Pauline Rowson looks back at the highlights of 2012

2012 was another busy and rewarding year and in the time honoured tradition I thought I’d do a round up of the highlights from 2012.

New Books

The seventh in the DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery crime novels set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England, A Killing Coast was published in hardcover by Severn House in the UK on 26 January 2012 and in the USA in May 2012. Death Lies Beneath the eighth in the DI Andy Horton series was published by Severn House in hardcover in the UK in July 2012 and in the USA in November 2012.

A Killing Coast, was also published as an ebook on 1 October 2012 and Death Lies Beneath, was published as an ebook on 1 November 2012.

Footsteps on the Shore, the sixth in the DI Andy Horton series was reprinted in paperback in October.







Reviews

Both A Killing Coast and Death Lies Beneath received some good reviews.

On Mystery People, a website that specializes in promoting crime fiction, reviewer Lizzie Hayes says of Death Lies Beneath, "This is a fast paced excellent mystery, with an interesting diverse set of characters, and an intriguing hook at the end that has me eagerly awaiting the next instalment in this series. Highly recommended"

And from the USA

American Book reviewer, Kirkus says, "Horton’s 8th is a treat for fans of the puzzle-box mystery."

The highly influential International publication, Publishers Weekly, said, "Rowson’s solid eighth police procedural featuring Det. Insp. Andy Horton… convincing characters and a coherent plot bolster a crafty solution to the crimes."

A Killing Coast also got some good reviews from the USA.

"The plot is multilayered, twisted, and complex... readers will be rewarded with a surprising conclusion and a satisfying read.” Booklist 

"Meticulous police work leads Horton to a particularly callous and ruthless killer as well as theft and blackmail…includes a few unexpected twists.” Publishers Weekly

Footsteps on the Shore got a great review on BBC Radio Kent's Book Club on the Pat Marsh Show on Tuesday 29 May. "Andy Horton instantly appeals to readers.”

In translation – deals done

Translation Production Rights were sold to my DVD, Successful Selling, by Summersdale Productions to Indonesia.  PT.UNGGUL CIPTA PIRANTI of Komplek Agung Sedayu bought productions rights from Summersdale Productions. My Successful Selling DVD will be dubbed in the local language, Bahasa.

Just days ahead of the London Book Fair, translation rights were sold to China for six crime novels in DI Andy Horton series. Nanhai Publishing Company of Haikou bought translation rights through my Chinese Agent, Chengdu Media.

Tune in - Radio Interviews

It’s been another good year for radio interviews, which I love doing. I appeared on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent on 26 January, 21 March, 6 July and 29 October. BBC Radio Solent 96.1 and 103.8 FM and DAB Digital Radio

I was on air with Pete Walkden on Vectis Radio, on 26 April talking about my crime novels.
 

On Thursday 17 May I was talking live on Angel Radio Isle of Wight  to David Nove. My interview with Tony Smith on Angel Radio Havant was broadcast on Friday 26 October on 101.1 FM DAB. 

I was also on Express FM 93.7 FM   on 31 October and in an interview on Expats Radio in November I revealed my thoughts on the publishing industry, getting published, authors’ advances and the rise of e books.

Public Appearances, Talks and Events

The year kicked off with a visit to Crown House, Portsmouth where I was delighted to donate a couple of my crime novels to help raise funds for Victim Support and Witness Service.I was also guest speaker at the Victim Support Volunteers meeting on 27 March where I talked about my writing and my marine mystery crime novels to the staff and volunteers of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Victim Support Services.


London Book Fair

Next up was my visit to the London Book Fair in April where I was delighted to meet up with my publisher, Severn House and my Chinese agent, Jessie Wang of Chengdu Rightol Media who represents my novels in China.






Policing the Solent and the Crime Writers’ Association Conference

Also in April was an appearance at the Crime Writers’ Association Conference, which this year took place in Southampton, and with me were police officers of the real Marine Police Unit in Hampshire as opposed to my fictional marine unit in the DI Horton novels, Sergeant Dai Elkins and PC Ripley. PCs Kerry Murray and Matt Gransden entertained crime writers from the CWA by providing a fascinating and informative talk about the splendid work they do which includes counter terrorism patrols, the reduction and detection of marine crime, investigation of marine incidents and fatalities, policing large events, supporting the UK Border Agency, Coastguard, and Harbour Authorities and responsibility for countering serious and organised crime and preventing child abduction.  They gave me plenty of ideas for plots for future DI Horton crime novels

Crimefest

May 2012 saw my annual appearance on a panel at Crimefest 2012 with other top crime writers. Crimefest is a crime fiction convention which follows the format of US conventions and includes interviews, panels, and a gala dinner. It attracts audiences from all over the World. Crime genre, sub genres, secondary characters and fictional detectives was the subject of my panel at Crimefest where I appeared with my fellow crime writers, Frances Brody, Mary Andrea Clarke and Leigh Russell. Crime author Adrian Magson was our moderator.

After the panel events it was party time with my publisher, Severn House, and the CWA Daggers Reception.








A packed U3A audience

Also in May I gave a talk to a packed U3A audience at Hook in Hampshire about my crime novels. Over a hundred people turned out on a damp May day to hear me talk about my novels and how I write. Thanks to the programme secretary Angela Powell for organising the event who was kind enough to say, "I can mark that as another successful afternoon, with your very able assistance of course, thank you so much. You obviously have the talent and the ability and the personality."


I have lots of U3A talks lined up for 2013. Check out my Events Page for more details.

With criminal intent

On 5 July I was invited onto a panel at the British Society of Criminology Annual Conference at the University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, (ICJS). I appeared on the panel with fellow crime writers, Graham Hurley, Peter Lovesey, June Hampson and Linda Regan.  Over 300 delegates from around the world attended the conference which was themed around ‘Criminology at the borders’ and coincided with the twentieth anniversary of ICJS.  I met some lovely people who bought my crime novels to take back to the States and Australia. 

Author on the Bridge

My crime novels and thrillers are set in the Portsmouth and Isle of Wight area so in September I took a special trip across the Solent on the Wightlink ferry, St Clare, to sign a copy of the DI Andy Horton novel Death Lies Beneath which is dedicated to the Captains and crew of the Wightlink ferry service between Portsmouth and Fishbourne which features regularly in the Horton crime novels and also in the thriller In For The Kill.  Death Lies Beneath is dedicated in particular to Captain Paul Marshall and Captain John Monk both of whom allow me to travel with them on the Bridge and have been very helpful in my research.

Crime fiction meets crime fact at CSI Portsmouth 2012

CSI Portsmouth 2012 was a great success. The third year of this popular one day event in November saw over 160 people pack the venue in Portsmouth, England to hear what crime authors and crime experts had to say.

Joining me was best selling crime authors Stephen Booth, Ann Cleeves, Matt Hilton along with experts from Hampshire Police and the Universities of Portsmouth and Southampton. Our moderator was Cheryl Buggy, Station Director of Express FM radio.

The audience also had the chance to put their questions to the panel and to talk to the team from the fingerprint bureau and students from the Forensic Science course from South Downs College who provided a crime scene.

This annual event is part of Portsmouth BookFest and helping me to organise it are Portsmouth City Council Library Service and the Hayling Island Bookshop.

Next year’s CSI Portsmouth 2013 will be held on Saturday 2 November.

The North East

For the third year running I was invited to give two talks in the North East of England. It was a great pleasure to return to an area where I am made so welcome and where DI Andy Horton has many fans. On Monday 12 November I was speaking at Newcastle City Library and on Tuesday 13 November I was at Seaton Carew Library, Hartlepool giving a talk as part of Hartlepool Borough Library twenty first anniversary celebrations.


The audience at both events were as delightful as ever. My thanks to both Newcastle and Hartlepool Library Services for organising the events and to all library staff for the fantastic and highly worthwhile service they provide to the community. Without the library service it would be a very barren landscape.

I shall once again be in the area in April 2013 taking part in CSI Gateshead at Gateshead Library, a mini version of CSI Portsmouth, and at Hartlepool Library.

Other news from 2012

The Public Lending Rights (PLR) league table for the most borrowed authors from British Libraries put my novels in the top 1.7%. This includes authors of all genres and children’s authors, reflecting the increasing popularity of the Portsmouth based detective, DI Andy Horton.

Footsteps on the Shore, the sixth in the DI Horton series was nominated by Severn House for the eDUNNIT AWARD at CrimeFest 2012. (Sadly it didn’t win!)

A Killing Coast  was featured as one of the great crime reads for Crime Writing Month in June organised by the Crime Writers Association (CWA) which celebrated the crime genre throughout June with a series of talks, book signings and workshops by crime writers around the country, as well as some of the hottest new publications of the year listed on its website.

Author on research

My research early in the year took me to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the the National Museum for the Royal Navy. Both are settings for Undercurrent, the ninth DI Andy Horton Mystery which will be published in 2013.



 


And my research  in November took me to Hilsea Lines in Portsmouth for the DI Andy Horton crime novel I am currently writing, number ten in the series.

More on both these locations on future blogs.    

And for 2013? 

Well I have lots of events lined up and a new DI Andy Horton – Undercurrent – being published. You can read more on my blog entry on 1 January 2013.


Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.