The shortlist for crime writing competition, The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, has been announced.
In what has been called a ‘David and Goliath moment,’ Amazon is battling Into Books, an independent publisher so small they haven’t yet published enough books to qualify for membership of Publishing Scotland.
Featuring two female and three male writers, the winner will be announced on September 15.
The full shortlist is:
Tariq Ashkanani, Welcome to Cooper (Thomas & Mercer, Amazon). A dark thriller set in small town America by an Edinburgh based solicitor and podcaster.
Frankie Boyle, Meantime (John Murray). A picaresque detective story set against the backdrop of post referendum Scotland by one of Britain’s best-known comedians and writers.
Amanda Mitchison, The Wolf Hunters (Fledgling Press). Set in a brutal, chaotic Scotland of the near future. The author is an award-winning journalist and author of several children’s books.
George Paterson, The Girl, The Crow, The Writer and The Fighter (Into Books). An epistolary tale of murder and chicanery which spans continents and lifetime by a writer, DJ and musician.
Sarah Smith, Hear No Evil (Two Roads). Based on a true case from Scottish legal history about a young Deaf woman accused of murder. Smith is a family history researcher and a creative writing tutor.
Arusa Qureshi, a former editor of The List, replaces Janice Forsyth as a judge for the Bloody Scotland Debut this year and she joins Kenny Tweeddale from sponsors, The Glencairn Glass, and Simon Lloyd from Waterstones.
Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival, providing a showcase for the best crime writing from Scotland and the world, unique in that it was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012.
For the first time the presentation will take place after the torchlight procession through Stirling so all shortlisted authors can take their place at the front.
The procession will conclude with a formal event at The Albert Halls where the two winners will be revealed and Janice Forsyth will interview them live on stage.
To make the festival more affordable and to mark the 10th anniversary of the event, a limited number of tickets will be available at £5 each for 10 of the events.
A 10% discount is available for all events in Stirling to people residing in the Stirling Council area.
In addition free standby tickets will be offered to the unemployed or those on low income on the day of the event if there is good availability.
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