I’m drowning under deadlines – not exactly a new phenomenon for me, admittedly – so this is just a short newsletter to let you know about a few upcoming appearances, in date order:
Sep 19: Bark! Fest
Online
Bark! Fest is an event organised by author Zazie Todd to promote her own book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog (which sounds very interesting, and is available for pre-order now) with a series of panels featuring… other authors who write about dogs!
Next week I’m taking part in the Canine Crime and Mystery panel at 6pm UK time, alongside fellow authors Louisa Scarr and Philipp Schott – both of whom also write, well, canine crime and mystery 😅
All of the Bark! Fest events are FREE to watch online, but registration is required. Go here for more information and a registration link:
You can also read an interview with me, talking about The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead, my process, and what surprised me most while writing the book, at Zazie’s website:
Oct 11-13: Death in the Dales
Sedbergh
In October I’ll be at Death in the Dales, a crime fiction festival in Sedbergh, which is England’s national “book town” (similar to Hay in Wales, and Wigtown in Scotland).
There’s a full programme of events over the weekend, including a film noir viewing and plenty of panels. Both of my panels are on Saturday Oct 12:
11.30am: I’m moderating “Black Sheep – the Villains”, with Matthew Booth, Frances Brody, and Jason Monaghan
3.15pm: I’m a panelist on “The Good Shepherdesses”, with Harry Navinski and Fiona Veitch Smith, moderated by Frances Brody
There will also be dedicated signing times on both Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets can be booked for part or all of the weekend. Go here for more information and booking links (via the “Booking info” tab at the top of the page):
Nov 10: Farsley Literature Festival
November sees the second Farsley Literature Festival, just outside Leeds. As you can see from the above graphic, for a relatively small festival only in its second year, the festival punches well above its weight. Much of this is down to Amanda Truman, owner of the excellent Truman Books, which I visited earlier this year:
(Not my dog; the adorable senior greyhound Joe, owned by a local, just happened to be in store at the same time!)
November 10 is crime day, and at 3pm I’m appearing on the cosy crime panel with JM Hall and Josie Lloyd.
Later that same day there’s a panel featuring Saima Mir and Lesley McEvoy, and it’s topped off with Elly Griffiths in conversation. All well worth sticking around for if you’re a crime fan. Go here for more information and to book tickets:
PS: Silent Hill Ascension won an Emmy!
Seriously. What the hell?! 🤯
Congratulations to everyone at Genvid and Bad Robot with whom I worked on Silent Hill Ascension. My role was narrative consultant, collaborating with the project leads to initiate and develop the story and characters, then helping to guide the writing staff as they devised and wrote the enormous amount of scenes required for the series.
We knew we were making something never before done at this scale, and like any project which innovates technology and storytelling – of which I’ve worked on many over the years – Silent Hill Ascension was far from easy! But it was an unforgettable experience, and for it to win an Emmy is enormously rewarding.
…And scene
I think that’s all my remaining appearances for the rest of 2024, at least in person. Further online events may crop up, of course. Either way, I should be back in a month or two with an update on future book releases.
While the Letters Still Remain
Which social media platform will eventually win the ongoing battle for supremacy? Who knows? For the moment, you can find me on most of them – simply search for my username @antonyjohnston, or check the Contact & Follow page of my site for links to the most popular networks: https://antonyjohnston.com/contact/