What's good about crime? CrimeFest 2014

[Pauline Rowson]

My panel appearance at CrimeFest 2014 was on Friday 15 May at 17.10 and the last panel of the day. Beforehand I spent some time catching up with some of my fellow crime writers and my publisher before taking tea and a delicious slice of Bara Brith Cake (Welsh fruit loaf) in the cafe in Bristol Library where I chatted to the librarians, delighted to hear that my crime novels are very popular with their readers.

After fortifying myself it was time to head for the Green Room in the hotel in preparation for the panel.

Pauline Rowson briefing the panel Crimefest 2014: Felix Francis, Elizabeth Haynes, Pauline Rowson, Lesley Thomson, Chris Longmuir

Here I met up with my fellow panelists: Felix Francis, Elizabeth Haynes, Lesley Thomson and Chris Longmuir. I briefed the panel about the format and before we knew it we were on stage.

Crimefest 2014 panel Pauline Rowson, Lesley Thomson, Chris Longmuir, Felix Francis

I was acting as participating moderator, so I got to ask the questions. The title of the panel was, 'So what's good about crime?' We discussed how and why we got into crime writing, the importance of authenticity in our novels, the entertainment value of reading a good mystery and how our own experiences have influenced our writing. They were a fantastic audience.

CrimeFest continued on the Saturday with more panels,and a gala dinner but I was only able to attend on the Friday. It was an enjoyable event and great to meet many crime fiction fans who had travelled not only from other parts of Britain to be there but from as far afield as Canada, America and Australia.

CrimeFest 2015 takes place from 14-17 May 2015.

If you like crime fiction and crime fact then you'll love CSI Portsmouth, an annual one day event I help to organise where best selling crime authors meet police, forensic and crime experts in two panel debates during the day.

CSI Portsmouth 2014 - 8 November 2014 - National Museum of the Royal Navy - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Tickets on sale 29 September 2014.