Author relished chance to speak at festival
And library gig was great too
Cambuslang author Gavin Bell was delighted to give a talk at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last month - and in his local library!
Gavin (35) - a former resident of Huntly and Stewarton Drives - writes as Mason Cross, and had his first novel The Killing Season published earlier this year, to rave reviews from critics and fans of the crime genre alike.
After speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival on August 21, he was just as excited to speak at Cambuslang library in front of local readers.
The Killing Season is a terrifying thriller set in the US, in which Carter Blake, the hero of the series, tracks down a psychotic hit-man.
Gavin spoke in Edinburgh alongside the latest talented Scandinavian to make an international mark, Thomas Enger, who was discussing his book about murder and political scandal in Oslo in his third Henning Juul novel, Scarred.
The Cambuslang man, who previously spoke at the Bristol Crime Festival in May, said: “It was great. The Edinburgh event went really well, and there was a pretty good turnout.
“It was quite intimidating at first, but the event was so well organised and everything went smoothly, with good questions from the audience, who were really interested in chatting after the signing.
“I had a good experience, meeting Thomas Enger, and I think there were a few Scandinavian Noir fans in the house! The moderator who took the questions did a great job, making sure there were questions that were relevant for both of us.
“And in Cambuslang, it was just brilliant - we had a really good turnout, and although I had quite a few friends along, there were people who had read about it in the Reformer who came too, and there were some great questions from them, and good interaction.
“Afterwards, people were saying I should write a story set in Cambuslang - there’s been a lot of stories set in Glasgow and the surrounding areas, but I don’t think it’s been done here before - although Denise Mina may have gone as far as Eastfield in one of her books! “
Gavin’s next talk will take place as part of the Bloody Scotland festival in Stirling. He will speak along with Eva Dolan and Hania Allen on Saturday, September 20, from 1.30- 2.30pm in the McLaren Suite of the Stirling Highland Hotel. Tickets are £7.50/£6.50 concessions. Visit www.bloodyscotland.com for more details.
Gavin is now turning his attention to fine-tuning the last details of his second novel, which will be released next spring.
He said: “We’re now going through the process of sorting out the copy edit of book two, making sure there’s no spelling mistakes or quirky sentences!
“I’m hoping to see the cover for book two before too long, which is pretty exciting.
“And now, I’m having a think about book three!”
It was quite intimidating at first, but the event was so well organised everything went smoothly