‘Anger, love, sadness, disgust and bewilderment.’

Here is a nice interview I did over at Bulgarian website Land of Books, where I talk about publicity, sales, habits, and a bunch of other stuff. Very direct questions. ‘Who are you?’ for example. Existential crisis, ahoy!

Enjoy! Dx

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Women Crime Writers of the 1940s & 1950s

illustration by Dom McKenzie

illustration by Dom McKenzie

Here’s a thing I wrote for The Big Issue magazine about a brilliant project organised by Sarah Weinman called Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s. Please check it out. There’s also an accompanying website for the project here. Well worth a look. I was really blown away by this whole thing. Enjoy!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Dan Davies wins the Gordon Burn Prize

12141536_1228793290470588_5579719121775448751_n
I was absolutely delighted to be down in Durham at the weekend as one of the judges for the Gordon Burn Prize. It’s awarded every year for an outstanding book, fiction or non-fiction, that reflected the innovation and dedication of Gordon’s work when he was alive. Anyhoo, at a lovely award ceremony, myself and the other judges announced that Dan Davies had won it for his book about Jimmy Savile, In Plain Sight (Quercus). It’s a mind-boggling read, a truly important book, and I think everyone should read it for what it says about our society. Here’s how the BBC covered the award.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chatting with Helen FitzGerald for The Life Sentence

Aye so, here are me and Helen FitzGerald knocking the chat back and forth for The Life Sentence. This was a lot of fun to do.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Porty Book Festival tonight!

cropped-p5290077

I’m doing a turn tonight at my local Portobello Book Festival. 8pm in the library, loads of great writers and musicians, and a terrific programme over the whole weekend. Come along!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

My Independent on Sunday review of The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

the-heart-goes-last

Here’s my review of Margaret Atwood’s latest, The Heart Goes Last, in the Independent on Sunday. To summarise, I didnae like it very much.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

10 books that I’ve reviewed recently in The Big Issue

As always I’ve been slack at putting my Big Issue reviews up here. But anyway, here they are:

Merciless Gods by Christos Tsiolkas
The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida
Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay
The Defenceless by Kati Hiekkapelto
Rose Gold by Walter Mosley
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Everything is Teeth by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner
The Bind by William Goldsmith
Sixty Degrees North by Malachy Tallack
The Ecliptic by Benjamin Wood

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

THE JUMP Press Round Up, Part Three

the jump front cover

The dust has settled a little a month after publication, so here is a big old round up of all the press coverage since my last round up:

“A sensitive portrait of a grieving parent,” says The Daily Mail. Bless ’em.

A slightly unhinged rave review from I Read Novels. “First class brilliant psychological thriller,” apparently. Cheers!

Here’s a personal thing I wrote about suicide for The Big Issue magazine.

Here’s a thing I wrote for Shari Low’s Daily Record book page about writing The Jump.

Rebecca Armstrong over at the Independent on Sunday loved the book: “I would have been happy to read chapters and chapters more of this book, not least because I longed to spend more time with the complicated, thoughtful Ellie, but then again, perhaps The Jump’s brevity is what makes it so satisfying.” Thank you so much, Rebecca!

“Really this is so far from being an ordinary crime novel as almost not to deserve the name.” So says Harriet Devine over on her blog. Wow.

Over at Scots Whay Hae, Alistair Braidwood gives the book a typically detailed and informed review. “The Jump again proves that the dramas that matter most are more often found in family life and few writers understand that better.”

And following on from that review, here’s a podcast interview I did with Scots Whay Hae.

The Jump got a cheeky wee mention in Raven Crime Reads‘ books of the month round up: “Doug Johnstone’s The Jump, could certainly feature in my end of year round-up, due to the emotional intensity and sensitivity with which he draws his main character, and the mesmeric quality of the prose. Powerful writing, which would put many contemporary fiction writers in the shade.”

Another rave review over at Thriller Books Journal, courtesy of Nicola Mira: “Well done Doug Johnstone for, once more, successfully treading new ground in urban crime fiction, giving us a heroine both gritty and moving, and a clever psychological plot with a host of shocking surprises.”

Here’s a tidy wee Q&A over at Crime Thriller Girl about inspiration, advice for writers, plenty of other gubbins.

Meanwhile, over at There’s Been a Murder, Lynsey Adams says I’m “the master of writing gripping thrillers.” I’ll inform John Grisham he’s been usurpted asap!

Raven Crime Reads loving The Jump: “The Jump is one of the most emotive and intense books it’s been my pleasure to read. Prepare to be moved.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thanks, Bloody Scotland!

curly coo

Full of feelgood vibes after an amazing Bloody Scotland weekend. Here’s a rammed pub full of crime fiction fans and authors. Crime in the Coo was an insane, amazing night and today’s events and football were equally awesome. Thanks for having me!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bloody Scotland this weekend!

Bloody-Scotland-Logo-B

Well, this weekend is all about Bloody Scotland in Stirling. Check out the programme – loads of great writers appearing over the weekend. I’m doing a turn at the Crime at the Coo event Saturday night, then the Edinburgh Noir event with Neil Broadfoot and James Oswald on Sunday morning, then playing in the Scotland v England football match Sunday lunchtime. Come along!

Also, I think I’m gonna be on Talksport at 1.45pm today swapping trash talk with Luca Veste about the Scotland v England football match. If I can understand his accent, that is.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment