Top Tips From Queen of Crime

Celebrated and prolific crime fiction author, dubbed the “queen of crime” Val McDermid offered rookie writer Martin Venning some advice when they met on her national tour to promote her latest thriller,1979.

McDermid advised the importance of developing a distinct writing style and belief in the quality of your work. 

“If there is one word that epitomises my career it is perseverance. I lost count of the number of rejection letters I received before I got published”, she said.

Martin took the opportunity to present her with a copy of his inaugural thriller The Primary Objective and added, “for anyone serious about crime writing, Val is an icon and inspiration. I hope one day I can emulate a fraction of her achievements”. 

A veteran of 35 books, translated into 40 languages, sales approaching 18 million, numerous film and TV screenplays including classics such as Wire in the Blood (starring Robson Green as Dr Tony Hill), McDermid shows no sign of slowing down with a pipeline of exciting new projects on the way.