Slaughter's 20th book to be marked with SlaughterFest weekend

HarperFiction is celebrating The Silent Wife, Karin Slaughter's 20th book in 20 years, with a “criminally good” weekend of virtual events curated and presented by the writer.

SlaughterFest will run from 5th to 6th September and promises to cover the full range of crime fiction with writers from debut authors to long-established names. It will close with a headline event, and in-depth conversation with Slaughter to discuss her latest novel, published today (23rd June).

The writer is now calling for UK publishers to submit their authors for a series of panels. Classic Crime will discuss the genre's golden age and its influence on today's writers while Lies Spies and Deception examines espionage.

Elsewhere, there are sessions on historical crime, favourite detectives or books, novelists at the start of their career and a section for the best international voices in the genre. The festival will also feature workshops, pitch sessions, games and exclusive blogger access.

Slaughter said: “It has been a huge privilege to be a part of the crime community for the last 20 years—I've been unbelievably touched by the support of readers, inspired by the extraordinary creativity of my fellow crime writers who continually redefine and expand the genre, and hugely grateful for the support of all my publishers around the world over the last two decades. I'm incredibly excited about SlaughterFest as a way to showcase an industry I love, bringing a wide range of talented writers across the genres—both established and new names—ever closer to our readers.”

Submissions to take part should be sent to slaughterfest@harpercollins.co.uk and include an author biography, blurb for their most recent book/s, a press release and supporting information such as event experience and a passion pitch.

The submission deadline is 10th July and the programme will be announced by the beginning of August. For more information, visit the website.