Character, location and plot are the vital components of a great story, but where do you find them and how do you bring them together? Sam Blake will take you through her own process with tips from her colleagues in the industry, from Jeffery Deaver to Joanne Harris. This event is aimed at adolescents at post-secondary level who are interested in fiction writing in any language.

This event requires participants to register in advance. 

Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin writes crime as Sam Blake, the multiple No 1 bestselling author shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year three times. Her seventh bestseller, The Mystery of Four, and her recently published YA debut, Something Terrible Happened Last Night, are both in shops now. Vanessa is 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. Vanessa is a board member of the Society of Authors, and a fellow of the RSA. Having developed a range of initiatives in the writing world, she is a champion for emerging writers, working with agents and publishers both in the UK and Ireland, and spotting new talent. Vanessa joined the Board of the Crime Writers Association in 2021 and takes a dynamic lead in organising National Crime Reading Month.