With the New Year almost upon us it's that time of year to take a look back over the events of 2011, and for me it's been a busy and productive year. 



Here are some of the highlights of 2011.



January saw the launch of the second Crime Writers’ Association Young Crime Writers Competition 2011. I was the judge of the South Coast entries with the winner going forward for the National prize which was announced during National Crime Writing Week 13 - 19 June. …

The Julian Clegg Christmas Party on BBC Radio Solent Friday 23 December was a big hit. Here are some photographs from the event.

Having a laugh and getting ready to go on air with Julian Clegg and his wonderful production team…

Had a great time presenting certificates and prizes to the adult winners of the Wight Fair Writers Circle Winter Short Story Competition at an Awards Ceremony held at Newport Minster on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday 20 December.

The event was organised by the Wight Fair Writers Circle and by fellow crime authors Bob and Carol Bridgestock.

Pauline Rowson presenting…

I will be presenting prizes and certificates to the winners and runners up of the Wight Fair Writers Circle for their Winter Short Story Writing Competition at an awards ceremony on the Isle of Wight on 20 December.

This is the second year I have been asked to present the prizes and I'm looking forward to it.The ceremony is being held at Newport Minister. There are some great prizes on offer as well as the winners being published in the County Press and interviewed on…

It's always nice to get good reviews particularly if they come from readers, and to know that they are enjoying your novels, so I was pleased to receive two new book reviews from Australia, for Dead Man's Wharf the fourth in the DI Andy Horton series of crime novels.



"Pauline Rowson has the ability to make you want to keep reading, to find out the answers to the growing pile of questions. Those…

How do you come up with titles for your crime novels? 





With great difficulty or considerable ease is the answer. Some titles can come instantly, almost the moment the novel hits the page (or rather the computer screen) Dead Man's Wharf was one such case. Others are like pregnancy, taking months to develop and even when the novel is…

Last week I finished checking the proofs for A Killing Coast, the seventh in the DI Andy Horton crime series due for publication in hardcover in the UK on 26 January 2012 and in the USA in May 2012.



I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product and receiving my author copies. It's always a thrill to see the…

I'm delighted that Blood on the Sand, the fifth in the DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery police procedural crime novels set on the South Coast of England is to be published in Large Print by Severn House on 31 December. It is currently available in hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, as an e book and an…

I'm looking forward to giving a talk this week on 16 November at the U3A group at Sarum, near Salisbury on how I write my crime novels and thrillers and about my DI Andy Horton marine mystery series of crime novels.…

I'm often asked if I get writer's block and while I haven't suffered this there are days when the words flow and the inspiration seems to come from an unknown source within me, and there are also days when it's a struggle to find the right words and know how to advance the plot.  Every writer deals with this differently. Me?  Well there are three ways I tackle this, depending on my mood (and the weather): 



1. I keep writing, bashing anything out on the keyboard even though I know…