MEET MARTYN AND MARI AT THE WORD

TWO top North East crime novelists will give guests an insight into their work at a special event next month (July).

On 6 July, award-winning fiction writers Martyn Waites and Mari Hannah will talk about their past and current works and the process of crime writing at The Word, National Centre for the Written Word, South Shields.

Martyn Waites was born in Newcastle and, following stints as a market trader, bar manager, stand-up comic and drama teacher to teenage ex-offenders, became a professional actor, before turning his hand to crime writing.

He won the 2014 Grand Prix du Roman Noir Award for his novel Born Under Punches and, following critical success with his Martyn Waites titles, he then enjoyed commercial success with books written under the pseudonym, Tania Carver.

To date, his Tania Carver novels have sold more than 190,000 copies with the first in the series, The Surrogate, nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year Award.

His new book The Old Religion – a tale of an undercover ex-policeman on the Witness Protection Programme – was published this month (June)

Northumberland scriptwriter and author Mari’s awards include the Polari Prize, a Northern Writers’ Award and the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017.

Her acclaimed Kate Daniels series is in development with Stephen Fry’s production company, Sprout Pictures and she is reader-in-residence for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate.

Her new book The Lost – the first joint case for fictional Northumbria CID officers DI David Stone and DS Frankie Oliver – is published by Orion and on sale now.

The evening with Martyn and Mari will take place from 7pm to 8.30pm – doors open at 6.30pm –  and tickets, which cost £2, can be bought at The Shop@The Word or via www.theworduk.org.