‘Addictively Readable’

No.1 New York Times Bestselling Author – Patricia Cornwell

To celebrate the launch of his debut novel, Tenacity, J.S Law will be in conversation with Emlyn Rees discussing his route to publication and how he came to write Tenacity. There will also be readings from Tenacity by the amazing storyteller John Taylor, followed by questions and a book signing. Copies of Tenacity will be available on the night from Blackwells Book Shop who will be on site supporting the event.

What’s Tenacity about?

Suicide must be investigated.

Especially when a Royal navy sailor kills himself on a nuclear submarine, only days after his wife’s brutal murder.

Now Lieutenant Danielle Lewis, the Navy’s finest Special Branch Investigator, must interrogate the tight-knit, male crew of HMS Tenacity to determine if there’s a link.

Isolated, and standing alone in the face of extreme hostility, Dan soon realises that she may have to choose between the truth and her own survival.

Justice must be served, but with a possible killer on board the pressure is rising and her time is running out…

Running Order (TBC)

19:00 Guests to arrive

19:30 Reading from Tenacity by John Taylor

19:45 In Conversation – JS Law and Emlyn Rees (Approx 45 mins)

20:30 Questions from the audience (Approx 15 mins)

20:45 Second reading from Tenacity by John Taylor

21:00 Book signing and more wine-fuelled mingling

22:30 All guests off site

Who is JS Law?

James joined the Royal Navy in 1993 as an apprentice and went on to serve for twenty years, the majority of that time spent in the Submarine Service. He rose through the ranks, taking a commission as an engineering officer in 2001, and serving as a Senior Engineer and Nuclear Reactor Plant Supervisor, where his responsibilities ranged from the safety and operation of the submarine’s nuclear power plant to hydraulic plants, fridges and toilets; it was the latter of these tasks that brought the majority of any pressure.

His final years in service were spent training future submariners in his role of Senior Lecturer in Nuclear Reactor Engineering.

Having written short stories and novels throughout his naval career, James completed an MA in Creative Writing at Portsmouth University before leaving the navy in 2013, completing his debut novel, Tenacity, shortly afterwards.

James lives in Hampshire with his wife, Elaine, and his two children. He spends what spare time he has riding his bike around the South Downs and travelling to Edinburgh to watch Scotland play rugby at Murrayfield stadium.

Who is Emlyn Rees?

EMLYN REES is a fiction and non-fiction author, editor and director of the Dark & Stormy Crime Film, TV & Book Festival, and an associate copywriter at We Are Adult.

He spent his early twenties traveling around Asia and pouring drinks in London for the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Princess Anne, before joining the Curtis Brown literary agency and having his first crime novel published aged twenty-five, his second a year later, and then co-writing seven comedies with Josie Lloyd, including the Number One Sunday Times bestseller Come Together.

Emlyn’s race-against-the-clock thriller, Hunted, was published in 2012 by Constable & Robinson in the UK and HarperCollins in the US. Hunted is optioned and in in development with Biting Point films, scripted and being directed by Eric Styles. The sequel, Wanted, was published in 2014 in the UK by Little, Brown and in the US by HarperCollins.

Emlyn lives in Brighton with his wife Joanna Rees, who also writes under the name Josie Lloyd. We’re Going on a Bar Hunt and The Very Hungover Caterpillar, both parodies, written by Emlyn and Josie, and illustrated by the brilliant Gillian Johnson, are out now, published by Little, Brown.

Emlyn’s thrillers and journalism are represented by Jonny Geller @ Curtis Brown

His children’s fiction is represented by Penny Holroyde @ The Caroline Sheldon Agency.

You can find out lots more about Emlyn on Tumblr and contact him also on Twitter @EmlynReesWriter.

Who is John Taylor?

John Taylor divides his time between writing novels, storytelling and being a sixty-year-old who still thinks he’s a student. Most of what he knows about storytelling has come from work with people with learning disabilities, and they tend to figure in his writing too.

What did Patricia Cornwell say about Tenacity?

JS Law is a powerful new voice, and his heroine Dan Lewis lives up to the title. Tenacity. She is fearless and doesn't quit in the face of all odds. The murky world of submarines and murder make Tenacity additively readable, and memories of it linger like dreams.

Damn! She must have liked it?

Yes, it seems she did ;-)

FAQs

What if I'm thirsty at the event?

There will be free wine and Pimms along with some soft drinks available ;-)

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

By Road: Exit M27 at J11 and follow the brown Submarine Museum (and anchor) signs. (About 20mins). Free car parking to museum ticket holders only.

Please note most SAT NAVS when inputting our postcode will take you to the Gosport Immigration Centre as we share the same footprint of the former MOD site. Please input the GPS Co-ordinates instead or just follow the brown tourist signs from the motorway.

Map ref: Latitude: 50.788073 Longitude: 1.122837

By Train and on Foot: Exit mainline station at Portsmouth Harbour and take the frequent Gosport Ferry service across the Harbour to Gosport (approx 4mins). Then walk & follow waterfront promenade to Submarine Museum (approx 10mins).

Drivetimes
From Guildford via A3 – 75mins
From Basingstoke via M3 – 60mins
From Christchurch via A31/M27 – 60mins
From Arundel via A27 – 60mins
From South London – 90mins
From Salisbury – 75mins