Val McDermid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Val McDermid
FRSE FRSL
|
|
|---|---|
McDermid in 2007
|
|
| Born | 4 June 1955 Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | St Hilda's College, Oxford |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Spouse | Jo Sharp (m. 2016) |
Valarie McDermid (born 4 June 1955) is a famous Scottish writer. She is best known for her exciting crime novels. Many of her books feature a character named Dr. Tony Hill, a clinical psychologist who helps the police solve mysteries. Her stories are part of a style called Tartan Noir, which is a type of Scottish crime fiction. Some of her books have even been made into popular TV shows, like Wire in the Blood and Karen Pirie.
Contents
Life and Writing Career
Val McDermid grew up in a working-class family in Fife, Scotland. She was a very bright student and was the first person from a Scottish state school to be accepted into St Hilda's College, Oxford, where she studied English.
After finishing university, Val McDermid worked as a journalist. She also started her writing career by creating plays. Her first successful novel, Report for Murder: The First Lindsay Gordon Mystery, was published in 1987. This book introduced readers to her detective character, Lindsay Gordon.
Awards and Recognition
Val McDermid has received many important awards for her writing. In 2000, she joined the Detection Club, a group of top mystery writers. In 2010, she won the CWA Diamond Dagger, which is a special award given for a lifetime of great crime writing. She also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sunderland in 2011.
She helped start the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. These events celebrate crime novels and help new writers. In 2016, she led a team of former students from St Hilda's College to win the Christmas University Challenge, a TV quiz show. In 2017, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, which are big honors for her contributions to literature and science. In 2025, she received another honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh.
Supporting Raith Rovers
Val McDermid has always been a big fan of Raith Rovers football club, which is a team from her hometown. Her father used to work as a scout for the club. In 2010, she showed her support by sponsoring a part of the stadium, which is now called the McDermid Stand, in honor of her father.
A year later, she became a member of the club's board. From 2014, her website even became the main sponsor for the team's shirts.
In February 2022, Val McDermid decided to stop her support and sponsorship of Raith Rovers. This happened after the club signed a player who had been involved in a serious legal case. Following this decision, the Raith Rovers women's team separated from the main club and changed their name to McDermid Ladies, named after the writer. Val McDermid then moved her sponsorship to this new women's team.
Personal Life
Val McDermid has lived in different places, including Stockport and near Alnmouth in Northumberland. She used to have three cats and a border terrier dog. Since early 2014, she has lived in Stockport and Edinburgh.
In 2016, Val McDermid was the captain of a team of crime writers on the TV quiz show Eggheads. Her team won and took home £14,000.
In 2010, she was living between Northumberland and Manchester with publisher Kelly Smith. In 2016, Val McDermid married her partner, Jo Sharp. Jo Sharp is a Professor of Geography at the University of Glasgow and has been the Geographer Royal for Scotland since 2022.
Val McDermid is a radical feminist and a socialist. She often includes ideas about feminism in her novels.
See also
In Spanish: Val McDermid para niños
