Published on:
30
March 2012
The people of Clackmannanshire turned out in force this week to meet and greet one of the country's foremost crime writers, Quintin Jardine.
Quintin's first novel, "Skinner's Rules", was published in 1993, and was nominated for the John Creasey award by the UK Crime Writers' Association.
His appearance at Alloa Library on Wednesday proved to be an outstanding success, with a sell-out audience of over 75 people attending the popular event.
Librarian Tracy Docherty said: "This was the largest turnout that the library has every had for the visit of an author.
"The event was a sell-out which added to the evening as the event was held in the main library and it gave off a very intimate setting to the talk."
Quintin, 66, began the evening by explaining how he ventured into writing novels, which evolved from his reading of a badly written novel on holiday and thinking how he could have written it better.
He explained where his main character 'Skinner' came from and how it has been 20 years since he signed his first book contract.
Quintin then went on to outline other characters that have appeared throughout the years of his glittering career as an author.
Quintin has written 21 novels, featuring senior Edinburgh policeman Bob Skinner - "Britain's toughest cop" according the novelists' publisher. Like his creator, Skinner lives in Gullane, East Lothian, and has a second home L'Escala Catalunya in Spain.
Tracy added: "He read from one of his books 'As Easy As Murder' and also read the foreword from his forthcoming book 'Funeral Note'."
The evening then moved on to a lively question and answer session that provided more insight into the audiences' favourite character, Skinner.
Tracy added : "One question that was asked was 'Who would Quintin want to play Skinner if any of his novels were turned into scripts for television?', and he replied he would like the British actor Idris Elba, but revealed that his wife would rather have Brad Pitt play the role."
There was then a chance for the audience to buy Quintin Jardine novels and have them signed personally on the spot.
The evening finished off with the author mingling with the audience over refreshments.
Brian Forbes, Customer Services Manager, commented: "Feedback from people who attended was very positive. It was a great night, full of interesting conversation. Quintin Jardine praised the knowledgeable audience and was keen to return at a future date.
"We hope to bring more popular authors to Clackmannanshire in the coming months, helping raise the profile of our library service with current and new users."