Sisters in Crime’s roving reporter Lucy Sussex is attending the crime festival Bloody Scotland. As a taster, here is an interview with Natalie Jayne Clark, author of The Malt Whisky Murders (Polygon, 2025), shortlisted for Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut. It’s a darkly comic sapphic tale, as much about neurodivergence as it is about women in the male whisky industry. And also a good noir fun read.
Lucy: I’m interested in how writers get into print, and you’ve got a great story.
Natalie: The story of how the book came to be is still quite unbelievable and really an author’s dream come true. And I really recommend people look at alternative routes to publication other than finding an agent.
Lucy: Thanks to Bloody Scotland.
Natalie: It looks for awesome ways to support writers, particularly new writers. Pitch Perfect asks for a hundred-word idea submission. Ninety people applied, and eight were accepted. I had 2.5 minutes to pitch to a room full of agents and editors at Bloody Scotland in 2023. I have a background in spoken word and poetry, and I’ve done speech-writing. So I think that really helped me with knowing how to make an impact. The pitch was on Sunday afternoon. And by the Friday morning, less than a week later, I had a pre-emptive book deal and an agent.
Lucy: That’s wonderful. A complete MS?
Natalie: No. I then wrote the first draft in about four months.
Lucy: And now you’re shortlisted!
Natalie: From June till September, we have that support from Bloody Scotland and from this shortlisting to help us and our publishers in promoting our book even further. The first print run is done already which is amazing two months in.
Lucy: Do you feel like you’re writing in the tradition of Tartan Noir?
Natalie: I feel like I am benefiting from the thriving Tartan Noir culture in so many ways. A huge part of it as well is the atmosphere, the feeling, the landscape and the people–that doesn’t really change. Scotland has all those things. And for me, I talk a lot about the darkness. You can’t get away from the fact that in winter, there’s only light between 10 am and 3 pm. And what that does to the psyche.
Lucy: How did you research the novel?
Natalie: It was the easiest thing: I got to do what I loved. I was obsessed with whisky. Usually, I would be watching YouTube videos or documentaries or reading news about whisky when I was meant to be doing something else. When I got the book deal, that got to be what I do. And I had the wonderful excuse of visiting more distilleries and sampling more whisky. I had around my desk little sensory things: like barley in different stages, little samples of whisky. The hard part was stopping the research to get the book written and working out what not to include.
Lucy: And you’re a Whisky Ambassador too [accredited training course about Scotch Whisky].
Natalie: The main thing really is sharing your love and joy of whisky wherever you go. The motto is savouring the dram: drinking less, but appreciating it more.
Lucy: Any recommendations?
Natalie: Port Charlotte (Bruichladdich), Winter’s Gold (Dalwhinnie), and Auchtoshan.
More on Natalie Jane Clark here.
Bloody Scotland runs in Stirling, 12-14 September 2025. Online coverage, including the prize-giving, can be found here . £6 for an individual event and £60 for the full pass. The program is incredible.