Bloody Scotland
Glengoyne has launched a short story writing competition as part of the country’s first writing festival.
Called Bloody Scotland, the festival runs from 14 to 16 September in Stirling, and aims to highlight Scotland’s talent for crime writing, and Glengoyne’s competition intends to help discover the country’s next star in the crime genre.
Candidates will submit a 3,000 word (max) story, incorporating the theme or wording “worth the wait” into the story before 29 June on the festival’s website, www.bloodyscotland.com. Each story will be read and reviewed by a panel of respected authors, publishers and editors involved in that area of writing.
The winner will have their work published by Blasted Heath as the leader of short story digital collection, as well as being offered a week-long writing course, run by Avron in a location of their choice. Additionally, the winner will receive a 35yr old Glengoyne in a hand-engraved Glencairn crystal decanter, worth a total of £2,000.
Ian Weir, marketing director for Glengoyne, commented: “Crafting a great crime novel takes time, care and attention to detail, but the results are worth the wait. The same attributes are crucial in making Glengoyne Whisky’s natural, unpeated taste and flavour. Scottish crime fiction is an international success story and we are delighted to be part of a competition that celebrates our country’s unique creative contribution.”
Author and Bloody Scotland organiser, Gordon Brown, added: “With UK retail sales for crime fiction now worth over £143 million, the genre has never been more popular. We are thrilled to have Glengoyne’s support for the short story writing competition. Bloody Scotland celebrates not only our nation’s crime fiction legacy, but the success of crime writing across the globe. Glengoyne’s sponsorship reaffirms the Scottish roots of the festival, but like the whisky, an exciting crime thriller can be enjoyed with a great quality dram anywhere in the world.”
The event will bring together over 40 authors, both British and international, and will host more than 20 events over the two days. 2012 is the “Year of Creative”, according to VisitScotland, and also marks the 125th anniversary of the publication of the first Sherlock Holmes novel, the 35th anniversary of William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw and the 25th anniversary of Ian Rankin’s first Rebus novel.
For more information, visit www.bloodyscotland.com and www.glengoyne.com.
