Coastal Crime

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Get ready for a brand-new festival celebrating crime fiction in all its thrilling forms!

Whether you’re a passionate reader, an aspiring crime writer, or just love a good mystery, Coastal Crime is the place to be.

28/10/2026

If you could ask a literary agent one question, what would it be? ✍️

Perhaps you’re wondering whether your manuscript is ready, what to put in a covering letter, or how to find an agent who’s right for your book... those are the questions EVERYONE asks... but what question would YOU ask if you could?

Pop your question in the comments - we’d love to know what’s on your mind.

At Coastal Crime, our Industry Hub will explore submissions, pitching and routes to publication, helping writers understand their options and plan their next steps.

📅 Saturday 6 March 2027
📍 Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour

🎟️ It’s the final week of Early Bird! Sign up to our newsletter for your 25% discount code and book by 31 October.

Explore the programme, sign up and book through the link in our bio.

28/10/2026

Our festival director is on the radio tonight! 🎙️

Author and Coastal Crime Festival Director Alex Stone will be joining Purbeck Sounds this evening at 7pm UK time.

If you fancy a little company for your Wednesday evening, tune in and give Alex a listen.

📻 Listen online: https://www.purbecksounds.com/

28/10/2026

A promising idea is a good start. Turning it into a whole novel can be the tricky part…

For this week’s Coastal Crime Spotlight, we’re sharing an Author Events masterclass with our festival founder, Alex Stone.

This Thursday’s session, Structure, Plot & Story Architecture, looks at building a psychological thriller that holds together — from key turning points to escalating tension and a structure that serves your characters.

Whether you’re planning or working through a draft, you can bring your own story and questions.

📅 Thursday 29 October
🕖 7–9pm UK time
💻 Live online via Google Meet
🎟️ From £59

This session can be booked on its own and includes access to the Author Events Writers’ Hub.

Organised by Author Events and shared here for our writing community.

Full details and bookings:
https://authorevents.co.uk/events/structure-plot-story-architecture-psychological-thriller-masterclass/

28/10/2026

Whose book would you bring to Coastal Crime? 📚

A well-loved favourite? Your latest read? Or something you haven’t discovered yet?

Here are three to add to your festival reading pile:

• Notes on an Obsession by C. L. Taylor
• They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
• Kiss, Marry, Kill by Laura Marshall

Have you read any of them? Tell us what you thought — without spoilers! And if you’ve got a copy on your bookshelf or bedside table, pop a photo in the comments.

Join us for a day of crime fiction and conversation on Saturday 6 March 2027 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, Southampton Grand Harbour.

Our 25% Early Bird offer ends this Saturday, 31 October. Sign up to the newsletter at coastalcrime.org for your discount code, then use it when booking.

Explore the programme and choose your festival pass:
https://coastalcrime.org/tickets/
Crimefest Bristol

27/10/2026

Writing something dark and twisty? Meet Tina Pietron, Commissioning Editor at Cliffhanger, an imprint of One More Chapter.

Tina will be joining us for 1-2-1 appointments at Coastal Crime. Her interests range from gritty police procedurals and psychological suspense to horror, serial-killer thrillers, and action and adventure.

Take a look through her wish list. If it sounds like your manuscript could be a match, why not book a conversation about your work and what comes next?

📅 Saturday 6 March 2027
📍 Leonardo Royal Hotel, Southampton Grand Harbour

Appointments cost £70 and are booked separately from a valid Full, Day or Part-Day festival ticket. Advance booking is essential.

🐦 It’s the FINAL WEEK of our Early Bird offer! Sign up to our newsletter at coastalcrime.org for your code to save 25% on festival tickets. The offer ends on Saturday 31 October.

Read Tina’s profile, check the submission requirements and book your appointment:
https://coastalcrime.org/agent-editor-one-to-one-appointments/

26/10/2026

It’s the final week to save 25% on your Coastal Crime festival tickets! 📚🔎

If you’ve been meaning to book, here’s your reminder: our Early Bird offer ends on Saturday 31 October.

Join us for a day of crime fiction in Southampton — hear from favourite authors, discover new books and get behind the scenes of the stories that keep you reading late into the night.

Writing your own? Our Industry Hub has sessions on writing and publishing to help you explore your next steps, too.

Here’s how to claim your discount:
• Sign up to the Coastal Crime newsletter at coastalcrime.org.
• Get your 25% discount code.
• Use it when booking before the offer ends on 31 October.

📅 Saturday 6 March 2027
📍 Leonardo Royal Hotel, Southampton Grand Harbour

Explore the ticket options and book:
https://coastalcrime.org/tickets/

Who would you bring along?

25/10/2026

Writing the book is one part of the journey. Deciding how to publish it brings a whole new set of questions.

Should you submit to agents and publishers? Publish independently? Explore a hybrid model? What would each option mean for your time, budget and creative control?

Our Routes to Publication panel brings together Jade Kavanagh, Oliver Johnson, Faye Brann and Joe Sedgwick to discuss the opportunities and challenges of traditional, independent and hybrid publishing.

It’s part of our Industry Hub programme, helping writers understand their options and make informed decisions about their next steps.

🕙 10:15–11:00
📅 Saturday 6 March 2027
📍 Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour

🎟️ Our 25% Early Bird offer ends on 31 October. Sign up to the Coastal Crime newsletter to get your discount code before you book.

Explore the Industry Hub:
https://coastalcrime.org/industry-hub/

Find your ticket:
https://coastalcrime.org/tickets/

22/10/2026

Come for the books. Make a day of it in Southampton.

Here’s a little look around the city we’re calling home - and the Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour, where we’ll be gathering for Coastal Crime.

Join crime readers and writers for author conversations, a look behind the books and practical publishing advice in our Industry Hub. Whether you’re coming with your book club, bringing a friend or visiting on your own, we’d love to see you.

📅 Saturday 6 March 2027
📍 Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour
EARLY BIRD TICKETS END 31st OCTOBER

Explore the programme and book your ticket:
https://coastalcrime.org/tickets/

21/10/2026

Writing a detective of your own? Here’s something from our festival director, Alex Stone, that might interest you.

Through Author Events, Alex is hosting an online writing session with former senior detective and crime-writing consultant Stuart Gibbon this Thursday, exploring crime, investigation and authenticity.

You can book this session individually — there’s no need to join the full course.

📅 Thursday 22 October
🕖 7–9pm UK time
💻 Online via Google Meet

This is a separate Author Events workshop, shared here for the crime writers in our community.

Details and booking:
https://authorevents.co.uk/events/crime-investigation-authenticity-psychological-thriller-masterclass/

Address

Southampton

Website

http://www.coastalcrime.org/

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