Friday 31 December 2010

New Year's Eve










In my last post for 2010, I want not only to send my very warmest wishes to my readers for the year ahead, but also to express my thanks for the way in which your kindness and encouragement, manifested in a variety of forms, has helped to carry me through twelve months that have sometimes been more than usually challenging. I am truly grateful.

I also wanted to reflect on some of the good things that have happened this past year. On the writing front, I was thrilled by the response to and reviews of The Serpent Pool, and to have two launches in Hawarden and London, the latter a joint event with Ann Cleeves, was very gratifying. I enjoyed putting together the anthology Original Sins and an excellent press lunch organised by the publishers at a posh restaurant in London. And I’m really pleased about The Hanging Wood – I like to think it is the best Lake District Mystery so far. My trip to the Lakes on my birthday was a real highlight of 2010 - the wonderful weather of July seems a very distant memory now!

Crimefest in Bristol was great fun, including a pub quiz in a team of delightful people and the ordeal that calls itself Criminal Mastermind! I now have two lovely inscribed commemorative pieces of Bristol glassware to remember the last two years’ quizzes by; in 2011, I shall be very glad to be in the audience, instead of in the black chair. I met a good many pleasant writers and readers (including readers of this blog) for the first time in 2010, not least at Crimefest, and hope to see at least some of them again next year.

The CWA conference in Abergavenny was great - one of the photos shows my Saturday dinner companion Janet Laurence, and another shows a gathering of crime writers at Abergavenny Castle. For various reasons, I couldn’t manage a trip to a US convention this year. However, I paid a fleeting – but very pleasurable – visit to the Harrogate Crime Festival, and missed out on the St Hilda’s Conference in Oxford last August for the best of reasons: a cruise in the sun around the magnificent Baltic capitals. But I shall be one of the speakers at St Hilda’s next August. I’m looking forward to it already. And next October may – exam results permitting – see both junior Edwardses studying at Oxford, which would be lovely if it happens.

I’ve given a number of talks, and put on my Victorian murder mystery event a couple of times. And I’ve read a lot of good books, some old, some new, and most of them (as well as most of the films I’ve watched) have featured on this blog. Although I've cut down on the number of posts, I'm very glad that the blog continues to be visited very regularly. Above all, I’ve had the good fortune of much support from friends and family, and many reasons to reflect that the crime writing community really does contain some truly delightful people.

So, all in all, a year with plenty of ups as well as a few downs. But I’m certainly looking forward to 2011 with relish....

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martin - A lovely post! Thank you for your thoughts. I wish you and your family the very best for 2011!

seana graham said...

Very nice retrospective, Martin. I wish you many more ups than downs in the new year.

lyn said...

Happy New Year Martin. I've enjoyed reading the blog & your books this year & I'm looking forward to The Hanging Wood in 2011.

K said...

A Happy New Year to you too!

Kerrie said...

All the best for the new year Martin. I am aiming to be at Crimefest in Bristol in May

karabekirus said...

We've grown accustomed to your blog, Martin. May your decent and educated comments continue in the new year, giving us pleasure to read. (although I would also like to read the transcripts of your various talks.)

aguja said...

What a positive post to end the year! Plus photos!

I do enjoy what you say and look forward to next year's variety of posts. I wish you much joy in the events of the coming year - may you enjoy each one!

Happy New Year!

Alistair Macfarlane said...

Happy New Year to you, Martin.
Hopefully we can see each other when I'm over next April.

Fiona said...

Thank you for all the pleasure your writing has given in 2010, Martin; very best wishes to you and your family in 2011, and good luck to your daughter!

Bill Carlin said...

All the best for 2011, Martin. Your blog has been a treat throughout this year.

Len Tyler said...

A great post to end 2010, Martin. Happy New Year to you and your family - and I look forward to meeting up again in 2011.

Martin Edwards said...

Thank you all very much for these comments - it is really good to think that several of us should be meeting up in the months ahead.
Karabekirus, thank you. The main talks I do at present aren't scripted, as I vary them a bit each time I do them, so as to try to achieve freshness. But I will be adding to my articles page on the website before long, I hope.

Dorte H said...

Lovely pictures, and I am so happy your books are received well - they deserve it! And I am sure some Danish publisher will notice you Lake District series before or later.

I wish you a very happy & prolific 2011, and hope to see you during CrimeFest 2011.

Martin Edwards said...

Thanks, Dorte. I am really looking forward to saying hello to you in person!