Doug Johnstone writes about the inspiration for The Ossians, and how it remains an accurate depiction of its time.
‘Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.’ This quote has been variously attributed to Frank Zappa, Elvis Costello and countless others, but whoever said it was talking about the pointlessness of music journalism in ...
Vampires, Venice and a Romantic Rogue: The Inspiration for Dangerous: A Lord Byron Mystery – Essie Fox
Well, the Romantic era poet was like a rock star in his time. Not only talented and handsome, but with the added allure of being an aristocrat. Such was his fame and charisma that grown ...
Thomas Enger describes the events that led up to his collaboration with Johana Gustawsson, and what has followed…
How has the process of writing a novel together been? First of all, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of work too, as it’s not very common for a French and ...
An entertaining Q&A with Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon
An entertaining Q&A with Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon Talking about her new City of Shadows thriller, Reaper If Max Grimes could sum up his life in one sentence, what would it be? ...
Don’t Look Back in Anger – Doug Johnstone
Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t have a nostalgic bone in my body. I much prefer looking forward to the next thing, as opposed to glancing over my shoulder at what I might ...
Writing and Reading: A personal message and book recommendations from Simone Buchholz
Dear Orenda community, dear readers! Sharks is out today, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it – STOP, that's a lie. You can't really say that writing novels ...
Why I wrote The Hope by Paul E. Hardisty
My new novel, The Hope is set in 2082 in Tasmania. The world as we know it now has been completely altered by climate change and war. Vast parts of the planet have become uninhabitable ...
Stranger Than Fiction? Jakob Weber’s Arctic Universe
By Ørjan Karlsson Every scene and setting in the Jakob Weber series is either based on an actual location or deeply inspired by one. As a special treat for my readers in the UK, I ...
Orenda Books signs Stephanie Bramwell Lawe’s intoxicating gothic debut mystery
Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English Language rights for Stephanie Bramwell-Lawe’s staggeringly accomplished, atmospheric debut historical mystery Thornby Hall, in a two-book deal negotiated with Anna ...
Five of the BEST Ticking-Clock Thrillers by Sarah Sultoon
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Not exactly a thriller but a tale so breathless I was practically hyperventilating as I read it. The story of a Mexican mother and son forced to flee to the ...
Orenda Books signs Essie Fox’s dark, seductive gothic masterpiece, Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights
Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English Language rights for Essie Fox’s breathtaking Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights, in a deal negotiated with David Headley at ...
Countdown: Seven Young Protagonists in Crime Fiction Who’ve Seen Too Much by R.W.R McDonald
We’re not in YA anymore, Toto. Sometimes the sharpest detectives, witnesses, and survivors are still growing up. From quiet unease to unthinkable horror, these stories show innocence in crime fiction is rarely simple, and never ...
Standalones or Series: That Is the Question
by Antti Tuomainen When I started writing The Winter Job – out today in the UK – I knew it was going to be a standalone. But how did I know that? I think there ...
Goodbye Áróra
by Lilja Sigurðardóttir A five-book series done. Five storms lived through Áróra’s eyes. And now, her story ends. She was never meant to stay forever. Áróra arrived like a knock on the door in the ...
Creating a Hero – DI Ben Kitto
I was ready for a change when I began my Isles of Scilly mysteries. I’d spent eight years writing a series set in the crowded South London streets where I grew up. It had been ...
Orenda Books signs RWR McDonald’s gripping, glorious debut mystery, The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace
Karen Sullivan, publisher of Orenda Books, is delighted to announce the acquisition of World English Language rights ex ANZ for RWR (Rob) McDonald’s debut mystery, The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace, in ...
My Five All-Time Favourite Books by Olivier Norek
I’m not drawn to any genre in particular, but rather to certain writers and their style. That’s why my bookshelves are so eclectic that it looks like someone put the books there at random, with ...
Wolves and Werewolves in Fiction – My Top Favourite Reads by Michael J. Malone
The Howling is the third book in the Annie Jackson Mystery series … and sees Annie once again thrust into danger. This time she’s been tempted out of seclusion by an old foe – with ...
What is the Enceladons Trilogy Really About? by Doug Johnstone
When I started writing my Skelfs series, one of the things I was trying to do, probably subconsciously, was write about a better way to live. The world is such a shitshow these days, in ...
Amazon Kindle Monthly Deals – August 2025
UK Kindle Monthly Deals Australia & New Zealand Kindle Monthly Deals ...
