Val McDermid explained

Val McDermid
Birth Date:1955 6, df=yes
Birth Place:Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Occupation:Writer
Spouse:Jo Sharp (m. 2016)

Valarie McDermid, (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and his collaborators in the police department. Her work is considered to be part of a sub-genre known as Tartan Noir. This series was adapted for television, running from 2002 to 2008, and known as Wire in the Blood.

She also had a second series, known as Karen Pirie, adapted from her several books featuring that character.

Biography

McDermid comes from a working-class family in Fife. She studied English at St Hilda's College, Oxford,[1] where she was the first student to be admitted from a Scottish state school.[2]

After graduation, she became a journalist and began her literary career as a dramatist. Her first success as a novelist, Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery, was published in 1987.[3]

McDermid was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 2000. In 2010 she won the CWA Diamond Dagger for her lifetime contribution to crime writing in the English language. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sunderland in 2011.[4]

She is co-founder of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, part of the Harrogate International Festivals. In 2016 she captained a team of St Hilda's alumnæ to win the Christmas University Challenge.[5]

In 2017, McDermid was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,[6] as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[7]

Work

McDermid's works fall into five series:

The Mermaids Singing, the first book in the Hill/Jordan series by Val McDermid, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year. The Hill/Jordan series has been adapted for television under the name Wire in the Blood, starring Robson Green and running from 2002 to 2008. Another series was adapted from Val McDermid's books featuring Karen Pirie; the series is named Karen Pirie.

McDermid has said that her character of Jacko Vance, a TV celebrity with a secret lust for torture, murder and under-age girls, who she featured in Wire in the Blood and two later books, is based on her direct personal experience of interviewing Jimmy Savile.[8]

In addition to writing novels, McDermid contributes to several British newspapers and often broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland.[9] Her novels, in particular the Tony Hill series, are known for their graphic depictions of violence and torture.

In 2010, McDermid received the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association for "outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing".[10]

McDermid considers her work to be part of the "Tartan Noir" Scottish crime fiction genre.[11]

In August 2022 McDermid reported that the estate of Agatha Christie had threatened her publishers with legal action if they referred to McDermid as "the Queen of Crime". They said that the term was copyrighted by the Christie estate.[12]

Raith Rovers

McDermid was a lifelong fan of Raith Rovers football club, her father having worked as a scout for the club.[9] [13] [14] In 2010, she sponsored the McDermid Stand at Stark's Park, the club's ground in Kirkcaldy, in honour of her father.[14]

A year after sponsoring the stand, she became a board member of the club, and starting in 2014 her website became Raith's shirt sponsor.[15]

In February 2022, McDermid said she would be withdrawing her support and sponsorship from Raith Rovers after the club signed striker David Goodwillie, who had been ruled to have raped a woman and made to pay damages in a civil case in 2017.[16] [17] Following the signing of Goodwillie, Raith Rovers women's team severed ties with the main club and renamed themselves McDermid Ladies, after the writer. McDermid moved her sponsorship to the new ladies' team.[18] [19]

Ink attack

On 6 December 2012 a woman poured ink over McDermid during an event at the University of Sunderland.[20] McDermid was signing books, and a woman asked her to autograph a Top of the Pops annual which contained a picture of the disgraced late TV presenter Jimmy Savile. After McDermid reluctantly agreed the woman threw ink at her and ran out of the room.[21] McDermid said the incident would not stop her from doing signings.[22] [23]

Northumbria Police arrested Sandra Botham, a 64-year-old woman from the Hendon area of Sunderland, on suspicion of assault.[23] [24] Botham was convicted of common assault on 10 July 2013,[25] received a 12-month community order with supervision and was made to pay £50 compensation and a £60 victim surcharge.[26] She was also given a restraining order forbidding her from contacting McDermid for an undefined period of time.[27] The Northern Echo reported that Botham's actions were motivated by McDermid's 1994 non-fiction book A Suitable Job for a Woman, as Botham said the book contained a passage that besmirched her and her family.[28]

Personal life

McDermid formerly lived in both Stockport and near Alnmouth in Northumberland with three cats[29] and a border terrier dog. Since early 2014 she has lived in Stockport and Edinburgh.[30] [31]

In 2016, McDermid captained a team of crime writer challengers on the TV quiz Eggheads, beating the Eggheads and winning £14,000.

In 2010, she was living between Northumberland and Manchester with publisher Kelly Smith,[32] with whom she had entered into a civil partnership in 2006.[2]

On 23 October 2016 McDermid married her partner of two years, Jo Sharp, a Professor of Geography at the University of Glasgow.[33] [34]

McDermid is a radical feminist and socialist.[35] [36] She has incorporated feminism into some of her novels.[37]

Works

Lindsay Gordon series

Kate Brannigan series

Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series

Inspector Karen Pirie series

Allie Burns series

The Austen Project

Other books

Children's books

Non-fiction

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dr Val McDermid – English, 1972. 29 January 2016 . St Hilda's College, Oxford. 29 May 2019.
  2. News: Val McDermid: a life in writing. The Guardian. 12 August 2011. Wroe. Nicholas. 29 May 2019.
  3. News: I never spook myself, says top Scots crime writer Val McDermid. 25 October 2016. Daily Record. 31 August 2016.
  4. News: Queen of crime in stadium thriller. 14 July 2011. University of Sunderland News and Events. 15 July 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121522/http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/newsevents/news/news/index.php?nid=1323. 2 April 2015.
  5. Web site: Congratulations to St Hilda's Alumnae Team on their Christmas University Challenge Victory. 2 January 2017 . St Hilda's College, Oxford. 22 March 2017.
  6. RSE Welcomes 60 New Fellows. 15 February 2017. Royal Society of Edinburgh. 28 March 2017.
  7. News: Rankin, McDermid and Levy named new RSL fellows. The Bookseller. 7 June 2017. Natasha Onwuemezi.
  8. News: I based psycho on Jimmy Savile, says writer Val McDermid. The Daily Record. 28 October 2012.
  9. Web site: Val McDermid – Biography. ValMcDermid.com.
  10. News: Pauli . Michelle . Val McDermid 'gobsmacked' by Diamond Dagger award . February 6, 2022 . The Guardian . January 12, 2010.
  11. News: Val McDermid: 'I'm working class – I wouldn't be able to go to Oxford now'. The Guardian. 25 August 2015. Hannah Ellis-Petersen.
  12. News: Ferguson . Brian . Val McDermid reveals 'Queen of Crime' legal threat from Agatha Christie estate . 29 September 2022 . Edinburgh Evening News . 29 August 2022.
  13. News: Denise Mina talks to Val McDermid. Sunday Herald. February 2002. Mina. Denise. 9 July 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928103125/http://www.valmcdermid.com/pages/interviews4.html. 28 September 2007. dmy-all.
  14. News: Val McDermid's Raith Rovers sponsorship about giving 'something back into the community'. The Courier. 7 June 2014.
  15. News: Straight-talking Val McDermid lifts lid on her latest novel and why she's the badass woman of the week. Daily Record. 2 September 2016. Anna Burnside. 25 October 2016.
  16. Web site: Val McDermid ends Raith Rovers support over David Goodwillie deal. BBC News. 1 February 2022. 1 February 2022.
  17. News: 1 February 2022. Val McDermid ends Raith Rovers sponsorship over Goodwillie signing. McKenzie. Lewis. 1 February 2022. STV News. en-GB.
  18. Web site: 2022-02-06 . Raith Rovers ladies' first match since breakaway . 2022-06-28 . BBC News . en-GB.
  19. Web site: From the ashes: defiant McDermid Ladies stand firm in the spotlight Soccer The Guardian . 2022-06-28 . amp.theguardian.com.
  20. Web site: Author attacked by OAP after she gave talk. Shields Gazette. 12 December 2012. 26 December 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131024130005/http://www.shieldsgazette.com/what-s-on/author-attacked-by-oap-after-she-gave-talk-1-5216441. 24 October 2013.
  21. Web site: Ink thrown at author Val McDermid during Sunderland book signing. Journal Live. 13 December 2012. Ruth Lawson. 26 December 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130408005952/http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/12/13/ink-thrown-at-author-val-mcdermid-during-sunderland-book-signing-61634-32417502/. 8 April 2013.
  22. Web site: Author Val McDermid to carry on signings after attack. Journal Live. Ruth Lawson. 13 December 2012. 26 December 2012.
  23. News: Author Val McDermid assaulted at Sunderland book signing. Journal Live. 29 December 2012. Coreena Ford. 11 January 2012.
  24. News: Woman denies attack on crime writer at Sunderland talk. Sunderland Echo. 11 April 2013. 15 April 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081740/https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/crime/woman-denies-attack-on-crime-writer-at-sunderland-talk-1-5572819. 1 December 2017.
  25. News: Reader convicted for Val McDermid ink assault. The Guardian. 10 July 2013. Liz Bury.
  26. News: Widow who attacked Scottish author Val McDermid with ink is given a restraining order. Daily Record. 12 August 2013. 29 March 2014.
  27. Web site: Val McDermid ink attacker given restraining order. BBC News. 12 August 2013. 29 March 2014.
  28. News: Pensioner in court over vendetta with crime writer Val McDermid. The Northern Echo. 9 July 2013. 31 July 2013.
  29. News: Murder In Mind. Sunday Herald. 30 May 2004. Susan. Flockhart.
  30. Web site: Welcome to Val McDermid's website.. ValMcDermid.com.
  31. News: Scotland is now a place where you can be glad to be gay. The Guardian. 5 April 2016. Val. McDermid.
  32. News: Death becomes her. The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 2010. Totaro. Paulo. 29 May 2019.
  33. News: Author Val McDermid gets married to long-term partner Jo Sharp. Daily Record. 25 October 2016. Stuart. Macdonald.
  34. News: Val McDermid marries partner in Edinburgh. Edinburgh News. 24 October 2016.
  35. News: Val McDermid – Crime and reason. The Scotsman. 8 September 2008.
  36. News: Interview: It can be murder, but Val McDermid's love of Raith is no mystery. The Scotsman. 10 April 2010.
  37. Book: Murder by the Book: Feminism and the Crime Novel. limited. Sally Rowena Munt. Routledge. 1994. 67. 0415109191.
  38. Web site: Val McDermid . Oxford Reference . 16 April 2022 . en .
  39. Web site: Val McDermid. British Council

    Literature

    . 29 May 2019.
  40. Web site: Crime Novel of the Year shortlist announced. digyorkshire.com. 2 June 2009. Rob Peacock. 17 June 2009. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20090812040740/http://www.digyorkshire.com/HighlightDetails.aspx?Article=202&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. 12 August 2009.
  41. Web site: Cross and Burn by Val McDermid: Undiscovered Scotland Book Review . www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk . 16 April 2022.
  42. Web site: Val McDermid: 'Even on a romantic holiday my thoughts turn to murrrder' . the Guardian . 16 April 2022 . en . 19 August 2017.
  43. Web site: How the Dead Speak. David Higham Associates. en-US. 19 January 2019.
  44. Web site: The best recent thrillers – review roundup . the Guardian . 16 April 2022 . en . 7 September 2021.
  45. Web site: Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid review – 'Austen for the Facebook age' . the Guardian . 16 April 2022 . en . 26 March 2014.
  46. Orchard Books. .
  47. Web site: Forensics – The Anatomy of Crime. ValMcDermid.com.

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