Many of you will recall that I recently wrote a blog post about the Deepings Community Library which is in the running for a financial community award through Persimmon Homes. You can find out all about that here and there’s still time to vote if you haven’t already!

As I explained in that post, the Deepings Library has become the centre of a vibrant bookish community, closely linked with Deepings Literary Festival. So much happens every week but I’m now getting excited about a very special writing workshop with successful crime writer Alison Bruce which is coming up on September 19th in the Deepings Library from 2-5PM.

Having interviewed crime writer Alison Bruce here and listened to the fascinating story of her road to publication here, I’m thrilled that I shall be attending this event with Alison.  She will be leading what is likely to be a fantastic writing workshop covering aspects of character and plot as well as sharing what she has learnt through her writing career.

Although Alison is a crime writer, and you can read my review of one of her books, Cambridge Black, here, I know from first hand experience that she has so much wonderful advice for both emergent and established authors, that writers in all genres will benefit from her expertise. Given that I have been allegedly writing my own novel for some time I’m hoping she will give me the impetus to get it finished!

If you’d like to come along, tickets are £10 including refreshments for the workshop on Thurday September 19th from 2-5 PM at the Deepings Community Library. Call 01778 346528 for more details or to book your place.

You can find all of Alison’s books here, but her latest novel is the psychological thriller, I Did It for Us, published by Little Brown Imprint Constable and available here.

I Did It For Us

From the first time I saw them together I knew it felt wrong. I didn’t like the way he touched her or the self-conscious way he played with Molly and Luke. Joanne saw none of it of course. So I did it to prove to her that she was wrong. I did it for us.

Emily’s instincts tell her that best friend Joanne’s new boyfriend is bad news. Emily fears for Joanne. Fears for Joanne’s children. But Joanne won’t listen because she’s in love. So Emily watches, and waits . . . and then she makes a choice.

But Emily has a past, and secrets too. And is she really as good a friend to Joanne as she claims?

About Alison Bruce

Alison Bruce is the author of eight crime novels and two non-fiction titles. Her first novel, Cambridge Blue (2008), was described by Publishers Weekly as an ‘assured debut’ and introduced both detective, DC Gary Goodhew, and her trademark Cambridge setting. She went on to complete the DC Goodhew series with a further six novels before writing the psychological thriller I Did It for Us.

​Alison was born in Croydon and grew up in Wiltshire before moving to Cambridgeshire in 1998. Alison worked as an electroplater, taxi driving and band promoter and spent ten years working in the IT industry before leaving to concentrate on completing her first novel.

Alison is a proud supporter of local libraries and is the patron of Lakenheath Library in Suffolk. Alison teaches creative writing at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

You can follow Alison on Twitter @Alison_Bruce and visit her website for more information.