St Hilda’s Oxford Crime & Humour Writers Conference Aug 2012 (part 1)

I spent yesterday and today at the St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford 19th (so I’ve missed 18 of them!) Crime Writers’ Conference, this year on the topic of humour in crime writing… crime and humour being my two favourite genres to write and read.

When my editor, Rachel, emailed me the details a few weeks ago I opened the attachment and smiled because not only was it a perfect topic but the final day fell on my 40-something <coughs> birthday I couldn’t resist (I wouldn’t have done anyway).

I had all good intentions of bringing you tonight the notes I created throughout the two days but they have more holes than Emmental so I shall work on them over the next few days and post them when there’s a gap (possibly as a 5a.m. flash after the series of Submission info.s have finished, so next Saturday morning)… which also gives me time to catch up with my 151 emails jumping up and down in my Inbox saying “pick me”.

So, as a taster, here’s the agenda for the weekend…

“Stop, you’re killing me” – humour in Crime Fiction!!

Marcia Talley: Comic Relief Or, What’s So Funny About Murder

Alan Bradley: The Undertaker’s Jest Book Or, I Want Some Red Roses for a Blue Lady

Barry Forshaw: Dark Laughter Hitchcock and his Writers

L.C. Tyler: Mayhem Magna the World of Colin Watson

Natasha Cooper: When You Stop Laughing, It’s Not a Bad Novel

Chris Ewan: Assembling the Team, Some Thoughts on Comic Caper Novels and the Gentleman Thief

Ruth Dudley Edwards: Sacred Cows are for Slaughtering

Val McDermid: What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?

Simon Brett: (After-Dinner Speaker)

Meeting with Sisters in Crime

Peter Lovesey: ‘Amazed Enquiry Sat on her Face’ and Other Embarrassments in Crime Fiction

Gillian Linscott: My Funny Friend the Comic Role of the Side-Kick

Ann Cleeves: Lost in Translation: Does Humour Travel.

As you can see, a great line-up! 🙂

***

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them) 🙂 on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are fortnightly episodes, usually released on Sundays, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.