There are not many literary festivals that take place annually in Stirling, in fact there is one. As a student city, organisers would be missing a large market to not appeal to students. Bloody Scotland celebrated their highest recorded in person ticket sales this year, but was this a weekend that encouraged students to get involved?
The event that organisers thought would appeal was kept under wraps. On the opening night of the international crime writing festival, VE Schwab and Cat Clarke were revealed as the mystery authors behind The Ending Writes Itself.
The novel had been announced by publishers, but the identity of the authors remained unconfirmed. Following speculation on social media, with guesses of the authors ranging from Harry Styles, Marian Keyes and Cher, the duo confirmed their collaboration at the Albert Halls on September 12. They appeared as the Crime In the Spotlight event before Sir Ian Rankin’s talk with actors who had portrayed Rebus.
Using the author name of Evelyn Clarke, The Ending Writes Itself is a novel deemed to be “the book everyone will be talking about in 2026” by their publisher, HQ stories.
VE Schwab is a New York Times bestselling author with a loyal fanbase. Her most famous works include The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and the Darker Shade of Magic series. This is her crime debut, and quite unexpected. However, she is definitely a name many students will know, after Addie Larue went viral on Booktok as a must read, with her other works following.
Cat Clarke has had a break in her career as an author, switching instead to writing for television. The Ending Writes Itself marks her return to fiction writing.
This event came in addition to free and discounted student tickets, as well as volunteering opportunities during the weekend. Bloody Scotland certainly aspire to include students, and doing an event with VE Schwab is certainly a step in the right direction.
Featured Image Credit : Image Provided by Bloody Scotland
Arts Editor - get in touch via arts@brignews.com
Journalism and English student.
