The Crime Writers’ Association

Join the CWA

Join the CWA Who can join? We offer full membership for those in the UK and overseas who have had published a full length work of crime fiction or non-fiction, and provisional membership for those who have a contract from a recognised publishing ho...


CWA Announces new Debut Dagger Sponsor

The Crime Writers’ Association has announced a new sponsor for its annual international writing competition for unpublished writers. The CWA Debut Dagger is to be sponsored by ProWritingAid, a platform that operates as a grammar checker, style edi...


Bookseller of the Month: October 2022 – Richard Reynolds

As part of the new CWA Bookshops Champion initiative, we want to celebrate bookshops and booksellers, because we believe they don’t just sell our books – they bring our streets alive. This month there’s a special CWA Bookseller of the Month ...


The CWA Presents Crime Writers’ Clinics

  The Crime Writers Association is proud to present Crime Writers' Clinics, a programme of online conversations with industry experts specially designed with CWA members in mind. These events are free for CWA members, and £10 per event fo...


CWA’s Margery Allingham Short Story Competition to Continue

The Margery Allingham Society has agreed with the Crime Writers’ Association that the popular short mystery competition will run for at least another five years, until 2024. The Society, set up to honour and promote the writings of the great Golden...


The CWA Says Thank You to Darren Wills

On Saturday 10 February 2024, a small group of people met at the home of CWA member, and ex-Red Herrings editor, David Stuart Davies. The purpose of the gathering was not only to enjoy the company of old friends and a few glasses of wine (which goes ...


Finding the Time to Write Your Debut Dagger Entry, by Antony Johnston

Finding time to write is something we all struggle with when we’re starting out. We have other commitments and obligations, things to do, a day job, maybe a family… ‘If only I could just have time to write and not worry about all this other stu...


2023 winning story

How to Catch a Bullet in a Plate and Other Tricks to Astound - Judith O’Reilly He never performed the trick at a matinee show as he didn’t like to worry the children in the audience. At least there was that, Mrs Conway thought, as the red bloo...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with Jim Eldridge

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I have been a writer for almost 50 years, the first 30 as a scriptwriter, then writing children's books, and - since 2016 - writing historical crime fiction for adults. My curr...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with John Dean

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. A journalist by trade, I worked as a crime reporter on newspapers for part of my career, which gave me ample material for my crime novels. I ran my own business for 21 years, s...


Join the CWA

Become part of a thriving community of successful crime writers with invaluable support, expertise and marketing opportunities for all our members.


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