Here and There

The highlight of my week-end was a trip to Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire to attend a lunch of the Northern Chapter of the CWA organised by Roger Forsdyke. Roger is also organising the next CWA annual conference in Lincoln at the end of March, and given his track record, I'm sure it will be an enjoyable and memorable event. The programme will included expert talks on issues relevant to crime writing,special trips in the vicinity,and lots of good food, drink and company. Any CWA members who happen to read this blog are strongly encouraged to book for the conference- you won't regret it.

It's always good to meet old friends at these events - those attending included not just Peter and Rhoda Walker, and Ann and Tim Cleeves but also Stuart and Doreen Pawson. Stuart is a wonderful writer, and although he hasn't enjoyed the best of health in recent times, it was great to see them both again. Stuart's Charlie Priest books are witty entertainments, and I still treasure the memory of Stuart's reading of a very funny scene at a Murder Squad event in Knutsford years ago - quite unforgettable.

I was also pleased that we were joined by some new members, because any organisation needs both to have a reasonable amount of continuity and tradition and also regular injections of fresh blood and fresh thinking. Happily, the CWA's membership is growing significantly, and a number of overseas chapters are being formed. Again, I hope that crime writers reading this who are not at present members will consider joining, even if they are based outside the UK. I can certainly say that my own membership of the CWA has given me great pleasure as well as many friendships, and that's true of many other members as well.

On another note, I was glad to hear from Dave Quayle the other day. Dave, who is even more of a fan of that great band The Kinks than I am, drew my attention to a nicely illustrated blog post he's just written about a trip to the Lake District. A nice read, and I definitely appreciated the mentions of my books. Unexpected things like that really can make a writer's day.