Alis Hawkins is the author of two stand-alone books set in the fourteenth century and two crime fiction series – the Teifi Valley Coroner series set in mid-19th century west Wales in the aftermath of the Rebecca Riots, and the Oxford Mysteries set in 1880s Oxford at the beginning of the women’s college movement. Two of her Teifi Valley novels – In Two Minds (Canelo, 2021) and Not One of Us (Canelo, 2021) were shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger and the first in the Oxford Mysteries series, A Bitter Remedy (Canelo, 2023) was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and shortlisted for the Historical Dagger. Alis’s books have been longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award, won the Aberaeron Literary Festival’s book of the year award and been Waterstones’ Welsh Book of the Month as well as Sunday Times crime picks and Crime Readers’ Association picks. She is a founding member of Welsh crime writers’ collective Crime Cymru and was the inaugural chair of Gŵyl Crime Cymru Festival, Wales’ premier crime fiction festival.
Writing a Killer Crime Novel
What does it take to write a crime novel that agents, publishers and readers won’t be able to put down? Combining several decades of experience, successful crime fiction authors Vaseem Khan and Alis Hawkins have fashioned a course that will help you hone the craft of crime and thriller writing. As well as taking you through the building blocks of a successful crime novel, they’ll help you develop and hone your current ideas to give them the best chance of success in today’s crowded market. Participative workshops and one-to-one mentoring sessions will offer writing skills training, allow you to discuss your work-in-progress in depth, and reveal tips and insights into the writing and publishing process. The course will cover ways of creating memorable and believable characters, how to pace and plot, how to create a thematic and geographical setting which works hard for your story, how to ensure you get your investigative procedures right, as well as ensuring sure your book is satisfyingly multi-layered with sub-plots. Crucially, the tutors will also cover the five ‘secrets’ to writing a crime fiction bestseller.
During relaxed, informal evening group sessions Alis and Vaseem will also offer wider advice on the writing process touching on topics such as editing, redrafting, writing a compelling synopsis and submission letter, ways of building a successful relationship with agents and publishers, and understanding the ‘book world’.
Please note: For those wishing to discuss their work, we ask that you submit the beginning of your novel (up to a maximum of 2,500 words) prior to the course to allow Vaseem and Alis sufficient time to give each submission due consideration.
Bursaries
One £250 bursary space is available for this course. To apply, please complete this application form
Deadline for applications: Tuesday 29 July 2025.
For further information about the support available, please visit our Financial Assistance page: https://tynewydd.wales/courses-retreats/financial-support/
Tutors
Alis Hawkins
Vaseem Khan
Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, the upcoming Quantum of Menace (Bonnier Books, 2025) the first in a series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise, and The Girl in Cell A (Hodder & Stoughton, 2025) a psychological thriller set-in small-town USA. His debut, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015) was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House (Hodder & Stoughton, 2021) the first in the Malabar House novels set in 1950s Bombay, won the CWA Historical Dagger. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. Vaseem is the current Chair of the UK Crime Writers’ Association.
Guest Reader
Erin Kelly (Digital)
Erin Kelly is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the following titles published by Hodder & Stoughton, The Poison Tree (2011), The Sick Rose (2012), The Burning Air (2013), The Ties That Bind (2015), He Said/She Said (2018), Stone Mothers/We Know You Know (2019), Watch Her Fall (2022), The Skeleton Key (2023) and The House of Mirrors (2024), as well as Broadchurch: The Novel (2014), inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year award and selected for both the Simon Mayo BBC Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. The Skeleton Key was selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month in 2023, was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller and reached number one in The Times chart. Born in London in 1976, Erin lives in north London with her husband and daughters. Her latest novel, The House of Mirrors, is out now. www.erinkelly.co.uk