NZIAF: The flying Kiwis!

After a terrific day of Writers and Readers events at the New Zealand International Arts Festival yesterday, including sessions with Scottish crime writer Denise Mina (END OF THE WASP SEASON) and Norwegian crime king Jo Nesbo (PHANTOM), today it's the turn of the Kiwis, with Paul Cleave, Vanda Symon, and Paul Thomas forming an impressive panel at 11am.

Here's the official blurb:

Three of New Zealand’s best crime writers discuss bringing one of the world’s most popular forms of storytelling into a distinctly New Zealand setting.

Paul Cleave’s Christchurch-set thrillers are critically acclaimed worldwide. His debut, The Cleaner, is one of the biggest selling novels to come out of New Zealand. Paul Thomas dragged local murder mysteries into modernity with popular thrillers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After a decade-long hiatus, Thomas returns with Death on Demand. Called ‘New Zealand’s contemporary Queen of Crime’ by the New Zealand Listener, Vanda Symon is the creator of the bestselling Sam Shephard novels, set in Otago and Southland; the latest in the series is Bound. Craig Sisterson chairs.

It's great to see the New Zealand International Arts Festival embracing quality local crime writing in this way. Hopefully the audience will enjoy meeting Cleave, Symon, and Thomas, and hearing more about their work. They are all fine writers, deservedly acclaimed by critics, awards judges, and readers alike.
Hope to see some New Zealand-based Crime Watch readers at what should be a fantastic event!