How to ruin a perfectly good friendship (or plant the seed for a suspense thriller): Lyn Yeowart
A ‘confession’ by a friend about being an unmarried mother in the sixties implanted the idea behind Lyn Yeowart’s latest thriller, The Hollow Girl.
Author Blogs
Where authors talk directly about their life, their books and many more things.
Writing from the edge of civilisation: Nicole Crowe
Nicole grew up ‘in the arse end of nowhere’ – Magnetic Island – and crime fiction has been her salavation. Also, she might not know what a world-class flat white tastes like, but she does know how to spot a cone shell at ten paces
Are writers’ retreats worth it? January Gilchrist
Most writers return from retreats with renewed enthusiasm rather than finished manuscripts. But enthusiasm is underrated. After months of struggling with that Gothic novel, I’d forgotten that writing could feel urgent and exciting. Sometimes the most valuable thing about a retreat is how much it changes your perspective on the writing life itself.
Developing complex characters: Joanna Jenkins
Does anyone think they’re bad? That’s the question Joanne Jenkins asks. Read here how she researched this (most unusual!) and how it informed her development of complex characters.
Too Young To Know, Too Old To Listen: Joan Sauers
Not sure how old to make the protagonist in her Southern Highlands Mysteries series Joan Sauers took inspiration from the Baby Animals… ‘too young to know, too old to listen’. She explains why ….
Historical research ‘a kind of haunting’: Jacquie Pham
When you write novels set in the past, what is historical research? Jacquie Pham says ‘it’s a kind of haunting’. She explains more….
The Habit of Writing: Michelle Prak
Do you keep a diary? Michelle Prak talks about doing just that, how it informs her writing and how it also gives her the ammunition when someone queries a character.
Being a literary detective: Megan Brown
Is co-authoring a biography double the fun or twice the trouble? Megan Brown has co-authored Outrageous Fortunes, the story of Mary Fortune, a prolific and pioneering Australian crime writer. And what a life she led!
The real inspiration for No One Will Know: Rose Carlyle
This has to be one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring blog posts we’ve had. Rose Carlyle’s latest book – No One Will Know – is grounded in the story of her incredible grandmother and what flows from her extraordinary life.
We Owe So Much to Agatha Christie: Kate Emery
Kate Emery’s new book is set at a family beach holiday in Western Australia. My Family and Other Suspects is a mystery where, you know how it happens, there’s a murder and Ruth, the teenage murder mystery fan in the family, decides that she’s the one to investigate. As Kate says, it owes a lot to Agatha Christie.