Sam Blake in conversation

Join Sam Blake in conversation with Northern Irish crime writer James Murphy on all things crime writing!

Dubbed by our host, James Murphy as the busiest woman in crime fiction, join us as we interrogate Queen of Crime, Sam Blake on her mastering the art of killer thriller writing, entering the ranks ofthe YA novelist , her fostering and support of new writing and her role within the Society of Authors.

An event not to be missed, especially for fans of crime and aspiring and emerging writers.

Sam Blake is a pseudonym for Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, the founder of Europe's biggest writing resources website, the award winning writing.ie, the Writers Ink online writing group and Murder One, Ireland's International Crime Writing Festival.
She is a multiple No 1 bestselling Irish crime writer and has been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year four times, and twice for Irish Teen and YA Novel of the Year. Her second YA novel, Something's About to Blow Up was Winner of the International Education Services Teen & YA Novel of the Year 2024. Her latest adult thriller is Your Every Move (January 2026). 15 Kill Lane is released January 2027.
Follow Sam on social @samblakebooks or find out more at www.samblakebooks.com, where you can join her Reader's Club and receive her adult thriller High Pressure for free.

James Murphy is a Northern Irish writer working within the genre of crime fiction. He is best known for his Farset Investigations Belfast detective series and a gripping psychological thriller series featuring investigative psychologist Dr. Carolyn Harkin, Write Me A Murder and How To Be Dead. He also teaches crime fiction writing classes and is an active member of the Crime Writers Association both as Master Convenor of the Irish Chapter and as Library Champion for Northern Ireland. With almost 30 years as an English teacher under his belt, James celebrates his 10th anniversary in crime writing this year (as well as a milestone birthday-though he will continue to refute that as litigious rumour).

He is also the host of the hugely successful podcast, A Life Of Crime (Writing) with James Murphy, and hosted the popular radio show, Crime Scene with James Murphy on Belfast 247.

He is currently working on the third Dr. Carolyn Harkin novel which is due for release in October 2026.