Newcastle Noir – all about the setting of Northumberland

5th May 2018

Panel 1 – Newcastle Noir at the Lit and Phil in Newcastle upon Tyne, 5 May 2018

….featuring three authors whose work is firmly set in and around Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne: Mari Hannah, Matt Wesolowski and L J Ross. Chaired by Dr Jacky Collins, Programme Director at Newcastle Noir, hosted by the Lit and Phil.

Exploring a location through the eyes of an author is an enriching and satisfying experience for any reader and it was the county of Northumberland that these three authors have in common. Each author is, however, drawn to different parts, urban, forested areas and one author is thinking about setting the next book around Chillingham Castle (Britain’s most haunted historic castle).

Dr Jacky Collins, Mari Hannah, Matt Wesolowski, L J Ross

Northumberland is a particularly rich canvas on which to paint a story and each of the three authors – all in the crime genre naturally – tackle setting in a multitude of ways. Mari Hannah will drive to get the details right and she is also researching Amble for more scenes in upcoming books. Matt Wesolowski is at home in dark, forested locales and is proud to announce a film option. L J Ross is inspired by some of the wide open vistas that are so characteristic of the area.

Dr Jacky Collins posed the question: Which authors might each on the panel turn to when looking for stories that are strong on setting? Mari Hannah likes the work of Michael Connelly  which is fabulous for its American locale, and LJ Ross recalls the vibrancy of location in the epic read The Far Pavilions which she has reread several times and which just transports her anew to the British Raj period of India.

Mari, Matt and Louise are all great promoters of the region through their writing and Visit Northumberland is sure to acknowledge the tourism and interest in the county that their books spawn.

It is delightful to hear a little more personal background, which invariably is a fascinating feature when authors are on panels or at book launches. There are innumerable book festivals around the country and if you are a keen reader, don’t miss out – on this link you can find a few Literary Festivals around Britain to whet your appetite.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

Follow Mari on Twitter and via her website and buy her book here

Follow Matt on Twitter and Facebook and of course buy his books here

Follow Louise on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and via her website

Catch up with Team TripFiction on Social Media: Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)

And for plenty more books set around the North East of England – including Northumberland of course – (drill down by county and location) just access the TripFiction Dababase

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