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Child and Rankin to appear at Bloody Scotland virtual festival
Lee Child and Ian Rankin are among the authors featuring at this year's entirely virtual Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival.
The authors will be interviewed on two "criminal mastermind" panels by Val McDermind and Lawrence Block.
The festival, which runs from 17th to 30th September, will also include events with Jo Nesbo, Attica Locke and Oyinkan Braithwaite. The winners of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and The McIlvanney Prize will also be announced on 18th September.
Other events include the festival's own spin-off of BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" programme, Desert Island Crooks, and a new challenge, the Never-Ending Panel, which will see 27 Scottish writers discussing their work from home and abroad.
Commenting on the this year's digital iteration, director Bob McDevitt said: "What began with disappointment and seemingly endless challenges has turned into a genuine opportunity to try something a bit different this year. I'm particularly pleased with the diverse range of voices appearing on the panels from all over the world.
"The festival has a truly epic scale from our biggest ever panel featuring no less than 27 authors to a session that will bring five continents online together, and there will be more spotlights for debut and emerging writers than ever before. We all know the festival won't feel quite the same this year (has anything?) but we have all the makings of a classic Bloody Scotland year nonetheless!"
Tickets will be free, with the exception of masterclasses. Mairi Kidd, head of literature, languages and publishing at Creative Scotland, said: "Covid-19 presents a huge challenge for book festivals but the team at Bloody Scotland clearly feel it would be criminal to let readers and writers down now, when community matters more than ever.
"They have cooked up an inspiring digital programme with something for everyone. The events are sure to be a must-watch for crime fans everywhere, and the accessible digital format offers new readers the chance to discover the world of crime writing in all its gory glory."
