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.

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Fabulous, feisty, fun & Phryne: How we celebrated the life of Kerry Greenwood

Over 140 Sisters in Crime and Brothers-in-Law gathered at the Hotel Windsor’s Grand Ballroom on Sunday (28/9) for Fabulous, feisty, fun & Phryne to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Kerry Greenwood. It was a grand location and a grand occasion. Almost everyone was ‘frocked up for Phryne’ – or ‘suited up’, as the case may be. As the host of the event, Sisters in Crime’s Ambassador Sue Turnbull remarked, Kerry would have been proud, and jealous she could not be there.

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Win a copy of Hot Ground

Fremantle Press is generously donating twenty copies of Hot Ground by Lisa Ellery for this month’s Crime Stack. Detective Jessy Parkin – sent to policing purgatory in the aftermath of a tainted investigation – is tasked with finding Max Cochrane, a veteran prospector who has vanished into thin air.

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“Women’s crime writing has come of age”: Sisters in Crime’s 25th Davitt Awards winners announced

“Australian women’s crime writing has well and truly come of age,” says Ruth Wykes, the Judges’ Coordinator for Sisters in Crime’s 25th Davitt Awards for best women’s crime and mystery books, which were announced on Friday night [5/9] in Melbourne’s Angliss Restaurant. “The Davitt Awards have transformed the literary landscape over the past three decades. …

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Sharp and engaging storytelling: Veronica Gorrie

Veronica Gorrie drew on her lived experience as a Gunai/Kurnai woman and former police officer for her book Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience (Scribe Publications). Through her sharp wit and engaging storytelling, she takes us on her journey as an Aboriginal person who joined the white, male-dominated Queensland police. 

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The Missing Girl by Kerry McGinnis

Kerry McGinnis’s latest novel The Missing Girl is a terrific little read, laced with gothic elements: a mysterious disappearance, secret compartments, hidden identities, betrayals and lies. And, of course, there’s always McGinnis’s trademark lick of romance.

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