome packaging is by Karl Lagerfeld and Steidl.

Karl Lagerfeld is quoted as saying “The smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world.”

Well, I’m not sure about smelling like a freshly printed book myself, but I’m loving this for the packaging alone.

You can find out more about Paper Passion at http://www.steidlville.com/books/1312-Paper-Passion.html/

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Sunday Shopping for the Book Addict

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It’s raining outside, and the lure of the internet and online shopping calls …

But what to buy on this lazy, rainy, Sunday?

Well, after ordering a generous helping of books – pre-reading for the MA course I’m starting in September – I head on over to http://www.literarygiftcompany.com/

The Literary Gift Company site is a gorgeous treasure trove of wonderful (and often rather random) literary related items.

Today, one in particular caught my eye.  This lovely bag featuring a well-known Borges’ quote is eye-catching, cheeky, and also includes a donation to the National Libraries Day cause.  And at £5 it’s a bargain!

Happy Sunday!