He left hospital six months later and several stone lighter, but alive and in remission.Īnd, in a bizarre twist, because his cancer was so large and rare, nearly every big research hospital in the world subsequently requested samples. Suddenly the gruelling treatment was back on and Craven was, incredibly, cured. Later, he went to university to study social work after realising it was a two-year degree rather than the usual three.Having been a welfare officer in the Army – “If someone was feeling suicidal, they were supposed to come and talk to me, which obviously never happened, because that wasn’t the culture then” – he “fluked” his way onto the course.įrom there, again by chance, he joined the Probation Service and worked his way to the top in Cumbria where he eventually took redundancy as chief probation officer when the service was privatised for a short, mostly disastrous, period.Ĭraven was told they now needed to explore palliative care options, and his family began to plan his funeral – “it was gonna be on a Monday apparently, I found out recently” – but then a sliver of bone from his hip, removed for tests, revealed the cancer hadn’t spread as expected. Then after 12 years, he left the army by accident, when discharge papers were mixed up in a bundle of documents, quitting that afternoon. Growing up in Newcastle, the son of a cigarette salesman and a nurse, Craven joined the Army on a whim, going to the recruitment office with a friend (his pal decided against it, while Craven joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). “I’m like a twig on a stream just bumping into things,” he smiles. Will be one of the big draws at the world-famous crime writing festival in Harrogate next month.īut, as he is at pains to explain today, his entire career, from long before he started writing, has been a fascinating mixture of accident, luck (sometimes bad) and instinct. His most recent, The Botanist, is shortlisted for the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, supported by the Daily Express, and Craven The 55-year-old memorably describes his books, now published in 26 countries, as “locked-room mysteries with added sarcasm”. His award-winning novels featuring one of the unlikeliest pairings in thrillerdom – misanthropic detective Washington Poe and high-functioning civilian crime analyst Tilly Bradshaw – have won legions of fans, inspiring everything from a blend of coffee to five-day holiday excursions to his Lake District locations for foreign tourists. We reserve the right to modify or replace any part of these terms and conditions without prior notice.With his shaved head, muscular physique and tattooed arms and hands, the former soldier turned chief probation officer for Cumbria – who writes as M W Craven – admits he makes an unlikely literary superstar. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with other offers or credits. Not valid on other products, prepaid plans, prior purchases and purchases made other Shutterfly apps. Taxes, shipping, and handling will apply. Promo can only be redeemed once per account and/or billing address. Valid only for new Shutterfly photo book customers (those who have never purchased photo books from Shutterfly). Offer is good for one free standard layflat binding through, or our mobile-friendly site or Shutterfly Photo Story for iPad app. Trust us for our customization, quality, and 100% happiness guarantee, and make Shutterfly the new home for your photo books. You'll also have the same creative control you're used to, with a wide array of book sizes and paper types, and over 250 book styles to choose from. We know quality matters to you, and we assure you that our state-of-the-art printing will meet your standards. But we, at Shutterfly, are confident that we can fulfill your every photo book need. After 23 amazing years in business, MyPublisher has shut down.
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