Writing the North

Liz Mistry is a crime writer whose gritty police procedurals are set in Bradford and Scotland. The latest Solanki and McQueen series draws on West Lothian’s landscape, heritage and culture to create dark yet often humorous stories. Mistry completed a doctorate in creative writing, exploring the representation of marginalised groups in crime fiction, and often addresses mental health themes in her work.

Marcia Hutchinson was born in Manningham, Bradford the seventh of nine children to Windrush era Jamaican parents. The first pupil from her school to go to Oxford she worked as a lawyer before returning to the North. She has taken inspiration from her childhood to write her debut solo novel The Mercy Step which is also set in Manningham and has been described by the Observer as “dark, humorous, and passionately captures the unique realities of the northern Black experience. Powerfully told from a child’s vantage point, the storytelling is imaginative and animated, yet piercing in all the right places.”

Kevin Duffy has worked in publishing for over 35 years and co-founded Bluemoose Books with his wife, Hetha, in 2006. Committed to publishing distinctive voices, Bluemoose authors have won or been shortlisted for 31 literary prizes. Its books The Gallows Pole and Leonard and Hungry Paul have been adapted for BBC television. In 2026, Bluemoose celebrates 20 years of award-winning independent publishing.