Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Kill Fee
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://fiona.veitchsmith.com/
CITY: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY:
http://www.kregel.com/autores/fiona-veitch-smith * http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sacs/staff/profile/fsmith.html#background * http://www.poppydenby.com/fiona-veitch-smith/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2002008836
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2002008836
HEADING: Smith, Fiona Veitch, 1970-
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005 20170225074020.0
008 020204n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a no2002008836
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca05682022
040 __ |a SaPrNL |b eng |e rda |c SaPrNL |d IlMpPL
042 __ |a sanb
046 __ |f 1970 |2 edtf
100 1_ |a Smith, Fiona Veitch, |d 1970-
374 __ |a Novelists |a Journalists |a College teachers |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Donovon’s rainbow, 2001: |b t.p. (Fiona Veitch Smith)
670 __ |a SANB database, Feb. 4, 2002 |b (hdg.: Smith, Fiona Veitch, 1970- )
670 __ |a SANB correspondence with author, Jan. 25, 2002 |b (full names: Smith, Fiona Elizabeth; maiden name: Veitch)
670 __ |a The kill fee, 2016: |b title page (Fiona Veitch Smith) page 4 of cover (Fiona Veitch Smith has worked both as a journalist and university lecturer; debut novel in the Poppy Denby investigates series, The jazz files)
PERSONAL
Born 1970; married; children: a daughter.
EDUCATION:Rhodes University, B.A.; Northumbria University, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Plain Truth, editor. Newcastle University, lecturer. Previously worked as a journalist.
AVOCATIONS:Plays jazz clarinet.
MEMBER:British Society of Authors, Association of Christian Writers, Historical Writers’ Association, and Crime Writers’ Association.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Fiona Veitch Smith is an adult and children’s author. She has worked previously as a reporter, editor, and freelance journalist, contributing to publications in South Africa and the UK. In addition to writing books, Smith is the writing editor of Plain Truth magazine and is a lecturer in scriptwriting and writing for the media at Newcastle University.
Smith received her B.A. in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University and her M.A. in Creative Writing from Northumbria University. She plays jazz clarinet and has written theatre plays and screenplays. Smith lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.
The Kill Fee, the second book in the “Poppy Denby Investigates” series, takes place in 1920s Britain. The protagonist, Poppy Denby, is a twenty-two year old reporter at Daily Globe, where she covers arts and entertainment. The story is set in post World War I England, when women’s emancipation and the Jazz Age colored the cultural landscape and the Bolshevik revolution was a hot topic. When a Fabergé egg, an ornately decorated piece of art, is stolen from an important Russian art collection in an armed robbery, Poppy is at the forefront of the investigation.
A contributor to the Historical Novel Society website described The Kill Fee as “a light, fast read, well-written and with plenty of twists and eccentric characters.” The story contains historically relevant characters, including playwright George Bernard Shaw, Rasputin assassin Prince Felix Yusopov, and the Russian Tsar and Tsarina. The book highlights the tension that existed at the time between Russian Whites, supporters of the old order, and the various Russian red factions. The egg represents those tensions, as some members of the Russian government believe the egg should be restored to the Russian people, while others think it belongs with the surviving Romanov royal family. The egg’s former owner and a Russian Princess is even considered as one of the suspects. Poppy and her editor are excited to be in the midst of the dramatic investigation, a story any publication would be overjoyed to print, but the plot becomes more personal when another body is found and an employee at the newspaper becomes a suspect.
“An entertaining romp with nonstop action, a perky heroine, and quirky characters,” wrote the contributor to Historical Novel Society. Smith provides the reader with historical references and characters by providing an index of of fictional and historical characters.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, October 10, 2016, review of The Kill Fee, p. 64.
ONLINE
Faith and Family Reviews, http://www.faithandfamilyreviews.com/ (January 16, 2017), review of The Kill Fee.
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (June 17, 2017), review of The Kill Fee.*
About
Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is now an author of books for adults and children. She has also written theatre plays and screenplays.
Her adult mystery series set in the 1920s, Poppy Denby Investigates, is published by Lion Fiction. The first book in the series, The Jazz Files, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Endeavour Historical Dagger award, 2016. The second, The Kill Fee, came out in September 2016 and the third, The Death Beat is due out in 2017. For more on the Poppy Denby Investigates series including background material on the 1920s, film reels, period fashion and fabulous jazz recordings visit www.poppydenby.com
Her children’s picturebooks, the Young David series (the first is David and the Hairy Beast) and the Young Joseph Series are published by SPCK Publishing. David and Joseph have their very own website where children and adults can view the books and meet their favourite characters.
http://www.youngbibleheroes.com/
She is a member of the British Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association, the Historical Writers’ Association and Association of Christian Writers.
She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities.
Connect with Fiona
Twitter: @FionaVeitchSmit
Facebook: Fiona Veitch Smith
Send Fiona a message
Fiona Smith
Associate Lecturer in Journalism
Email: f.smith@ncl.ac.uk
Background
Background
Fiona Veitch Smith has worked as a staff reporter, sub-editor and freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines in South Africa and the UK. She writes and edits across media including writing, ghostwriting and editing children's books, non-fiction writing, screenplays, stage plays and documentary filmmaking. She's currently the new writing editor of Plain Truth magazine and lectures in scriptwriting and writing for the media. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies (Rhodes University); MA Creative Writing (Northumbria University) and is currently working towards a PhD in the adaptation of literary texts to the screen (Newcastle University).
Roles and Responsibilities
She is the module leader for COM 1030 Writing for the Media 1; COM 2068 Writing for the Media 2 and COM 3001 Magazine Publishing
FIONA VEITCH SMITH
Fiona with partner Leston Blackburn in The Boyfriend when she was 16.
Fiona with partner Leston Blackburn in The Boyfriend when she was 16.
Ever since I was cast in the role of Maisie in the Springs Girls’ High School production of The Boyfriend when I was 16, I have loved all things 1920s. I love the fashion, the music, the dance styles and the literature of the period. For much of my life I’ve had a 1920s bob – even when they weren’t fashionable!
Although I write many different things (you can check out my other work on my blog) and lecture in writing for the media, stage and screen at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, the Poppy Denby Investigates series reflects more of me and my personal interests than any of my other books or plays.
Fiona as she looks now.
Fiona as she looks now.
I worked as a newspaper journalist in Cape Town and a freelance magazine journalist in the UK – Poppy is a journalist. I also studied drama and worked for a few years with my husband, Rodney, in a travelling music and theatre company – Delilah is a singer, dancer and actress. I play jazz clarinet (very poorly) – The Jazz Files sizzles with jazz. I have a degree in history and am fascinated by the suffragettes and other pioneering women.
Fiona as she imagines she looks now.
Fiona as she imagines she looks now (courtesy of Chris Bambrough).
I too, like Poppy, come from a non-conformist faith background and have negotiated the choppy waters of being a woman in a male-dominated working world. However, Poppy is not me, and I am not Poppy. In some ways she is braver than me, in others, far less worldly wise (she is only 22 after all). I like to think that Delilah is my alter-ego – the party girl I only ever occasionally let out. However, within the pages of The Jazz Files and subsequent books in the series, I hope my readers will find someone or something they can identify with. But beyond that, I hope they simply enjoy a rollicking good tale.
Fiona getting into character in a 1928 Ford Pheaton.
Fiona getting into character in a 1928 Ford Pheaton, owned by Christine and Alan Simpson of Crawcrook, Northumberland.
Social Media
I am fairly active on social media – you can connect with me using these links:
Twitter: @FionaVeitchSmit
Facebook: Fiona Veitch Smith
Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith has written books, theatre plays and screenplays. 'The Jazz Files' is the first novel in her mystery series, Poppy Denby Investigates, and is set in the 1920s. Her standalone novel, 'The Peace Garden', is a romantic thriller set in England and South Africa. Her 'Young David picturebook' series (illustrated by Amy Barnes Warmington) are based on the Biblical character of King David when he was a young boy. She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities. She has a passion for cheesecake, Pilates and playing the clarinet - preferably not at the same time!
Print Marked Items
The Kill Fee
Publishers Weekly.
263.41 (Oct. 10, 2016): p64.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Kill Fee
Fiona Veitch Smith. Lion Fiction, $14.99 (320p) ISBN 9781782642183
Smith (TheJazz Files) returns to formidable and spunky Poppy Denby, arts and entertainment editor for the
Daily Globe, in this inspirational whodunit set in postWWI London. As Poppy goes from covering a
Russian art exhibit to looking for a murderer and a missing Faberge egg, she takes on charming and
possibly nefarious Andrei Nogovski of the Russian embassy. With help from Rollo Rolandson, her boss;
fellow reporter Ike Garfield; aunt and suffragette Dot Denby; and best friend Delilah Marconi, Poppy
follows leads and discovers that people aren't always what they seem. Interspersed with Poppy's story are
flashbacks that center on a young Russian aristocrat and the nanny who saves her from the fate of the rest of
her family. The audience follows them as they cross the Russian landscape and wait to see how their story
intersects with Poppy's mystery. The complicated plot, involving a myriad of both White and Red Russians,
is offset by the list of characters at the beginning, reminding readers of numerous important names and their
allegiances. Smith weaves together a diverse cast, including both male and female characters in positions of
power, and depicting a variety of ethnicities and abilities without resorting to stereotypes. Embark with
upstanding, uplifting Poppy and her friends on a mystery involving jewel thieves, Russian royalty, murders,
sword fights, car chases, and secret tunnels. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"The Kill Fee." Publishers Weekly, 10 Oct. 2016, p. 64. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA466616183&it=r&asid=7377dde24d0f2f1f2f166063bafc48fe.
Accessed 10 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A466616183
The Kill Fee: Poppy Denby Investigates
BY FIONA VEITCH SMITH
Find & buy on
It’s October 1920 in London, and young reporter Poppy Denby finds herself in the midst of murder, Bolshevik intrigue, stolen Faberge eggs, and aristocratic Russian princess actresses. Poppy is only slightly distracted by her beau, widowed Daniel Rokeby, who is more ready than Poppy to move their relationship along. It’s up to Poppy to get ahead of the detectives investigating the murders and thefts, not only to see justice done but also to get the scoop on competing newspapers.
This is a light, fast read, well-written and with plenty of twists and eccentric characters—including playwright George Bernard Shaw, Rasputin assassin Prince Felix Yusopov, and even the Tsar and Tsarina—for there are episodes in the book that skip back in time. (The Romanovs, the wealthiest family in the world at the time, had been murdered in 1918.)
Smith warns readers about how complex the political scene was between the Russian Whites (supporters of the old order, or at least enemies of communism) and all the Red factions. No need to worry; she does a fine job of telling her story without political confusion, mostly by staying clear of politics. The confusion comes from the glut of characters, but again, not to worry. Smith helpfully offers an index of fictional and historical characters. There’s also a fine map of 1920 London at the front of the book.
All in all, an entertaining romp with nonstop action, a perky heroine, and quirky characters.
Book Review: The Kill Fee
Posted by Professor on January 16, 2017
in Uncategorized
inShare
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9781782642183
Poppy Denby, arts and entertainment editor at the Daily Globe, covers an exhibition of Russian art, hosted by White Russian refugees, including members of the surviving exiled Romanov royal family. There is an armed robbery, a guard is shot, and the largest Fabergé egg in the collection is stolen. While the egg itself is valuable, the secrets it contains within are priceless–secrets that could threaten major political powers.
Suspects are aplenty, including the former keeper of the Fabergé egg, a Russian princess named Selena Romanova Yusopova. The interim Bolshevik Russian ambassador, Vasili Safin, inserts himself into the investigation, as he believes the egg–and the other treasures–should all be restored to the Russian people.
Poppy, her editor, Rollo, press photographer Daniel, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. But soon the investigation takes a dark turn when another body is found and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect. The race is on to find both the key and the egg–can they be found before the killer strikes again?
Fiona Veitch Smith offers up another rollicking mystery set in 1920s London, when women’s emancipation, the Jazz Age, the consequences of the First World War, and the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution were rearranging the cultural landscape.
For more information about this book or other Kregel Publications please visit: http://www.kregel.com/fiction/the-kill-fee/