Sisters in Crime Australia is proud to announce that Danielle Cormack, star ofWentworth, will present its 22nd Scarlet Stiletto Short Story Awards at a gala dinner from 6.30pm, Saturday 28 November at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre.
This year 191 stories compete for the national awards which offer a record $9,350 in prize money plus the coveted trophy, a scarlet stiletto withits steel heel plunging into a perspex mount, for the overall winner.
At 8pm, prior to the award presentations, Danielle Cormack will discuss her ‘life in crime’ (and much more) with crime author and performer, Jane Clifton.
Danielle Cormack is currently shooting Season 4 of Foxtel’s Wentworth, as the lead, Bea Smith – a role where she is receiving stellar industry acclaim both in Australia and abroad. She is set to reprise her role as Scarlet Meagher in season 4 of Rake, which returns to ABC1 in October 2015.
The New Zealand born actress quickly came to prominence in Australia with her powerhouse performance in the leading role of Kate Leigh in Underbelly: Razor. Her other crime credits include Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, City Homicide and The Strip.Danielle’s success in Wentworth has lead to wins at the 2015 ASTRA Awards and 2015 Logies.
Michaela Lobb, the Scarlet Stiletto Awards wrangler, said that Jane Clifton was almost fated to present the awards with Danielle Cormack.
“Jane Clifton is an author, actress, singer and registered marriage celebrant but all these years later she is still most famous for her 1980-84 role as bank robber Margo Gaffney inPrisoner – the show that Wentworth is based on. Ironically, Prisoner was one of the last shows not to pay its cast for repeats,” Lobb said.
“Also back in the late 1970s Jane was a member of new wave band Stiletto. More recently, Jane has turned her hand writing crime novels. The latest is Flush, published by Clan Destine Press, headed by a fellow Sisters in Crime convenor, Lindy Cameron. Jane is also a long-standing member of Sisters in Crime.”
To date, 2,926 stories have been entered with 19 Scarlet Stiletto Award winners –including category winners – going on to have novels published: Cate Kennedy, Tara Moss, Angela Savage, Josephine Pennicott, Ellie Marney, Sarah Evans, Inga Simpson, Alex Palmer, Liz Filleul, Margaret Bevege, Patricia Bernard, Bronwen Blake, Jo McGahey, Cheryl Jorgensen, Kylie Fox, Simmone Howell, Emilie Collyer, Sandi Wallace and Amanda Wrangles. Another winner, Aoife Clifford, has a book coming out next year with Simon& Schuster in both Australia and the UK which will bring the total to 20.
A record 27 stories from all over Australia are on what Sisters in Crime calls its ‘shot list’. The details will be announced on Monday 9 November.
Every Cloud Productions, the producers of the internationally-acclaimed crime drama,Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, is for the first time offering sponsorship of the $1500 first prize.
Echo Publishing, the new adult publishing wing of The Five Mile Press, is the sponsor for 2nd prize ($1000). Long-time supporter, HarperCollins Publishing, is offering a new award for romantic suspense ($500).
Other sponsors include Sun Bookshop, Athenaeum Library; Allen & Unwin; HarperCollins Publishing; Arena Magazine; Clan Destine Press; Scriptworks; Benn’s Books; Ann Byrne; Kerry Greenwood; Catherine Leppert; Josephine Pennicott; and the Queensland Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
6 for 6.30pm Saturday 28 November 2015
Tickets: $65 (no concession) event and dinner. $25 (no concession) event only. Drinks available at bar prices. Men or ‘Brothers in Law’ welcome
Click here to book. Bookings close Monday 23 November. All seats are limited so book early — individually or in tables of up to 10:
Venue:Thornbury Theatre, Velvet Room, 859 High Street, Thornbury
Book stall: 10% discount for members from the Sun Bookshop stall.
Media comment: Michaela Lobb, National Co-convenor, Sisters in Crime0409 431 397.
Additional information: Carmel Shute, National Co-convenor, Sisters in Crime: 0412 569 356.