I was a late addition to the festival line-up and was delighted to be invited to moderate the panel of authors who write crime fiction for children and YA. It was a new departure for me as I normally talk about my own Hannah Weybridge crime thriller series but it was good to link the work I do on my parenting website to my passion for crime and books.
I arrived on Friday and booked for the “extra” event – the Polari Salon organised by the inimitable Paul Burston. Paul, Lesley Thomson, Derek Farrell and Lilja Sigurörardóttir read from their work. It was obvious from the start that we were in for a treat when Tom Fisher introduced the show and brought such a sense of fun and theatre to the occasion that I knew we would be in good hands for the following two days. It was brilliant way to launch the festival.
Having experienced a panel with an unprepared moderator, I was determined to give the authors on Let Them Lead The Way – Sharna Jackson, Nicki Thornton and Sarah Todd Taylor – all the attention to detail they deserved. Our slot was second up on the Saturday. As this year’s theme was Bring Me Sunshine each panel was asked to recall their “sunshine moments”. It was no surprise that Sharna, Nicki and Sarah all quoted children’s amazing reactions to their books. Many attendees said how much they enjoyed our discussion, never having considered children’s crime fiction before.
For a festival that has only reached its third year, Morecambe & Vice had all the panache of one that had been long established. This is attributable to the amazing skills and personalities of Ben Cooper-Muir and Tom Fisher with their team of charming and ever-cheerful volunteers. Even registering was a joy – I loved my author tag.
The range of panels – from mental health to writing as a couple and everything in between – meant that there was something for everyone and running one timeline meant not having to choose although this may change in the future if the festival gets bigger. One panel, which was pertinent to authors in particular, was the discussion about running a festival with great insights from Bob McDervitt (Bloody Scotland), Dr Jackie Collins (Newcastle Noir), Quentin Bates, (Iceland Noir) and SJ Bradley (Northern Short Story Festival) and moderated by Ben Cooper-Muir. All of them stressed the importance of paying authors to appear and not charging them for a weekend pass to obtain a place on a panel.
The atmosphere was relaxed and fun. It was great to meet so many bloggers and crime readers. Sarah Hardy who runs BooksOnTheBrightSide must be commended for the blog tour she organised for the authors in the run-up to the festival. Waterstones hosted a bookshop and there was time for authors to sign books between panels.
The festival brochure was Tom and Ben’s labour of love and they produced a work of art. Many of the participating authors found themselves in the centre spread as the subject of a crossword clue – winner to receive £100 voucher for Waterstones.
Setting the festival in the art deco Midland Hotel – think Poirot – added a sense of occasion to the proceedings although staying there was out of my price range. I left earlier than planned due to the terrible weather but wished I had stayed to the end. Morecambe & Vice is a festival to be cherished and supported. I’ll certainly be there next year, if invited.