Deal Noir

Susan Moody is not only an author of varied and accomplished crime novels but also excellent company, and when she gets involved with a project, you can be confident that it will be of interest. So when she asked if I'd be willing to feature Deal Noir on this blog, I was happy to oblige, although alas, it clashes with the annual CWA conference, this year to be held at Lincoln, so I won't be in Deal myself. Anyway, here's what Susan has to say about Deal Noir: 

"So there I was, sitting in the Nordic House in Reykjavik, toying with a glass of Icelandic  vodka and staring at the chilly grey lake outside the window.  I was attending one of the smallest and best of the crime fiction conventions – Iceland Noir – and enjoying the chance to talk to everyone there, something not always possible in the larger gatherings.  Iceland Noir was mooted in May of 2013 and by November was alive and kicking.

"There should be more Crime Fests like this," I said to the man seated beside me, Mike Linane, a noted crime buff and attendee at many of the crime festivals taking place in England.      

"Why don't you organize one yourself, then?" he asked.

Why not indeed?  Back in the historic town of Deal, in south-east Kent, I thought about it.  Yes, why not?  Although Reykjavik is small and Deal is even smaller, with help of the indefatigable Mike, we set about doing just that.  Having settled on a date of March 28^th, we had even less time to organize it than the Iceland Noir organizers: Quentin Bates, Ragnar Jónasson.and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. And yet here it is, DEAL NOIR, a reality! 

We have a  logo, a web-site  (www.dealnoir.wordpress.com with details of the programme and speakers, where you can buy tickets on-line), and an email address (dealnoir@gmail.com).  We have posters and fliers. We have a venue.  We are about to launch a Flash Fiction competition (write a crime story in 100 words).  We have a full all-day programme of panels and debates with many of the stars of current crime writers attending, from Robert Goddard to Simon Brett to Michael Ridpath, from Mark Billingham to M J McGrath to David Donachie, from Erin Kelly and Laura Wilson to Tania Carver and Ruth Dudley Edwards.

Date: March 28^th.  Venue: The Landmark Centre (6 minutes walk from the station). Ticket cost: £12:50 (an absolute bargain!)