St Kilda Writers Week
30 September – 7 October
stkildawritersweek.com

Jacqui Horwood interrogates crime writers Sarah Bailey, Katherine Kovacic and Emma Viskic about the popular appeal of crime fiction.

Sarah Bailey took up a life in crime (writing) after 15 years in the advertising industry. She now has two crime thrillers featuring Detective Gemma Woodstock under her belt: The Dark Lake (which in 2018 won the Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for Best Debut Book and the ACWA Ned Kelly Award for First Fiction) and Into the Night (Allen & Unwin). She is now working on the third book in the series. In late 2017, Hopscotch Features secured film rights to The Dark Lake.

Katherine Kovacic is an art historian and former veterinarian. She enjoys writing, dancing the tango and teaching dogs cool tricks. The Portrait of Molly Dean, about the 1930 murder of Elwood writer and artist’s model, was her debut novel, and a new Alex Clayton art mystery will be released in March (Echo Publishing, a Bonnier Zaffre imprint).

Emma Viskic is a classically trained clarinettist turned crime writer. Resurrection Bay (Echo Publishing), her critically acclaimed debut novel featuring deaf sleuth Caleb Zelic, has sold to numerous territories. It won the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction; an unprecedented three Sisters in Crime Davitt awards; and is shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious CWA Gold Dagger and New Blood awards (to be announced on 25 October). And Fire Came Down, the sequel, won the 2018 Davitt Award for Best Adult Novel, and was launched to the UK market at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August. The series was recently optioned for TV by a US studio.

Compere Jacqui Horwood is a librarian, a denizen of the inner west, former Sisters in Crime convenor and current Davitt Award judge wrangler. Her crime stories have appeared in e-zines and anthologies, and been shortlisted for various competitions. She likes her crime hard-boiled and her eggs sunny side up. Jacqui won the 2003 Scarlet Stiletto Trophy and the special Silver Stiletto Trophy presented in 2016 at SheKilda3, Sisters in Crime’s 25th anniversary convention.

Venue:
The Ember Lounge
MEMO Music Hall, 88 Acland Street, St Kilda

Tickets:
$20 (no concessions)

Bookings:
Trybooking