For the July Crime Stack, Journey Towards Publishing has kindly offered 20 copies of Shadow over Edmund Street, by Victorian Sisters in Crime member, Suzanne Frankham. This debut novel has just been shortlisted for ACWA’s 2022 Ned Kelly Awards.
Writing is a craft, and like any other craft, it needs to be learnt. You would never pick up a paint brush for the first time and expect to be the next Picasso, and yet for some reason, we feel a sense of failure when we first start writing and it doesn’t read like Hemmingway (or, rather, Harper, Moriarty or McTiernan).
I’m curious about what sort of funny business plays out in these closed-off estates. What seedy habits warrant such high security? Why are the buildings so disturbingly identical? My theory is that the pristine gardens and fancy names are smoke and mirrors for fat, messy secrets.
If your life is getting back to normal and you only have time for a short series, I recommend Holding. Based on a novel by Graham Norton, it’s intelligent, compassionate and funny – and a who’s who of writers and actors.
Sue Williams has an unusual background for a crime writer. She has a PhD in marine biology and has worked as a science writer and chartered accountant. Her four novels featuring Cass Tuplin are set in the tiny town of Rusty Bore in the Mallee. Cass’s café might sell fish and chips but it’s a hell of a long way from the sea … Her latest book is Death at the Belvedere (just out with Text Publishing).
This series has stayed with me. The reason is Amanda Pharrell. The series is based on the book Crimson Lake by Sydney Sisters in Crime member, Candice Fox. Fox created a character in Amanda who is difficult to like and more difficult to understand. Nicole Chamoun plays her to perfection. She is compelling from her first appearance.
I’ve learned to keep going and get the words down, even when I feel under the pump, knowing I can always come back and edit later. And I’ve learned that research can be a rabbit hole! I spent days reading about witness protection in the UK, first-hand accounts of it, legislation, and how it works. It was fascinating though.
For the June Crime Stack, Affirm Press has kindly offered 20 copies of The Shadow House, a haunting psychological thriller from Anne Downes. When single mother Alex flees her abusive relationship and moves with her teenage son and baby girl to a rural ecovillage, she thinks she’s made the best decision of her life. But her arrival at Pine Ridge disturbs barely submerged secrets and this time there may be nowhere else to run.
One of the silver linings of two terrible years of lockdowns has been Zoom which has allowed Sisters in Crime to feature authors from all over Australia and parts beyond. It has enabled us to reach a national and indeed global audience, and to hold AGMs such as this where all members can participate, irrespective of geographical location. Temporarily, at least, we have overcome the tyranny of distance.
For the May Crime Stack, Scribe Publications has kindly offered 20 copies of All That I Remember About Dean Cola, the third novel by Victorian Sisters in Crime member, Tania Chandler.