Carol Westron
“A born storyteller”
About me
I was born and brought up in North London, but after university, I moved to Hampshire, where most of my books are set.
I got married, trained to teach and, when my three children were old enough, I worked at a F.E. college, in the Special Needs Department. It was there that I first taught Creative Writing, and have continued to do so, in various settings ever since.
Publishing my first book
I had several short stories published in Woman’s Weekly, which allowed me admission to the SWWJ (Society of Women Authors and Journalists), with the added delight of my own Press Card.
Ten years ago I entered a competition where the first prize was support in self-publishing your book. I didn’t win but I was on the short list of five authors and got some superb feedback praising my entry. That decided me to self-publish my books, and two friends and I created a co-operative, Pentangle Press.
Since then I have published five contemporary crime novels, one Victorian Murder Mystery, and three children’s picture books illustrated by my grandson, Adam.
Speaking at Conferences:
A few years ago, I agreed to write ‘a few’ articles about the Golden Age of Crime Fiction for Mystery People. The few turned into many, and I became an expert on the Golden Age, giving talks at several conferences, including Captivating Criminality and the Crime and Mystery Conference at St. Hilda’s, Oxford. I also became the moderator of The Deadly Dames, a panel of crazy crime writers who give talks about crime fiction.
More recently I have become the organiser of Mystery Fest, a day conference that is a collaboration between Mystery People and Portsmouth Bookfest.