Good media coverage for the Young Crime Writers Competition which I'm judging for the South Coast of England

[Pauline Rowson]

I've had some great media coverage for the launch of the CWA Young Crime Writers Competition of which I am the judge for the South Coast of England. I've been interviewed live on Portsmouth Live TV, on Spirit Radio and tomorrow I will be on talking to Julian Clegg on BBC Radio Solent at approximately 7.20 am and then chatting to Darren Gamblen on Express FM 93.7 FM on the same morning at 9.30 am.

There's also been coverage in the newspapers, the book trade and on blogs, so it's going well. The official launch was today and young people under the age of 18 have until 18 February to get their entries in. The winner from the south will go forward for a national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, which starts on June 13.  Stories up to 1,000 words must be submitted through libraries in the UK.  The participating libraries in my area are Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and West Sussex.

Each shortlisted entrant will receive a certificate at an awards ceremony in April while the area winner will be awarded a certificate and a £10 book token and will go forward for the national prize, which includes a selection of signed books from the UK’s top crime authors and tickets to CRIMEFEST 2012 who are sponsoring the competition.

This is a great opportunity for young people to create their own murder mystery or thriller.  Last year the stories were outstanding and it was a tough competition to judge.  I’m looking forward to reading this year’s entries.

 

There are details on my web site and a checklist on How to write a crime story.

Tune into BBC Radio Solent 96.1FM or 103.8FM and Express FM tomorrow if you want to listen to the interviews.