THE NEW ZEALAND EXCHANGE

Building on the success of last year’s Kolkata connection, Bloody Scotland this year reaches a hand south to greet crime writers from New Zealand. The idea had been bubbling under the surface for a while, as New Zealander Craig Sisterson, journalist and founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards, explains.

“I went to Bloody Scotland my very first weekend after moving to the UK in 2014, and just thought it was such a wonderful festival, full of energy and camaraderie. My last weekend in New Zealand before moving had been spent at WORD Christchurch, where Liam Mcilvanney had won the Ngaio Marsh Award. I met his father, William, in Stirling, had a whisky and a lovely chat with him, so right from my first moments in the UK, New Zealand and Scottish crime writing was linked. Since then through various chats the idea formed of having an ‘exchange’.

“Bob Mcdevitt and Rachael King have made this happen in a formal way, so this year we had 2017 Mcilvanney Prize winner Denise Mina for the 2018 WORD Christchurch festival. At Bloody Scotland we have recent Ngaio Marsh Award winners Paul Cleave (2015 and 2016 winner) and Fiona Sussman (2017 winner) coming over, as well as British-kiwis Stella Duffy and Liam Mcilvanney there too. It’s the first year we’ve had this formal exchange, but hopefully it’s just the start of something.”

Inspired by Bloody Scotland (and with advice from its team) New Zealand will be hosting its first book festival dedicated to crime writing, Rotorua Noir, next January, with Alex Gray as the inaugural Guest of Honour.