Hayley Young, who won the 28th Scarlet Stiletto Award for her outback police procedural, “Monster Hunters”, talked about her approach to writing and her aspirations with author and committee member, Karina Kilmore, for December’s Murder Monday.
Click on the image below to go to the YouTube recording.
Hayley not only won the coveted Scarlet Stiletto trophy and the prize money of $1500 but also took out the Scriptworks Award for Great Film Idea, worth $500.
This year’s awards – the 28th – attracted 241 entries, equal to last year’s record, all competing for $11,910 in prizes so Hayley’s achievements are considerable.
What’s even more remarkable is that Hayley is a pharmacist by trade and has only been writing fiction for a year, though she did a bit of writing when younger. And she’s had no formal training in literature.
But in that short time, Hayley has been shortlisted in five competitions – the 2020 Hammond House International Literary Prize, a UK flash fiction competition, and in three anthologies by Stringybark Publishing Australia.
Her writing crosses genres and “Monster Hunters” was your first stab at crime.
Hayley is now writing every day on top of a demanding job so no doubt further opportunities await her.
“Monster Hunters”, and all winning stories from the 28th Scarlet Stiletto Awards, are published in Scarlet Stiletto: The 13th Cut – $5 as an e-book from the publisher Clan Destine Press or $5.99 from Booktopia, Amazon, or iTunes.
Murder Monday interviews are available on Sisters in Crime’s YouTube channel at 6 pm once a month on a Monday.