Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Author’s prize bid ‘big deal’
He’s giving free talk
A leading crime author from Coatbridge will meet with literary fans to deliver a talk on his work just days before he discovers whether he has scooped a top industry prize.
Owen Mullen will be on hand at the Waterstones store in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street on Thursday, September 7, from 6.45pm to 8pm.
The writer’s free talk – which is being supported by St Andrew’s Hospice – will focus on the inspirations behind his debut novel, Games People Play, which has been nominated for the Scottish crime book of the year.
The winner of the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Award will be revealed a few days after Owen’s Waterstones talk and the author is excited to join just 12 other writers – including established names Val McDermid and Ian Rankin – on the longlist.
Owen said: “It’s a big deal to be nominated alongside such big hitters as all these household names. It’s definitely one of life’s big moments.
“The support people have given is amazing, so many of them from within the writing community, and I’m still getting congratulations from around the globe on social media.
“People are so kind and saying lovely things and the response has been tremendous.
“It’s really exciting and it’s good in terms of what it might do going forward.”
The final four and then the overall winner of the Scottish crime book of the year prize will be announced at a ceremony in Stirling Castle during the Bloody Scotland festival next month.
● To reserve a seat at Owen’s talk in Glasgow, call 0141 332 9105.