Val McDermid, known for good reason as the ‘Queen of Crime’, has been announced as a new Vice President of Harrogate International Festivals, along with former DHA literary agent Jane Gregory, who represented Val before her retirement.

Val has been involved with Harrogate International Festivals for over twenty years, and she and Jane played a crucial role in the establishment of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and its New Blood Panel for debut crime writers. Their efforts helped the festival to become one of the biggest of its kind, and have provided a platform for emerging talent in the crime fiction genre.

Val told The Bookseller, ‘I’m proud to continue that association and delighted to accept the invitation to become a vice-president of the festivals as we go from strength to strength.’

Photo credit: Charlotte Graham