Crime Book Festival Preview: Iceland Noir 2018
Iceland Noir 2018 // November 16 - 18
Reykjavik, Iceland
Two years ago, I went on my very first solo international trip to Reykjavik for Iceland Noir 2016. I had never met anyone at the conference in “real life”; I was still a relatively new blogger, and, to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into. Well, you can read all about that experience here—but to make a long story short, it was the absolute best thing I could’ve done for myself, and for the development of CBTB. I made great friends, learned about tons of new crime books, and fell head over heels in love with the beauty and magic of Iceland. Now, two years later, I’m more than ready to pack my bags and head back to Reykjavik for Iceland Noir 2018! I’ve been to quite a few crime festivals all around the world now, and I can honestly say that Iceland Noir remains my favorite festival yet. I can’t wait to see what Iceland Noir 2018 has in store for me!
There’s so much to look forward to at Iceland Noir, including appearances by Iceland’s finest crime writers and talented authors from all around the world! This crime festival will take place right in the heart of Reykjavik—aka a perfect location to get a bunch of crime writers and readers together to talk about the chilling books we all love so much. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a general overview of Iceland Noir 2018 and highlighting the particular panels and special events I’m most excited for! For all the information on Iceland Noir (and to learn about future conferences!), visit the Iceland Noir website. I also want to give a very special shoutout to the Iceland Noir festival organizers, who are simply the best crew around! I’m in awe of what a great job they have done organizing this festival, and can’t wait to catch up with all of them in Iceland. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Iceland Noir 2018 Preview
What an incredible lineup of author events, panels, and more this year’s Iceland Noir has in store! I couldn’t be more excited. Highlights from this year’s festival will include:
Introductions to New Icelandic Authors: Honestly, this might be the most exciting part of the whole weekend to me! This festival has a panel specifically dedicated to introducing attendees to rising stars on the Icelandic crime writing scene.
Panels Galore: From interviews with Iceland’s Prime Minister, who loves crime fiction!, to panels with Icelandic and international crime writers, there are so many unique topics that will be covered in this festival’s panels.
Noir at the Bar: A highlight of any crime conference! This evening event will involve authors reading from their work at a local bar.
Movie Night: You guys already know how much I love I REMEMBER YOU by Yrsa Sigurdardottir - and its movie adaptation! Iceland Noir will include a screening of the film, which will be introduced by Yrsa, one of the actors who appeared in the film, and Jacky Collins!
The Icepick Award: The award ceremony for the Icepick - the best crime novel in Icelandic translation - will take place during Iceland Noir!
Plus: I’m Moderating a Panel!
I’m absolutely thrilled to share that I’ll be moderating a panel at Iceland Noir! I will be moderating a conversation with a number of crime writing stars from around the world: Alexandra Sokoloff, Kevin Wignall, Sheena Kamal, and Simon Kernick! You can find more information on these authors’ gripping thrillers below—and if you have questions you’d like me to try and sneak into my panel discussion, please feel free to comment them below!
Alexandra Sokoloff is the bestselling, Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of eleven supernatural, paranormal and crime thrillers. The New York Times has called her "a daughter of Mary Shelley" and her books "Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre."
As a screenwriter she has sold original suspense and horror scripts and written novel adaptations for numerous Hollywood studios (Sony, Fox, Disney, Miramax), for producers such as Michael Bay, David Heyman, Laura Ziskin and Neal Moritz.
She is also the workshop leader of the internationally acclaimed Screenwriting Tricks for Authors workshops, based on her Screenwriting Tricks for Authors workbooks and blog.
Her bestselling, Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series follows a haunted FBI agent on the hunt for that most rare of criminals: a female serial killer. Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon, Hunger Moon and Bitter Moon are out now. The series is being developed for television with Alex as writer/producer.
Kevin Wignall is a British writer, born in Brussels in 1967. He spent many years as an army child in different parts of Europe, and went on to study politics and international relations at Lancaster University. He became a full-time writer after the publication of his first book, People Die (2001). His other novels are Among the Dead (2002); Who Is Conrad Hirst? (2007), shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Barry Award; and Dark Flag (2010). The Hunter's Prayer was originally titled For the Dogs in the USA. The film The Hunter's Prayer, directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Sam Worthington and Odeya Rush, will be released worldwide in 2016.
Sheena Kamal holds an HBA in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and was awarded a TD Canada Trust scholarship for community leadership around the issue of homelessness. Her debut novel The Lost Ones was a Canadian bestseller and won her a 2018 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, a Strand Magazine Critics Award and Macavity Award for Best First Novel. The sequel It All Falls Down is now available and has been called “a stunning, emotionally resonant thriller” in its Kirkus starred review. Dark End of the Street, the third book in her Nora Watts series, is expected out fall 2019, and her first YA novel Fight Like A Girl will drop in 2020.
Simon Kernick is one of Britain’s most exciting thriller writers. He arrived on the crime writing scene with his highly acclaimed debut novel The Business of Dying, the story of a corrupt cop moonlighting as a hitman. Simon's big breakthrough came with his novel Relentless which was the biggest selling thriller of 2007. His most recent crime thrillers include Siege, Ultimatum, Stay Alive and The Final Minute. He is also the author of the bestselling three-part serial thrillers Dead Man’s Gift and One By One. Simon talks both on and off the record to members of the Counter Terrorism Command and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, so he gets to hear first hand what actually happens in the dark and murky underbelly of UK crime.
Iceland Noir 2018 Most-Anticipated Author Appearances
Yrsa Sigurdardottir
I never, ever tire of seeing Yrsa Sigurdardottir at crime festivals! She’s wickedly funny and incredibly smart, and I’m always inspired and energized by what I learn from her. Yrsa writes dark, quite gruesome Nordic Noir… which you guys know is totally up my alley. Check out her standalone I REMEMBER YOU, or her brand-new Children’s House series (Book 1: THE LEGACY). Yrsa is one of my personal favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see her again.
Ragnar Jonasson
Ragnar is another staple of CBTB, and I’m so looking forward to seeing him again at this conference! I’m particularly excited about a panel he’s participating in all about Agatha Christie, moderated by the Icelandic Prime Minister! (You read that right - Iceland’s Prime Minister is an expert in crime fiction, and she’ll be participating in the festival!) Ragnar just launched his newest series in the US with the fantastic mystery THE DARKNESS, and I’m so excited to see what else I can learn about this talented author’s work this coming weekend.
Lilja Sigurdardottir
If you love high-stakes thrillers and Nordic Noir, you’ll want to put this rising star of Icelandic crime fiction on your radar. Lilja is published by the one and only Orenda Books, and her novel SNARE was an instant-hit for me! Her writing is sharp, fast-paced, and gripping - and I love her willingness to push the envelope in her novels. She has a brand-new novel out (TRAP) which I can’t wait to read, and I’m so looking forward to learning more about it at this festival!
Liz Nugent
After all the years I’ve been a fan of Liz Nugent’s… I’m finally going to have the chance to meet her in person! I’m so, so excited for this opportunity. If you haven’t yet read Liz’s work, you simply must—she rights brilliant, razor-sharp psychological suspense, and I’m basically in a constant state of looking forward to her next book’s release. She has two books currently on sale in the US: UNRAVELING OLIVER and LYING IN WAIT.
Luca Veste
One of my most-anticipated 2019 releases is Luca Veste’s THE BONE KEEPER, so I’m absolutely thrilled to see that he’ll be at Iceland Noir this fall! He will be appearing on a panel called “Go Berserk!”, which sounds amazing. He’s also a member of a band called The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers which will be performing at the conference! I’m so excited to learn more about his books in person before I dive into THE BONE KEEPER.
Michael Malone
One of my favorite authors published by Orenda Books, Malone is the author of the spine-tingling suspense story HOUSE OF SPINES—a book I read a couple years ago and still recommend quite frequently. Malone will be appearing on a panel about suspense novels that incorporate a bit of the supernatural, and he’ll be moderating a panel about Scottish crime fiction as well!
A little shoutout to the Iceland Noir sponsors…
The Iceland Noir team has done a fantastic job securing some really exceptional sponsors for this festival! This is great news not just for the Iceland Noir team, but for all of us crime fiction aficionados who want to see this stellar festival continue to grow and expand!
Storytel | WOW air | Finnish Literature Exchange | Brennivin | MS Iceland Dairies
And that’s a wrap on my Iceland Noir 2018 Preview! I’m so excited to take you guys along with me as I journey to Reykjavik this week. Stay tuned for updates on my Instagram, Twitter, and right here on the blog! xx A
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