I’m excited to dedicate my first proper blog post to Liz Mistry, an amazing West Yorkshire-based crime fiction writer. I had the great pleasure of meeting Liz earlier this week at when she hosted an event at Ilkley Library to talk about her work so far and her forthcoming book ‘The Revenge Pact’.

Liz shared with us anecdotes about her life, her journey as an author and her writing process. So much of what she said resonated with me. She moved down from Scotland to West Yorkshire many years ago. Her affection for Bradford, for all its quirks and flaws, is refreshingly heartening.

She started off as a self-published author and wrote a successful series (the DI McGuire books) before being picked up by Harper Collins. She has since gone on to write another series (Solanki and McQueen), much to the delight of her fans. It was so wonderful to hear her speak passionately about self-publication; indeed, she continues to champion self-published authors.

What struck me was her warm, relatable nature and generosity of spirit. It got me thinking about connection and how that relates to my writing. I want to connect to my readers through my stories. I also want to connect my readers with each other on some level. As a kid, the crime fiction available to me was unrelatable on many levels because I couldn’t see myself or my environment in it. Fast-forward to now, there’s such a diversity of characters and locations within fiction and it’s wonderful to feel that I’m adding to that diversity through my own work.

If even one person picks up ‘Care & Control’ and feels seen and inspired because of, say, Connor or Louis’ story, then I’ve achieved my purpose.

Whether we share our stories on the page or in conversation, it’s an opportunity to create connection. Over the last couple of months, I’ve found a sense of belonging and connection through the Keighley Writer’s Group and the Krav Maga crew at Trax Gym (Haworth). I’m grateful for that. Brené Brown writes beautifully on this topic. At a time where we’re being divided by so many things, connection with our fellow human beings can only be a good thing.

With that in mind, it has been a privilege to appear on Samea Mughal’s show at Radio Sangam; and I’m looking forward to being interviewed by Prof. Jonathan Jackson on 12 November 2024 as part of Leeds Trinity University’s Social Justice Lecture Series. I really hope I can do what Liz has done, seemingly effortlessly, and create that feeling of connection.

So, thank you, Liz Mistry! You are a true inspiration. I can’t wait to get stuck into ‘Unquiet Souls’ over the next few weeks!

Roshan

PS – there are still limited tickets left to the Social Justice Lecture – book via this link.