Crime writer 'so pleased' to attend new Scilly festival
A writer of crime thrillers set on the Isles of Scilly has said she is keen to give something back to the islands when she takes part in this year's Creative Scilly Festival.
Kate Rhodes is the author of Hell Bay and Ruin Beach, the first two instalments of a six-part series set on the archipelago.
She is expected to feature alongside Michael Morpurgo at the Creative Scilly Festival, a 12-day celebration of culture and creativity run by the Islands' Partnership between May 10th and 22nd.
Kate told Radio Scilly: "I’m so so pleased to have been invited to come and be involved in the festival because Scilly is very close to my heart as a visitor.
"I hope very much that it’s going to be an opportunity for me to put something back in. The islands have given me so much over the years, I’d like to visit the school if I can, meet people, help anyone I can who’s trying to become a writer themselves. I know I’ll be doing some creative writing workshops and some short talks.
"Scilly is a really creative place with lots of people writing, painting, making music, so if I can be of support in any way, I’d really be happy to do that. It sounds like a fantastic festival as well."
Kate described her latest book Ruin Beach, which is out in paperback on February 21st, as "a very scary murder mystery set on Tresco where absolutely anybody on that island could be the killer".
The book series has been optioned for TV, with a short pilot based on Hell Bay, Ruin Beach and third instalment Burnt Island due to be filmed on location in winter 2019.
The novels feature protagonist DI Ben Kitto, who returns home to Bryher after 10 years on the murder squad in London when a traumatic event leaves him grief stricken. However, his investigative skills are soon needed on the islands.
Hell Bay and Ruin Beach are available on Amazon.
