Welcome to the bar.
Whether you're after a quick shot of something strong or a cocktail to seduce the senses, you'll find something you like here.
But don't expect it to be pretty.
If you follow me on Twitter, you'll have probably noticed every Wednesday night my timeline is littered with Virtual Noir at the Bar chat. VNatB is a free online weekly event run by Vic Watson and Simon Bewick, where crime authors read their work via live video. Based on a physical event, the aim of this digital version was to recreate a slice of what that experience was like.
But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and the final (for now) VNatB is on Wednesday 26th August (I'm not crying, you are). However... not only can you catch up on all the episodes here, but you can bring the bar to your own bookshelf because Vic, Simon and a whole host of VNatB readers have released Noir From The Bar, an anthology of crime fiction that's available in paperback and on Kindle.
I finished this last week. What a collection! I love dipping into short stories during my lunch breaks and this is just perfect, as each story takes less than ten minutes to read, which gives me time to stuff my face go for a quick walk. Brimming with dark, twisty and thrilling tales, Noir From The Bar is an unputdownable collection, compiled by a smashing group of authors with talent bursting from their seams.
There's a little bit of something for everyone, including locked room mysteries, gritty noir, cosy capers, psychological thrillers, twist-in-the-tales, revenge dramas, shocking shorts and longer dramas to savour. The theme of bars and alcohol trickles cleverly throughout each story, and what's not to love about that? With an average rating of 5 stars on Amazon, and all profits generously donated to our fabulous NHS, you'd be mad not to own a copy. I know, I know. We're all mad here.
I caught up with Vic and Simon to find out a bit more about their joint venture... pull up a stool and grab a drink with us.
We all think you're
both brilliant for doing this, but whose idea was it originally?
Vic: It’s a bit of an
odd one, that. I was on my daily lockdown walk a few weeks into VNatB and I
thought it would be pretty cool to put an anthology together and then told
myself I was being silly. It would be an incredible amount of work and that,
being mum to a ten-month-old baby was a big enough job in itself never mind running
VNatB with Simon and doing an anthology. But when I got home from said walk, Simon
had emailed saying “tell me if you think this is mad but what about putting a
collection together?”
Simon: I’d mentioned
it to Vic as a ‘shoot this down’ by-the-by comment and she said she’d been
thinking along the same lines…
Vic: It seemed somewhat
serendipitous!
Great minds
certainly think alike! And did it become everything you hoped it would be?
Simon: When
we sent out the initial query, we did so without too much expectation: perhaps
a few authors might dig out some old stories we could use. The fact so many
authors said yes, and actually wrote new stuff specifically for the project was
more than we could have hoped for.
Vic: I was completely
right in terms of it being a giant job – a job I couldn’t undertake because of
my son but Simon ran, in fact flew, with it. I think what he and the writers
involved achieved is beyond anything I could have imagined, especially given
the time frame.
It was a massive achievement! Pulling together an
anthology in such a short amount of time is bloody impressive. How the hell did
you manage it?
Vic: I feel a bit of a
fraud being in this interview as Noir from the Bar was
entirely Simon’s baby from conception to publication. He worked tirelessly with
authors, editors and designers to pull this amazing collection together in just
six weeks.
Simon: Lockdown
helped! As a freelance consultant I suddenly had a bit more time on my hands… in
truth though, it was the willingness of everyone to pitch in.
Everything
happened very quickly. From sending the first enquiries to authors, to receiving
their stories, through Vic’s SOS for editors, all the way through to edit
requests. The authors were amazed at the speed we worked at, and we reflected
that amazement in their willingness to collaborate.
It
would have stalled if it wasn’t for the fact we had a designer who put together
multiple choices for the cover and was prepared to answer demanding requests at
most hours of the day (the fact she’s married to me helped), and the brilliant
Zoe Sharp, without whom it wouldn’t look anywhere near as professional as it
does.
You've been a big
supporter of emerging writers, both through VNatB and this anthology, and we
love you for it. But have you had any 'pinch me' moments with any famous
authors you've worked with?
Vic: Well, I think
anyone who watched episode 12 of VNatB will have seen how delighted and
disbelieving I was to host my hero, Linwood Barclay. I felt the same when Ann
Cleeves was gracious enough to join us quite early on, and Dorothy Koomson in
July. It’s incredible how approachable everyone has been. We’ve been lucky
that, despite working with some huge names, we haven’t encountered many egos.
As a crime fiction fan, every week there have been writers on VNatB who I’ve
looked up to for years. And every time, I get hideously
tongue-tied and shy!
Simon: My
‘pinch me’ moment came in late April. Up to that point we’d been using
free-to-use library music for VNatB. We have an expression in the North East:
‘shy bairns get nowt’ – which could be translated as shy children don’t get
anything, or, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ I reached out to Martin
Stephenson – one of my favourite musicians since I was sixteen – and asked if
we could use a couple of tracks. He came back immediately, with the generosity
and humbleness he’s always had and said, ‘no problem.’
Within
an hour, I’d put a post on social saying who my top five authors to appear would
be. Within an hour of that, we’d had Lawrence Block and Joe R Lansdale
say they’d be interested… that was a surreal afternoon for me.
Seeing as you
smashed it out the park with these projects, can you share some nuggets of wisdom
for anyone thinking about undertaking something like this?
Simon: In
starting a virtual event, I think it helps to have some idea what you’re doing
with the tech. There are a lot of events out there – especially enforced due to
recent circumstances. With a bit of research, effort and help you can put
something together that looks professional: that’s what we’ve always tried to
do with VNatB.
Vic: The lovely thing
about Noir at the Bar is that it began in Philadelphia with Peter Rosovsky in 2008 and has
been hosted in lots of different places in varying formats. From Philadelphia,
it spread across the US and then to the UK. I’ve run the Newcastle and
Harrogate chapters, Jacky Collins does Edinburgh, Jay Stringer and Russel D McLean have done Glasgow and there’ve been events in London, Carlisle and
Manchester.
I’ve been
approached by a few people wanting to do NatB events in their own hometowns and
my advice is the same as I was given by Graham Smith and Jay Stringer: find a
pub with a separate room if possible, pick a quiet night and approach them to see
if they are open to it. My events have made a lot of
money for the bars, and, because NatB is not-for-profit, they’ve been happy to
waive a room hire fee.
Simon: Regarding
creating a book? Just have a go. It’s easy to do with things like Kindle Select
nowadays. I released four self-published books before Noir from the Bar
– the first is not well edited or formatted, but hopefully the essence of the
passion came through. With each book I’ve published, they’ve got a bit better
in look and feel. I’ve also edited a best-selling non-fiction book for a third
party, which I wouldn’t have dared do without ‘messing up’ a bit myself first.
Approximately how much alcohol was consumed
during the creation of Noir from the Bar, and what drinks will I be buying you
at Harrogate?
Vic: Speak to Simon,
the contributing authors and the editors! In terms of drinks, I’m a fairly
cheap date. I love pop and on occasion have been known to stick some vodka in
there.
Simon: I did
get through a lot of Bewdog Punk AF and half of Colombia’s coffee supply. But I
don’t drink, so I’m a cheapish date in any bar, virtual or otherwise!
Noted! Following the
success of the anthology, will we be seeing any more publications from you in
the future?
Simon: When
we finished this one, I would have said ‘never again’ – not because it was
unpleasant, just a huge amount of work. But you know… you get a few months down
the line and you start to get a few ideas.
Vic: Who knows…? I’ve
brought out some anthologies with members of my writing group in the past so I’d
never rule it out.
You guys just keep
bringing us the good stuff. Will we be seeing any more VNatB in the future?
Simon: So,
while VNatB has closed down for a renovation and clean up, it’ll be back with a
couple of one-off specials: we’ve already got dates in the diary for a
Halloween-themed evening (where I’m happy to say we’ve just had agreement from Britain’s
greatest living horror author to appear), and a Christmas crime special.
Vic: Make sure you put
28th October and 16th December in your diary!
Done! Can you spill any
beans on what lies on the horizon for you next?
Vic: We’ve
certainly got some ideas in the pipeline but we’re kicking stuff about and
don’t want to be too premature on the announcement. As many writers who’ve
worked with us during VNatB know, we try to make everything as good as it can
be so we’ll keep it close to our chests for a little longer. But if you want to
be the first to know what’s happening, sign up to our newsletter.
Simon: We think it’s going to be bigger
and, dare we say it, better than anything we’ve done so far. We’ll make sure
you’re the first to know when we’re ready!
A big thanks to you both for keeping us all sane during lockdown, and for introducing us to some brilliant authors!
Well... I don't know about you, but I'm excited! Keep your eyes peeled for more news, and in the mean time, grab your copy of Noir From The Bar today.
Roxie Key
@RoxieAdelleKey
