Granite Noir: Fiction in Real Life?

Granite Noir: Fiction in Real Life?

In The Library Suicides everyone knows who drove Elena, the renowned novelist, to suicide – her long-term literary critic, Eben. But the twins need proof if they’re going to get revenge. Fiction has been banned by the government for five years. Writing novels is a crime. Reading fairytales to children is punishable by law. Is this the End of Story? Fflur Dafydd and Louise Swanson bring true terror to the world of books.

Chaired by Peggy Hughes

This event will also feature Richie Brown reading The Achdui House as part of our Locals in the Limelight scheme.

This event will be live streamed and can be viewed online.

Fflur Dafydd

Fflur Dafydd is an award-winning novelist, musician and screenwriter who works in Welsh and English. She is a graduate of UEA’s Creative Writing MA, a former Hay Festival International Fellow and an alumna of Iowa University’s prestigious International Writing Program. She has also been nominated for several BAFTA Cymru awards for her screenwriting work. She lives in West Wales with her husband and two daughters.

Louise Swanson

Louise Swanson is the penname of bestselling author Louise Beech, who has published eight novels with Orenda Books. Her work has previously been longlisted for the Not the Booker and Polari prizes and shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Award. She won Best’s Book of the Year with her 2019 psychological thriller Call Me Star Girl. In April 2023, Louise will also publish her memoir Eighteen Seconds with Mardle Books. She blogs regularly on louisebeech.co.uk, and is on Twitter under the name @LouiseWriter.

Peggy Hughes

Peggy Hughes is Head of Programmes at the National Centre for Writing, a literature house dedicated to the exploration and celebration of the artform of writing based in Norwich. Previously, she worked in various literature organisations in Scotland, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scottish Poetry Library, Literary Dundee at the University of Dundee, and the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. Peggy chaired Literature Alliance Scotland, Scotland’s largest network for literature organisations, from 2017 until August 2021 and is now a trustee. She is also on the board for the publishers 404Ink and the charity Open Book Reading, and frequently chairs literary events around the UK.

Richie Brown

Richie Brown has been writing for over ten years. He has twice been published in Pushing Out the Boat and has hosted a series of spoken word nights.  He recently completed his first novel for children and is now looking for representation.  He lives in Aberdeen with two cats, Frank and Tilly, and a fox named Cat.