Speakers

Douglas Skelton has published 12 non fiction books, 12 contemporary crime thrillers and 2 historical thrillers. He has been a bank clerk, tax officer, shelf stacker, meat porter, taxi driver (for two days), wine waiter (for two hours), reporter, investigator and editor.

His first thriller BLOOD CITY was published in 2013.

The gritty thriller was the first in a quartet set on the tough streets of Glasgow from 1980 onwards. It was followed by CROW BAIT, DEVIL'S KNOCK and finally OPEN WOUNDS, which was longlisted for the first McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year in 2016.

His two Dominic Queste thrillers, THE DEAD DON'T BOOGIE and TAG - YOU'RE DEAD lightened the tone but didn't skimp on thrills.

He followed this with his New York-set chase thriller THE JANUS RUN in 2018.

THUNDER BAY, a dark and atmospheric tale of secrets, lies and murder, was published to great acclaim by Polygon in 2019. It was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for 2019. The series continued with THE BLOOD IS STILL, A RATTLE OF BONES (longlisted for the McIlvanney in 2022) and WHERE DEMONS HIDE. All four titles have been released on audio by Isis Publishing. Entries in the series are available in the US in print and audio through Arcade CrimeWise, while translation rights have been sold to as Germany, Denmark, Greece and Sweden.

The 5th in the series, CHILDREN OF THE MIST, has now been published.

He also has a new series of historical adventure thrillers featuring gambler, thief and secret agent Jonas Flynt, beginning with AN HONOURABLE THIEF (2022, CANELO, longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2023) and A THIEF'S JUSTICE (Canelo 2023).

Douglas is often recruited by documentary makers to contribute to true crime shows on TV and radio and is a regular on the crime writing festival circuit.

USA TODAY bestselling author, and screenwriter, Samantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small, medium and large publishers, predominately writing horror and fantasy.

Samantha’s breakaway debut psychological thriller, 'The Stranger In Our Bed', was released on 14th February 2020 (digital) and 16th April 2020 (Paperback) with Harper Collins imprint, One More Chapter. The book rapidly became a USA TODAY bestseller.

In June 2020, Samantha signed a three-book deal with One More Chapter for her explosive spy thriller series, 'The House of Killers'. The first three books will be published in March, May and July of 2021. Pitched as 'Killing Eve' meets Jason Bourne this is a nerve shredding tale that is simmering with obsession and espionage.

To date, Samantha has written 20 novels, 3 novellas, 3 collections, over 40 short stories, an audio drama and a 'Doctor Who' spin-off drama that went to DVD.

In August 2020, Samantha signed a deal with production company Buffalo Dragon for the option and screenplay for 'The Stranger in Our Bed'. The film went into production in November 2020 and is due for release in autumn 2022.

A former high school English and Drama teacher, Samantha has a BA (Hons) in English and Writing for Performance, an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCE in English.

Samantha lives in Lincolnshire with her husband David and their two cats Leeloo and Skye. She is the proud mother of a lovely daughter called Linzi.

Professor Grieve grew up in Motherwell, graduating in Medicine from Aberdeen University in 1977.   After Pathology training in Aberdeen, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps, including 2 years in Washington DC, then 4 years in London, before returning as Senior Lecturer in Forensic Medicine, Aberdeen University in 1989, and although retiring from this post in 2014, he is once again assisting in the provision of the Forensic Pathology Service to the North of Scotland.  Instructed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, he performs post-mortem investigations into sudden unexpected natural events, suicides, accidents, and deaths resulting from possible medical mishap.   He has regularly given evidence in the criminal courts and at FAIs, and now occasionally lectures to Medical and Law students, postgraduate groups and the Police.  

Becoming a Member of the Royal College of Pathologists, by examination in London in 1984, he was elevated to Fellowship in 1996.  A founder member of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of London, he became a Fellow in 2009.   As well as lecturing at the Scottish Police College he participated in various local and national bodies, including contributions to the Civil Contingency Planning Organisation and Drug Death Review and Policy, and was the Scottish Representative on the Home Office Forensic Science Regulator’s Forensic Pathology Specialist Group, and the Royal College of Pathologists’ Forensic Pathology Revalidation Project, as well as an examiner for the Royal College.

He is past President of the British Association in Forensic Medicine (BAFM) and Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society and was Convenor of the Military Education Committee, Aberdeen University, and currently Chairman of Tenovus Grampian.  Married to Nicola, they have four children, and seven grandchildren.

Originally from a working class background in York, David Headley studied theology in London and Durham before co-founding and becoming the Managing Director of Goldsboro Books, a much admired, leading independent bookseller, based in central London.
 

David has spent the last 23 years establishing Goldsboro Books and becoming a well-regarded agent, forging strong relationships with publishing houses throughout the UK. He created the UK’s largest collectors’ book club and is influential in selling large quantities of hardback fiction in the UK. David has won awards for bookselling, and in the last ten years, has been included in the Top 100 most influential people in publishing by The Bookseller, a number of times.
 

David is the Managing Director of the D H H Literary Agency which he founded in 2008 and represents an eclectic range of best-selling and award-winning authors.

Michael J. Malone was born and brought up in the heart of Burns' country, just a stone's throw from the great man's cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult, maybe.

He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. 

BLOOD TEARS, his debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers and when it was published he added a "J" to his name to differentiate it from the work of his talented U.S. namesake.

Graham Smith is a former farmworker and joiner. He’s turned his hand to many skills to put food on the table and clothes on his back. A life-long bibliophile, he eventually summoned the courage to try writing himself, and his Grant Fletcher novels (written as John Ryder) have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lee Child, Tom Cain, Zoe Sharp and Matt Hilton. When it comes to future novels, he says he has more ideas than time to write them.

When not writing, Graham enjoys spending time with his son, reading and socialising with friends. A fanatical supporter of his local football team, he can often be found shouting encouragement to men much younger and fitter than he is.