North by North East - the home of crime fiction

I was born in Birmingham, possibly as far as you can get from the coast on our island*, which may be why I’ve always longed to live by the sea.

In the summer of 2022 I made that happen, and moved to the north east coast of England. It was a good choice, as it is the best place on earth.

Me relaxing in the North Sea off the North Tyneside coast

It was also a fortuitous choice as I love reading crime fiction, am about to have my debut murder mystery novel published, and it turns out that the north east has an absolutely thriving community of crime fiction writers and readers. I’m so grateful for the welcome and support that my adopted home has given me in the short time I’ve been here. I very quickly, really did feel right at home.

This is at the forefront of my mind as we’ve recently had the brilliant Bay Tales festival, down the road from me in Whitley Bay. It is now in its fifth year, led by festival director Vic Watson, and in 2026 attracted a stellar roll call of names on panels from the brilliant Belinda Bauer, to crime writing royalty Elly Griffiths and crime writing’s new (north east) kid on the block Steph McGovern.

It also has fantastic fringe events around the main day of panels, this year there was a chance to

Claire Wilson at Noir at the Bar

pitch to agents, a crime quiz which I had a brilliant time co-hosting, and the Friday night Noir at the Bar. I read at Noir at the Bar, a line up of nine writers, ranging from unpublished newcomers (like me) to experienced writers with several books under their belt. The audience pulls names from a hat for the order of reading - it’s democratic, delightful, and downright fun. I’ve been to a few and I reckon that Friday’s was my absolute favourite - it was a joy to read alongside friends such as Claire Wilson (who had travelled down from Falkirk to give an exclusive jaw dropping preview of book two** to follow up her brilliant prison-set debut Five By Five) and Ellie Pullen, a new writer like me. Ellie and I met at the end of 2023 doing a crime fiction course in Newcastle, run by Faber in its first venture outside of London, and led by crime writer Trevor Wood who has lived here for more than 20 years.*** And Trevor was - of course - in the audience at Noir at the Bar to support his fellow writers.

Me with Rebecca at her launch

And just one week after Bay Tales, I was celebrating another north east crime writer. On a panel of debuts at Bay Tales was Rebecca Philipson*** talking about her feted first novel How to Get Away With Murder. Rebecca is a local writer, and we have both been members of New Writing North’s North East Novelists group. We met for the first time though, at the Durham Waterstones book club, run by book seller, book lover and all round marvellous woman Fiona Sharp. (I met Rebecca there the day Daniel Aubrey was in to speak about his Orkney set crime novels). So it was a real joy to now get to attend Rebecca’s launch of her own debut in Durham. The signing queue for How To Get Away With Murder snaked around the top floor of that same Waterstones and Rebecca’s party was packed to the rafters with smiles and support from her friends, family and fellow writers. This book is going to soar, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer woman.

Come to the North East for the sea and the people, stay for the crime fiction and because it feels like home. Five stars. Highly recommend. ️️️️️

*Not really, fact fans, the marvellous nit picking Grauniad notes and queries had a look at this

**The Fanta story. IYKYK

***Trevor’s strap line on his latest book, The Inside Man, is one of my favourite ever: ‘Even in Newcastle, nothing is as black and white as it seems….’

****Alongside Tanya Sweeney (debut: Esther is Now Following Me) and Frances Crawford (debut: A Bad, Bad Place) who were both incredibly fun, smart panellists and whose books I devoured and strongly suggest you read.