I am thrilled to have been invited to take part in Book Week Scotland this year. I was approached by our local library service and asked if I would be willing to give a talk and I am delighted to be able to do so.
I think, before anybody sets about writing seriously, it is important to be an avid reader and I have always enjoyed reading. I read everything from classic novels like War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy to modern classics like Watership Down by Richard Adams and novels by foreign authors such as Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I also enjoy reading nonfiction books and modern commercial fiction. My 'go to' genre is crime fiction but there are so many books in every category that are interesting and worth reading, it is impossible to make time to read them all, but I am determined to give it a good try!
I write crime fiction, because that is what I most enjoy reading. The first novel I ever wrote, Hunter's Chase is a police procedural novel that has been well received and became a bestseller. It introduces all my main characters and particularly my main protagonist, DI Hunter Wilson.
Hunter's Chase - The Blurb
Hunter by name - Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.
Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city, and he needs to find the source, but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course.
Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder, but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman's life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: Detective Constable Tim Myerscough, the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable Sir Peter Myerscough.
Hunter's perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this first novel in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series.
However during lockdown, I took the opportunity to start writing a new series featuring as my main protagonist, DS Jane Renwick entitled The First Cut.
The First Cut - The Blurb
It's hard to escape a brutal past ...
A vicious serial killer is on the loose. Victims include an academic and notable members of Edinburgh’s high society.
When Detective Sergeant Jane Renwick learns through DNA that a member of her family could be the killer, she is banished to the sidelines of the case and forced to look on impotently as the hunt for the killer ramps up.
Frustrated, she decides to conduct her own investigations.
Has someone from her estranged birth family returned to haunt her? And where will the killer strike next?
It’s a race against time…
This fast-paced, gripping police procedural is set in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland. It is the first in the new series of Scottish thrillers by bestselling crime writer, Val Penny.
Can you believe it, The First Cut has become a bestseller too? My next novel which will be published 01.01.2022, is entitled Hunter Rules and revolves around DI Hunter Wilson. Let me tell you a bit about it.
Hunter's Rules - The Blurb
When best-laid plans go awry…
Hunter and Meera’s romantic plans come to an abrupt end when they stumble into the scene of a crime.
A young woman was attacked in a hotel lift. She has traumatic injuries, but she clings to life. Hunter notes that her wounds are like those inflicted on two other women, who died from their ordeal.
Can Meera keep the injured woman alive long enough for her to identify the assailant? Is the same person responsible for all three crimes?
When Hunter is identified as a suspect, can he establish his innocence and lead his team to solve the crime and keep Edinburgh safe?
Please join me by Zoom at 19.00 GMT n 17 November 2021. Let's talk books, writing and crime fiction. For this free event contact librarysupport@north-ayrshire@gov.uk
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