Sisters in Crime

2011 Scarlet Stiletto Awards

Article by: Amanda Wrangles

Friday November 25^th was a big one. It was Stiletto time again.

Stiletto time, I hear you ask? Well, yes. Each year, Sisters in Crime Australia hold their short crime story competition. Those of us who enter year after year send off our criminal imaginings months prior to the event, and then try to forget about it while the judging process takes place. Usually by the end of October, those who’ve made the shortlist are notified – generally this is around 15 to 18 stories out of about 130 or so (of course it varies each year…) And then, on the last Friday in November, the big award night takes place. It’s a nail-biting evening full of good food, drinks and the most interesting company. I mean, where else would it be perfectly acceptable to talk murder and mayhem all night with a bunch of like-minded women?

Most years, during dinner and before the actual awards, the audience gets to hear from a special guest – say, an actress from a televised crime show. This year, however, four previous shoe winners were grilled on the art of writing short crime stories by long-time Sisters in Crime National co-convenor, Lindy Cameron. The line-up included Liz Filleul (2004 winner), Evelyn Tsitis (2008), Amanda Wrangles (um, yeah, that would be me for 2009) and Eleanor Marney (2010). Hopefully we kept the crowd entertained with tales of scribbling out words in between wrangling children.

Then it was on to the actual awards, presented by crime novelist PD (Phillipa) Martin. Special Commendations went to: Suzanne Gaskell, Amanda Carmen-Cromer, Robin Story, Marian Cox, Kerry James and Amanda Wrangles.

The Allen & Unwin Young Writers Award: co-winners were Mary Evans and Sarah Robinson-Hatch.
Judges Award (donated by Christine Leppert): Kim Westwood.
Scriptworks Great Film Idea Award: Fiona Drury.
Pulp Fiction Award for Funniest Crime Story: Sarah Evans.
Cate Kennedy Award for Best New Talent: Marguerite Johnson.
Olvar Wood Late Starters Award & also Benn’s Books Best Investigative Award: Anne Cost.
Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award: Vicky Daddo.
Third Prize: Carmela Salomon.
Clandestine Press Award for Cross Genre and Second Prize: Liz Filleul.

and finally, First Prize – Scarlet Stiletto trophy went to the fabulous Angela Savage for her story, ‘The Teardrop Tattoos’.

This was the first time in the award’s 18 year history that it was won by a crime writer with one or more crime novels already to her credit. Angela’s novels include ‘Behind the Night Bazaar’ and ‘The Half Child’, both of which feature PI Jayne Keeney, who made her first appearance in Angela’s 1998 3^rd prize winning Scarlet Stiletto story. Angela is a wonderful supporter of SinC, so we were all thrilled to see her take home the shoe. Over the years, a number of winners and category winners have gone on to publish novels. These include: Cate Kennedy, Angela Savage, Josephine Pennicott, Sara Evans, Inga Simpson, Alex Palmer, Liz Filleul, Margaret Bevege, Patricia Bernard, Bronwen Blake, Jo McGahey,Cheryl Jorgensen, Kylie Fox, Amanda Wrangles and Tara Moss. 2011 was also the first year the Judges Award was presented, and was taken home by Kim Westwood, author of novels ‘The Daughters of Moab’ and recently, ‘The Courier’s New Bicycle’ (you can read my review here).

As always, the 18^th Scarlet Stiletto Awards was a brilliant night. It was great to see lots of new faces among the ‘usual suspects’ – those whose names turn up year after year in the awards. I’m looking forward to next year’s competition where, as a new National Co-convenor and judge, I get to be on the other side of the judging process and READ all those criminally great stories!

PS – There are two ‘best of’ collections available from the eighteen years of Stiletto stories: ‘The First Cut’ and (surprisingly…) ‘The Second Cut’. Both are available through Clan Destine Press.

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THE GENESIS FLAW

L.A. LARKIN

ISBN: 978-1-74196-788-3

Reviewed by: Kylie Fox

The Genesis Flaw is one of the most fast-paced, educated thrillers I’ve read – ever – and it had me from the very first line.

He kicked the leather chair away and instantly the rope snapped tight.

The book opens with a suicide written in third person but very much from the point of view of the soon-to-be deceased. It was horrifying, intriguing, but most of all, believable. Larkin didn’t pull any punches with this death – the final thoughts, the final sights and the recalled memories are all on display, as are those last desperate attempts of a dying body to fight the mind that has made this decision. But there is no turning back – Tony Mancini, CEO and Senior Vice President of one of the biggest companies in the world, manufacturers of genetically modified foods is dead.

While his body still swings in his office, an intruder appears and is chillingly satisfied with the sight before him. He removes the suicide note that has been left on the desk and leaves the room. What secrets were contained within this last communication? Why would a man of such standing reach such a dramatic conclusion?

Within pages the reader is faced with yet another, very different, death. Serena Swift, our central protagonist, loses her father to cancer – an illness that she is sure has been caused by GeneAsis – the very company that Mancini had worked for.

And so it begins. Serena embarks on a mission to prove that GeneAsis was responsible for her father’s death and bring them to justice.

What she discovers is more far-reaching than she, or anyone else, could possibly imagine. Could GeneAsis’ genetically modified foods be responsible for thousands of deaths and birth defects worldwide?

And would a company like this, one of the largest, and richest, corporations in the world, really not disclose the negative effects of their products, thus choosing profits over lives?

This story is particularly poignant in a world currently obsessed with corporate greed and so much of this book has parallels to real world events that it’s a terrifying read. How much do we really know about the products we consume and the practices of the companies who produce them?

Serena soon learns that nobody – or almost nobody – can be trusted. This company is so powerful that government bodies, police departments and a fair portion of the world’s media is on its pay roll. Serena turns to a childhood friend (with whom a certain amount of “history” is shared), John,  an expert computer hacker, for assistance, and together they take on GeneAsis, attempting to take it down from the inside.

The stakes in this novel couldn’t be any higher. People are dying and millions more could die as a result of GeneAsis if they aren’t stopped. But with an unscrupulous company set to make billions of dollars, stopping them is never going to be easy. How Serena survives is a miracle unto itself!

Larkin has created a set of characters who are all too believable, from the heroes and villains at the core, to the large cast of supporting characters at the periphery. Their motives are clear and all of their actions are led by these.

This book doesn’t let go until a most satisfactory end. This was the most impressive part for me; there was no cop out at the end. The characters stayed true to form even at the conclusion.

A fantastic, smart read that I most certainly recommend.

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Hi all – here are my five in no particular order.

Stuart MacBride – Shatter the bones.    Love Logan and Steel.

Lee Childs – The Affair.    What’s to say, Reacher is the man.

Val McDermid – Trick of the dark.   Always surprises.

Marianne de Pierres – Burn Bright and Angel Arias.    A new world to play in.

Sue Grafton – U is for undertow.    Gotta love Kinsey.

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Diary Dates November (including the Scarlet Stiletto Awards)

Extra special newsletter with a few reminders about upcoming events. Don’t forget the Scarlet Stiletto Awards – scroll down for an adjustment in lineup, and a reminder about where.

• · Sunday Afternoon in Hastings with Four Local Authors
• · 18th Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards – new lineup

Sunday Afternoon in Hastings with Four Local Authors

From Serial Killers to Sawtoothed Bunnies

With Vikki Petraitis, Lindy Cameron and A.K. Wrox (Kylie Fox and Amanda Wrangles)

Read more

18th Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards – new lineup

In the first part of the evening, hear from The Famous Five – Sisters in Crime convenor and author, Lindy Cameron, in fierce debate about the art of the criminally good short story with four previous Scarlet Stiletto Award trophy winners: Eleanor Marney (2010); Amanda Wrangles (2009); Evelyn Tsitis (2007); and Liz Filleul (2009). Expect lashings of wine and much more.

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Author in Focus: Alan Baxter

Interview by: Kylie Fox

Alan Baxter is a British-born, Australian author, motorcycle enthusiast and martial arts instructor.

His dark fantasy duology RealmShift and MageSign are available from Gryphonwood Press. (See my review of RealmShift here.)

Alan is a prolific writer with short stories, novellas and novelettes appearing in many anthologies both in print and online. He also writes reviews and opinion pieces that are always informative and entertaining – you can find these on his blog The Word According to Me!
Alan’s expertise in martial arts ensures that he always writes the fight right – and he’s written an ebook with precisely that title to help other writers create believable fight scenes.

Alan has several stories due for release next year, you’ll find the details on his website.

Here’s a snippet of what’s happening in the world of Alan Baxter right now.
Kylie:  You have a short story making an appearance in “The One That Got Away”, a crime anthology to be released early next year. Can you tell us about that story and how you, who usually focuses more on horror and dark fantasy, came to be published in a crime anthology? (Alongside the likes of Lawrence Block and the boys from Crime Factory, no less!)
Alan: It’s very exciting this one – the ToC is awesome. Initially I thought I’d written a horror story, albeit a non-supernatural one. Two horror editors I submitted to both came back with, “This story is great, but it’s more a crime story than horror.” When I got that response the second time, I figured I should pay attention, so I sent it out to Dark Prints Press for their crime antho, the theme of which was perfect for the story. And that was that. I’ve always wanted to write more crime, and noirish tropes sneak into a lot of my work, so I guess it’s not that much of a leap.

Kylie: As I’ve said, most of your work falls more into the category of dark fantasy, but I’d argue that there is still very much a crime basis for most of your work. How do you think crime fits in with other genres?

Alan: I have trouble with genres in general. I usually tell people that I write dark speculative fiction, and that in itself crosses many genres. But I’ve always loved noir crime stories and mysteries and a lot of my speculative fiction is based around crime or mystery tropes. I think the ideas covered by crime fiction make wonderful fodder for stories of all kinds. And there is often a crime or mystery element in pretty much any story you can imagine.

Kylie: Do you think that too much emphasis is put on classifying books into genres given that so many blur the lines between one and another?

Alan: I really do. I understand that genres are necessary, and help people to understand what they might be in for, but I think they’re restrictive too. So many people say, “Oh, I don’t like science fiction” but they love Star Wars or Doctor Who. There are all kinds of SF, all kinds of fantasy and so on. In many ways it’s a carry over from brick and mortar book stores, who always need to shelve like books with like. With the advent of online shopping, categorising books by genre is becoming far less relevant.

Kylie: You write across several genres, including horror, dark fantasy, crime and science fiction – some even crossing several genres in the space of one story! For example, “Ghost of the Black: A ‘verse Full of Scum”, which is a very noir crimey sci fi novella.
What is it that characterises an “Alan Baxter” book, regardless of the genre?

Alan: That’s actually a really hard question to answer. I’m not sure I know! I always try to tell a fast-paced exciting story that delves into the human condition in one way or another. Most, thought not all, of my stories have some kind of supernatural, magical or science-fictional angle. Many have a crime or mystery premise, though certainly not all. All my fiction does tend to be dark, often verging on horrific. But I’ve written some lighter stuff and even the occasional happy ending. Although most of my happy endings, few though they are, are quite bittersweet. I hope that an Alan Baxter book is recognisable more by my voice and style than by any common theme. And in the end, I don’t really mind if people recognise an Alan Baxter story as being that or not – I just hope they enjoy and are entertained by my work. The work itself, and people’s enjoyment of it, is more important to me than my recognition as the author.

Kylie: You have a novelette being serialised in four parts starting in January. The idea of serialising, though not a new idea (thank you, Mr Dickens!) is making a resurgence in popularity. Do you see this as one of the possible “new waves” of the future of publishing given the state of “traditional” publishing at the moment?

Alan: Most definitely. I originally serialised Ghost Of The Black on my website, posting a new episode every Monday for 34 weeks during 2008, though it’s available complete as an ebook now. Ebooks and online magazines are giving new life to two classic forms of writing – the serial and the novella, both of which I love. And both of which are notoriously hard to sell. I’m really pleased with the serial coming out in January. It’s about 18,000 words, so long novelette/short novella length, but I think that’s a perfect length for this sort of story. It’s being published by a great online magazine called The Red Penny Papers, who publish regular e-issues of short fiction, interspersed with serialised longer work.

This story, The Darkest Shade Of Grey, is one of the best things I’ve written to date (if I may say so myself) so I’m really excited to see it published. It’s another dark urban fantasy that uses some crime tropes as its base – a rather broken, alcoholic reporter, with some supernatural power of his own, stumbles across what could be the story of his career. But it’s a mystery that he starts to unravel at his peril.

I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of these kinds of publications now that online and ebook publishing is gaining such momentum, and I think that’s great for authors, emerging and established alike. Apart from anything else, readers can get a feel for an author’s work with a smaller commitment of time and money by reading novella-length or serialised work, which may then tempt them to go and buy that author’s novel-length work.
Kylie: On the same note, how do you see trends in publication and the consumption of books changing in the near future?

Alan: I think ebooks will quickly become our primary consumption medium for stories. Print books will never go away completely, but they’ll become more artefacts, in limited editions, or available print-on-demand rather than offset print runs. I see this as a good thing – our bookshelves will only hold our most treasured physical artefacts, yet we’ll have access to thousands of great stories at a reduced cost, on a single device, saving trees and space. And hopefully, given the greater ease of access to ebooks in the developed world, we’ll see authors selling more stories, and readers trying out more authors too.

Print books will still be essential, especially to get stories and knowledge out to places without ebook technology, or even power to charge devices, but print-on-demand makes that a very viable prospect. It wouldn’t surprise me if, not long from now, pretty much all releases are mainly ebooks, with POD options available.
Kylie: Purely a question for my own benefit, are we going to see a third book featuring the fabulous Isiah (RealmShift & MageSign) any time soon?

Alan: I’ve been asked this question a fair bit. RealmShift and MageSign are a duology, and complete in that sense. There are two Isiah short stories out there – Stand Off, published by Wily Writers, and Running Wild With The Hunt, published by Seven Realms in their anthology, The Game.

I do love the Isiah character and would love to write more with him, but I would need a really good idea. Through the course of RealmShift and MageSign he become very powerful and I think I covered a lot of what he was about, so I don’t want to just churn out more for the sake of it and devalue him as a character. So, nothing in the schedule, but never say never.
Kylie: What’s next for Alan Baxter?

Alan: I’m currently working on a new series, most likely a trilogy. It’s set in the same “universe” developed in RealmShift and MageSign, but with all new characters. There is a very brief Isiah cameo in the first book, and some secondary characters from MageSign crop up as well. The first book is written and out looking for a publisher right now and I’m getting close to halfway on the second. The third in that series is just a small collection of notes and ideas at the moment.

Otherwise I’m always working on short fiction. As well as The Darkest Shade of Grey at Red Penny Papers and In The Name Of The Father in The One That Got Away, I have a sci-fi/horror story coming out in Midnight Echo 6, which should be available any time now, and a sci-fi/horror yarn in Anywhere But Earth, a fantastic anthology from Coeur De Lion, which has just been published and is available now. There are a couple of other short stories slated for publication next year, and hopefully more all the time.

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Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5

Reviewed by: Janette Dalgliesh

You would expect an autobiography from Dame Stella Rimington, the first woman Director-General of MI5, to be fascinating. And you’d be right.

But perhaps not for the reasons you might expect.

This is not the licence-to-kill world of James Bond, even though Judi Dench’s “M” was apparently inspired by Rimington. This is the real world of a major secret service, seen through the eyes of a woman who worked “at the coalface” for many years, and who believes passionately in the importance of openness and effective communication.

As she puts it “excessive secrecy harms the position of our vital security services rather than protecting it”.

It’s also the world of a working woman, treading the familiar path of juggling career, husband, children and social change. But it’s a brutal and uncomplaining insight into the extra burden faced by a woman working for an idiosyncratic, secretive and—at least to begin with—antiquated secret service replete with eccentric characters, internal tensions and mind-bending bureaucracy.

Following the terrors of a childhood in the Blitz, Rimington did not start out with any concept of working in the secret services. She attained a degree in English from the University of Edinburgh and began a career as an archivist, demonstrating from the beginning a respect for accurate and well-managed information.

The path which took her from those everyday beginnings, via the restrictive life of a diplomatic wife, and on to the top position at MI5 is remarkable. Not because it’s full of conspiracies and secrets and danger and adventure—although there are plenty of those sprinkled liberally throughout —but because it’s the story of a real woman, with a set of experiences that most of us can relate to.

It’s true that most of us have not been forced out of our homes by an intense and poorly managed media circus, following the announcement of our appointment to a job. And most of us haven’t had to lie to our children about our work. But we can relate to the initial feelings of helplessness and frustration at seeing our loved ones impacted unfairly by our career choices. And we can relate to the moments of taking charge, to find the best solution available at the time.

And that’s what appeals so much about Rimington and her story. She has a quintessentially commonsense approach to everything, whether it’s an urgent call from her child’s school interrupting an important meeting, car troubles in Afghanistan or a sensitive first contact with a wannabe KGB defector.

Her loyalty to the democratic process, and her capacity to remain detached from any particular political ideology, shine through every page. But they don’t stop her from sharing revealing moments in her dealings with the leaders of the day. One of my favourite stories was the much-anticipated first visit by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to MI5. No doubt Thatcher’s reputation as the “Iron Lady” helped motivate staff in ensuring everything was perfect for her arrival. But after all their hard work, Thatcher’s only concern appeared to be that her whisky wasn’t strong enough.

When Rimington joined the service in 1967, many of the old paradigms still existed. By the time she retired in 1996, she had been instrumental in triggering, implementing or overseeing many significant changes. With typical modesty, she credits many other people for those changes, but it’s clear that her presence and her actions over the years provided a major contribution.

Rimington was the first woman permitted to undertake field work, and it was her cleverly subtle tactics which finally set MI5 on the path to gender equity in pay and conditions. As Director-General she successfully oversaw the publication of a small booklet about MI5 which revealed publicly, for the first time, details of the service’s activities, operations and duties. Behind the scenes, she was involved at senior levels during the long overdue legislative changes which created better accountability and controls for the service.

Perhaps the clearest demonstration of these major cultural changes lies in the area of recruiting.

In the earliest days of the secret service, born in 1909, and for many years afterwards, new staff were recruited via a discreet tap on the shoulder from someone already inside. In 1967, Rimington herself only discovered she was actually working for MI5 after she agreed to assist one of the First Secretaries at the High Commission in India with his office work. Not surprisingly, this approach to hiring staff resulted in a cloning of existing staff and a resultant intensifying of eccentricities and paranoia. In recent decades the system has been radically overhauled and the old boys’ club approach dissolved.

These days, of course, one applies to join MI5 online.  I can’t help thinking Rimington would thoroughly approve.

If you’re looking for a spill-the-beans spy romp, this might fit the bill. Rimington certainly spills plenty of beans, not on operational details (which, as she points out, would put lives at risk), but on the deeper, far more important aspects of the secret service.

If you’re in the market for plenty of conspiracies, eccentricities, plots and counter-plots, and an intriguing insight into the mind-twisting machinations of government and the Civil Service, this would do very well.

And if you like a well-told insight into the very human lives of those who take responsibility, usually unknown and unheralded, for our safety—then look no further. This is the book for you.

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Reviewed by Cels Jansink:

There’s a new designer in town- and she has Pandora in her sights. Who knew the fashion industry could be so venomous.

It’s now been two months since Pandora first moved to the mysterious Spektor to live with her equally mysterious Great-Aunt Celia. And it’s certainly been anything but boring. She’s encountered counting-obsessed vamps, ghosts, zombies and a myriad of characters she never thought possible.

Now there’s a new threat to New York, and Pandora seems to be a beacon for the strange and unexplained. As if dealing with her snarky boss and trying to work out just what being “The Seventh” means wasn’t enough, she’s again found herself barrelling head first into more trouble. And then there’s Lieutenant Luke…….

The Spider Goddess will deftly ensnare you in its web from the very first page, and hold you tight to the very last.  Packed with mystery, evil intentions and things that go bump in the night, Pandora’s world is breathtakingly addictive. The plot has almost a liquid feel and will sweep you away on its current as you pick through the layers of mystery right beside Pandora.  Moss has created a world that is dark, Gothic, uniquely funny and often downright terrifying without an overt morbid feel. Pandora has fast become my favourite heroine and I can’t wait to see what danger she leads us into next.

If you haven’t entered the mystifying Spektor yet- make it your next must visit destination. Just beware you may never look at spiders the same way again, or leave home without pockets full of rice.

The next stunning Pandora adventure “The Skeleton Key” is due for release in 2012.

The Spider Goddess- Tara Moss

Pan Macmillan

ISBN:978-1-7426-1003-0

324 Pages.

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Fatal Flaw by Sandy Curtis

Published by Clan Destine Press
Trade Paperback, 259 pages
ISBN: 978 0 980 790 092 (pbk)
ISBN: 978 0 987 160 447 (ebook)

Reviewed by: Gaile Hughes

A tantalising read that I fully recommend!
Fatal Flaw, by Queensland author Sandy Curtis, is a powerful, intense thriller about power, betrayal, old loyalties and how past actions and events can shape the future.  It also explores the relationship between children and their parents and emerging love through friendship.

Mark Talbert works for the government in a very secret capacity; his major brief is terrorism.  Having been shot in the line of duty, he’s taking some time out to reassess his life when he receives a message that cuts short his trip trekking the Queensland highlands – and changes everything.

There has been a break-in at home and his father murdered.

Mark returns home for the funeral, but it is soon apparent that not all is as it seems.

Comforting his step mother at the service is his old childhood friend Julie.  Julie, now a single mum, was someone he could always feel comfortable with and confide in.  Later, over drinks, he is surprised at the depth of his feelings for her and the intense sexual arousal that sparks between them.  Exchanging phone numbers they part with a sense of anticipation.

Mark stays at his father’s house to put all of his affairs in order. Within days, another break-in, this time the intruder knocking Mark unconscious. Surely two break-ins at the same residence and within days of each other cannot be coincidence?

A visit soon after from Mark’s agency informs him that Julie’s father is in business with ‘persons of interest’.  Mark is ordered to investigate him, will this deception cost him their new and beautiful relationship?

Seemingly unrelated deaths may be connected to both Julie and Mark’s fathers, and Mark must stay one step ahead of the enemy in order to keep Julie and her son Andy safe. Then her father unknowingly places her in the hands of a terrorist, one who is about to unleash unspeakable horror on the city. However, is there more than one enemy at work?

I loved this story because it had all the usual suspects of a murder, intrigue, international terrorism, and good versus evil, all interwoven with a beautiful love story.

This is Sandy Curtis’ sixth book and the second outing for Mark Talbert, (Dangerous Deception). It is a fast moving, intriguing suspense thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

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As some of you will know the first Tara Sharp whodunit appeared on Facebook and was then repeated on this website. Because of FB’s copyright I decided to discontinue them.

Now I’m delighted to say, they’ll be starting again but this time on a tumblr site. It will also host titbits about Tara’s life and loves!

http://tarasharp.tumblr.com

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Diary date – 8pm Friday November 25 – Scarlet Stiletto Awards, Rising Sun Hotel, corner Raglan Street & Eastern Road, South Melbourne. Presenter: TV crime actor (TBC)

Don’t forget to have a look at the Sisters in Crime website which is updated regularly and has tons of reviews, news, information and opportunities: www.sistersincrime.org.au

And HUGE congrats to Mandy Wrangles who is the new Sisters in Crime Convenor for the Victorian Chapter. Well done, Mandy!

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