Yesterday I gave a talk to a packed audience of the U3A group in Waterloovile, Hampshire about my crime novels and how I write my police procedural marine mystery crime novels featuring Inspector Andy Horton and my thrillers . They were a great crowd and I was delighted to answer their questions and sign so many books.

Next week I'm off to the West Midlands and will be speaking at Perry Common Library in Birmingham and…

A bright and early start on 22 September when I'll be talking to Steve Harris on the BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show. This is scheduled for 6.45a.m.(British time) give or take a few minutes. It's always great to chat with Julian Clegg or Steve Harris and give listeners a quick up date on what is happening in the life of this crime author and my marine mystery police procedural crime and thriller novels, which are set…

Isis Publishing, the World’s leading publisher of unabridged audio books, has bought the rights to the fourth in my marine mystery crime series featuring Inspector Andy Horton called Dead Man’s Wharf.

Dead Man’s Wharf will be released in CD, cassette and as a download early 2011. It follows the earlier release of…

I did this Q & A session recently for the Chichester Book Club web site and thought Id' post it here. It's based on the third novel in the Andy Horton marine mystery crime series, The Suffocating Sea, which is available in paperback and as an unabridged audio book and e book.

How would you describe your crime novel, The Suffocating…

You think about the plot and sub plots. You think about the characters and their motivations. You think about the weather and the time of year the novels take place. And you think about the locations. In fact you think about everything there is to think about when writing a novel, and rather than spending my time sitting in a room and staring out of a window thinking, I prefer to do most of mine while walking. Not only does this help to keep me fit but it's a well known fact…

First published in hardcover in the UK in February 2010 and the USA in May 2010, I am pleased that Blood on the Sand is to be published in paperback by Severn House in September.

In the USA, Booklist said of Blood on the Sand, 'This is another solid entry in a consistently well written series. Like Ed McBain, Rowson works many…

One thing about writing a series (Inspector Andy Horton crime novels) is that some of the character names are already set, i.e. Inspector Horton, Sergeant Cantelli, Superintendent Uckfield. Then there is DI Dennings, DCI Lorraine Bliss and others, so no need to think up new names for them. But every novel has a new crime and a new set of characters and coming up with names for them can often be quite tricky as can be…

I had to re-record my interview with Rob Richardson of Express FM last week because a technical hitch unfortunately meant the original interview could not be transmitted. I didn't mind though. It's always good fun talking to Rob Richardson who also runs a very lively writing group and web site called Write Invite, which has some very exciting and rather unusual short story writing…

I'm pleased to announce that translation rights have been sold to China for two of my crime novels, Tide of Death, the first in the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery series and In Cold Daylight, a crime thriller novel about the cover up of the mysterious deaths of firefighters killed in the line of duty.…

I’ve finished the sixth Inspector Horton marine mystery crime novel which has now been sent to my publisher. At this stage of writing I have been through it so many times I could practically recite it by heart, so a fresh pair of eyes is very welcome.

And as to the title? Well here it is and the blurb. Let me know if you have any views on either or both.

Footsteps on the Shore by…

A boiling hot day in England (the first of the year) and being closeted inside a stuffy Marriott Hotel in Bristol was not the best place to be. But Crimefest, an international convention of crime writers and crime fiction fans, beckoned on 21 May 2010 and I was delighted to be asked to appear on a panel with other crime writers to talk about my crime novels and answer questions from the delegates.



I met my fellow crime writers; J.D. Goodhind, Neil White, Linda Regan…

I'm looking forward to my appearance at CrimeFest on Friday 21 May where I am on a panel with fellow crime writers, J. G. Goodhind, Linda Regan, Neil White and Lindsey Davis. We'll be discussing No More Heroes: Today's Sleuths & Crime Solvers between 10.10 - 11.00, so do come and join us if you're there.

CrimeFest…

I’m back from a very subdued London Book Fair caused by the lack of overseas visitors because of the volcanic ash crisis and Europe wide flight ban and one that I doubt anyone who was exhibiting or intending to exhibit will forget. Empty stands and empty aisles were very much in evidence and the International Rights Centre was like a ghost town.…

As most of you know, I interview writers on my blog at www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com. I have being doing this since 2009 and have had some great interviews and showcased some awesome book covers. I decided it was time to have a contest to pick the best cover posted so far. Because there were so many excellent covers, I narrowed the field and posted my favorites on the site. Now, if you will, please help me pick a winner who will get a…

Getting the right name for characters in a novel can be a tricky business. Sometimes they come to me completely out of the blue as I am creating a character, other times I will struggle to find the name that best suits the character.



I have always had this thing that people should look like their names. When someone is introduced to me I will think yes, you are a Jacqueline or a Malcolm. Other times I will think, oh no, you're definitely a Karen or a Wayne. And so it…