Bloody Scotland books comic Susan
The judges for the 2017 McIlvanney Prize, which will be presented at Bloody Scotland, have been revealed.
The prize is awarded at the annual crime writing festival, which takes place in Stirling between September 8 and 10.
Scottish comedian Susan Calman revealed herself to be a‘huge fan of crime fiction’during a Guardian web chat in November last year and the organisers swiftly invited her to be a judge of the 2017 McIlvanney Prize.
She said:“I am absolutely delighted to be on the judging panel for the McIlvanney Prize this year. I’m an avid fan of Scottish crime fiction and this is less a chore and more a dream come true. I can’t wait to get stuck in, reading the wonderful books produced this year.”
Susan joins Lee Randall, a previous judge who has been promoted to chair, and London-based Kiwi Craig Sisterson, founder of New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Awards.
The award is open to all crime fiction books by Scottish writers that have been written over the past year.
Entries (PDFs of the book sent by email to bob@ bloodyscotland.com with McIlvanney Prize Entry 2017 in the header) should be submitted by 5pm on Friday (April 28).
The longlist is expected to comprise 10 books which will be announced after the organisers meeting in July 2017 at which point finished copies will be sent to each of the three judges. Longlisted titles are promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation on September 8.