Alis Hawkins's guest appearances

Alis Hawkins

Beti a'i Phobol

Red Hot Chilli Writers

Crime Time FM

Keith Jones

John Hughes

Mark Lewis

David Sinclair

Brian Jones

Lowri Morgan

David Williams

Richard Lewis

Marc Lewis

Matt Ward

John Phillips

Roger Price

Robert Llewellyn

Mike Reynolds

Rhys Jones

OwlTail

In this episode we talk to crime writer Alis Hawkins, discuss the Welsh Rebecca Riots, chat about Gŵyl Crime Cymru, Wales' international crime fiction festival, and profile some of history's most infamous poisoners.

Episode 96 - Alis Hawkins, A Bitter Remedy, The Rebecca Riots, and history's most infamous poisoners

ALIS HAWKINS chats to Paul Burke about her new literary historical mystery A BITTER REMEDY (Canelo Crime), Welsh history, the Teifi Valley Coroner, Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival and a strange male affliction or is it...A BITTER REMEDY: Amongst the scholars, secrets and soporifics of Victorian Oxford, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow…Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life.The mystery soon attracts the attention of Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan, a young Welsh polymath and one of the young women newly admitted to university lectures. But when neither the college principal nor the powerful ladies behind Oxford’s new female halls will allow her to become involved, Non’s fierce intelligence and determination to prove herself drive her on.Both misfits at the university, Non and Basil form an unlikely partnership, and it soon falls to them to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Parker’s death. But between corporate malfeasance and snake-oil salesmen, they soon find the dreaming spires of Oxford are not quite what they seem…Alis Hawkins writes Victorian crime fiction – but not that kind. It’s set in west Wales and Oxford rather than London. There are no serial killers because Alis is keen on representing some kind of real life and most murders are committed by ordinary people. And policemen are mostly nowhere to be seen: if they are in evidence, they’re usually getting in the way.Her plots are driven by her characters who take any idea Alis might have about the murder at the beginning of the book, and go off with it in whatever direction appeals to them, leaving her to follow, writing furiously. Her readers, who are gratifyingly fascinated by the little-known aspects of Victorian life that her characters investigate their way through, tell her that’s a good thing. Evidently the Crime Writers’ Association agrees because two of her four Teifi Valley Coroner novels have been shortlisted for the CWA’s prestigious Historical Dagger award.A former speech and language therapist and current freelance writer and editor, Alis is a founder member of Welsh crime writers’ collective, Crime Cymru, chair of Wales’s only crime fiction festival, Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival, and a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association. She lives on the Welsh/English border in the Forest of Dean with her partner, and makes regular forays to west Wales and Oxford.GwylCrimeCymruFestivalTickets↑Crime CymruRecommendations MJ Carter Imogen RobertsonProduced by Junkyard DogMusic courtesy of Southgate and LeighCrime TimePaul Burke writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network. He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2022 .Thank You to Canelo Crime for sponsoring this podcast Produced by Junkyard DogMusic courtesy of Southgate and LeighCrime TimeCrime Time FM is the official podcast ofGwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023CrimeFest 2023&amp;CWA Daggers 2023

ALIS HAWKINS chats to Paul Burke about her new literary historical mystery <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-bitter-remedy-a-totally-compelling-historical-mystery-alis-hawkins/7314037?ean=9781800328570" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A BITTER REMEDY</a> (Canelo Crime), Welsh history, the Teifi Valley Coroner, Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival and a strange male affliction or is it... <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-bitter-remedy-a-totally-compelling-historical-mystery-alis-hawkins/7314037?ean=9781800328570" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A BITTER REMEDY</a>: Amongst the scholars, secrets and soporifics of Victorian Oxford, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow… Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life. The mystery soon attracts the attention of Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan, a young Welsh polymath and one of the young women newly admitted to university lectures. But when neither the college principal nor the powerful ladies behind Oxford’s new female halls will allow her to become involved, Non’s fierce intelligence and determination to prove herself drive her on. Both misfits at the university, Non and Basil form an unlikely partnership, and it soon falls to them to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Parker’s death. But between corporate malfeasance and snake-oil salesmen, they soon find the dreaming spires of Oxford are not quite what they seem… Alis Hawkins writes Victorian crime fiction – but not that kind. It’s set in west Wales and Oxford rather than London. There are no serial killers because Alis is keen on representing some kind of real life and most murders are committed by ordinary people. And policemen are mostly nowhere to be seen: if they are in evidence, they’re usually getting in the way. Her plots are driven by her characters who take any idea Alis might have about the murder at the beginning of the book, and go off with it in whatever direction appeals to them, leaving her to follow, writing furiously. Her readers, who are gratifyingly fascinated by the little-known aspects of Victorian life that her characters investigate their way through, tell her that’s a good thing. Evidently the Crime Writers’ Association agrees because two of her four Teifi Valley Coroner novels have been shortlisted for the CWA’s prestigious Historical Dagger award. A former speech and language therapist and current freelance writer and editor, Alis is a founder member of Welsh crime writers’ collective, Crime Cymru, chair of Wales’s only crime fiction festival, Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival, and a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association. She lives on the Welsh/English border in the Forest of Dean with her partner, and makes regular forays to west Wales and Oxford. <a href="https://gwylcrimecymrufestival.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GwylCrimeCymruFestival</a> Tickets↑ <a href="https://crime.cymru/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crime Cymru</a> Recommendations MJ Carter Imogen Robertson Produced by Junkyard Dog Music courtesy of Southgate and Leigh <a href="https://www.crimetime.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crime Time </a> Paul Burke writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network. He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2022 . Thank You to Canelo Crime for sponsoring this podcast Produced by Junkyard Dog Music courtesy of Southgate and Leigh <a href="https://www.crimetime.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crime Time</a> Crime Time FM is the official podcast of Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023 CrimeFest 2023 &amp; CWA Daggers 2023

ALIS HAWKINS In Person With Paul

Beti George yn sgwrsio'r gyda'r awdures Eingl Gymreig Alis Hawkins, gan drafod ei nofelau a'u cefndir Cymraeg, ei phlentyndod yng Nghwm Cou, ei haddysg yn Aberteifi a Rhydychen a'r broses hir o gael llyfr wedi ei gyhoeddi.