Kylie, Mandy, Gaile and I had a wonderful time at She Kilda and we’ve put together a little round up for you!
Mandy says:
For me, the SheKilda experience began months ago, when I found myself part of the planning committee, and the illustrator for some of the merchandise that was on sale at the convention. The months leading up to the big weekend were full of sleepless nights, constant sharing of tweets, blogs, Facebook posts and an overflowing inbox. Little did I know that the lack of sleep wasn’t going to end prior to the convention itself – oh, no – SheKilda was a weekend packed full of authors, panels, books, friends (old and new) and more than anything, laughs.
Officially, my weekend duties included playing contributing author and signing at the ‘Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut’ book launch with a gaggle of other writers, teaching a workshop on writing for the Scarlet Stiletto competition with fellow shoe winner and judge Jacqui Horwood, (hopefully we were able to impart some sort of good advice), and appearing on the panel ‘The Hand That Rocks The Cradle’ with Kylie Fox, Angela Savage, Leigh Redhead and Tara Moss. We’re all mums who write crime, with varying experience – both in the motherhood and writing areas. Not only was it a privilege to appear alongside such experienced authors, but it was a hell of a lot of fun, too. I also had the chance to play with a ‘dead’ body for the final scene of the convention – but I’ll let Kylie fill you in on that one!
Unofficially, SheKilda meant a weekend of way too much fun. And friends. And laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. Highlights included catching up with the fabulous Marianne Delacourt herself, spending too much time at the bar with South African Queen of Crime, Margie Orford (who had some great tales to tell about mixing motherhood and writing). But most of all, I came away with the feeling that the second SheKilda was just the beginning. The community of women crime writers in Australia is astoundingly talented and supportive of one another – and it can only get bigger and better from here.
Kylie says:
What a weekend SheKilda was! Over sixty women crime authors and experts, legions of fans and readers of the genre, a “dead” body on the pool deck, oh, and me!
I went along to SheKilda not really knowing what to expect and incredibly nervous because of that. I’ve been to plenty of Sisters in Crime events and seen many panels with these amazing authors and, often, had the opportunity to meet and chat to them. But this was to be my first time actually participating in panels – somehow without my noticing I’d become one of them!
By them, I mean those author-people that I have revered for so long. But need I have worried? In a word – no. SheKilda blended those author-people with readers and fans flawlessly, so that there was no differentiating between the two. Not sure what to say? It only took a simple, “what are you reading?” and the conversation flowed. How could it not?
I survived my panels – in fact I actually managed to enjoy myself – thanks to the marvellous co-panellists and chair-persons, who put me at my ease and enabled me to chat.
The weekend was a blur of key-note speeches, a book launch, incredibly funny, inspiring and informative panels, an awards night, too many drinks at the bar with a certain international guest and wonderful conversations.
But what will be my lasting impression of SheKilda? The camaraderie, that “sisterhood” if you’ll excuse the term, that I’ve never known to exist anywhere else. There was no hierarchy, or none that I was made to feel – the most successful writers mingled with the newbies like me but made us feel like their peers. Every single woman at the convention was inspiring in one way or another and every single one of them was encouraging and friendly.
We have some amazing talent in this country, as this convention showcased, but of equal importance, we have a support network that I think, is beyond compare.
Gaile says:
What is a ‘newbie writer’ doing at a crime convention where 66 panellists including published authors, reviewers, cops, publishers, forensic specialists and journalists were present – having a ball that’s what. The conference started with a bang on Friday evening with a cocktail party, and there was an excited happy buzz to the room. I have to say I had a few ‘Linda Blair’ moments as my head spun from side to side, to catch sight of one or the other of the abundance of celebrity authors.
However, these were not authors from on high. These were enthusiastic, joyous, incredibly warm women, who chatted with you, encouraged you, and even listened to your half-baked plots and uncertain ramblings about writing.
This wasn’t a conference where the authors congregated in their own little conclaves. That night I shared a chat and a drink with an international guest, the following day at lunch another author talked about her endeavours to get published. The workshops and panels were informal, enlightening and a huge success. And yes, those authors were still enthusiastic, still very ready to share and a sheer joy to listen to.
I think Lindy Cameron Co-convenor of the conference summed it up best – ‘Our modus operandi is fun – we’re a literary clan where a good crime is had by all.’ Amen to that!
Marianne says:
I’m on deadline, so my round up will be very brief. Simply, it was the best weekend I’ve had in a long time, full of inspiring women doing interesting important things. I came back totally recharged! Much kudos to Lindy Cameron, Carmel Shute and all the organisers for an amazing experience.
Holy crap! Did any of you catch the new program, Ringer, on Channel Ten on Sunday night? (9:30 October 9th)
What a gripping hour it was. I could NOT believe my eyes and as for the twist in the storyline, I think it just broke the mould on how to write a psychological thriller.
K here’s the gist. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays identical twins Bridget and Siobhan (pronounced Shy-bon). Bridget is a recovering druggie and alcoholic, awaiting a court date where she’ll testify against a murderer who understandably doesn’t want to go to jail. Siobhan is the New York socialite complete with husband, penthouse apartment, and high-flying life.
Siobhan asks to reunite with the sister she didn’t want to know up until now. Bridget squirms her way out of her court appointment and they meet in the Hamptons. A day trip on a boat turns crazy nasty when Siobhan goes missing. Bridget assumes her sister’s identity to avoid having to give evidence and to keep her sister’s death a secret.
But seriously, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The storyline is so gnarled and twisted that missing an episode would mean nothing in future episodes would make sense.
Did Siobhan kill herself? Was she murdered?
This is such a far cry from Buffy that the only thing in common is the lead actress, the rest is flipped out crazy, but in the way we all like.
I have a confession to make. I’d love to be a fearless traveller, jet-setting my way around the world, getting to know the intimate secrets of exotic cities and distant locations, trekking Nepal or riding bareback across Mongolia.
But the reality is, I like my pillow too much. I might talk it up big, but scratch the surface and I want five-star comfort, my own hire car, decent roads and an early night with a good book.
I’m not much of a traveller.
The good news is, I don’t have to be. I watch loads of documentaries that take me deep into remote rainforests, up impossible mountain heights and across windswept savannah. But my favourite way to virtual-travel, without a doubt, is between the pages of good crime fiction.
Location can appear so powerfully in crime fiction that it almost becomes a character in the story. For me, a strong sense of place is not essential in other kinds of fiction. As long as I have enough visual information to imagine the characters and figure out what they’re doing, it doesn’t usually matter what city or village or paddock they’re in.
But with crime fiction, that sense of place is enthralling. And without it, a book just won’t do it for me. Obviously that’s one reason I’m a fan of Tara Sharp, with her connection to the rarely-explored and rich variety that is Perth, one of my favourite cities in the world!
So why is location important? To begin with, from a purely practical point of view, the local legal system matters. Can civilians carry weapons? What powers do police or private investigators have? Are vigilantes accepted and encouraged? What other agencies – government or otherwise – might exist? Which drugs are legal, or at least decriminalised? How about prostitution? Bioethical issues?
At a deeper level, location provides a connection to the cultural and political landscape through which our heroes move, and the societal norms that prevail. What gender roles are standard? Are there tensions between the rhetoric of law-and-order and the reality of widespread corruption? Is there a war brewing, or are we in the aftermath of one? How are children viewed—as rare and precious beings, or a cheap and easy workforce?
Each of these can provide key narrative elements for a writer, in endless combinations.
But for me, the best part of a good location is the visceral, sensual flavour of it. The tiny details which bring a place to life. The crawling traffic. The hot dry dust. The frozen wastes. The malls and diners, the scrubby bush, the pubs and theatres and churches and brothels and dives.
Shane Maloney’s version of Melbourne is very like the real Melbourne that I’m familiar with, and he draws it for the reader with fine dexterity, backed up by excellent research. For his bumbling amateur detective, Murray Whelan, the political climate isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a crucial part of his life. Whelan connects with, and gets embroiled in, a variety of typically Melbourne sub-cultures. The older, darker forces of the union movement, the incestuous world of arts politics and the worst of sleazy sports corruption all come under the microscope—and they do it in ways that unmistakeably spell out “Melbourne”. This isn’t just about geography or the layout of a park; it’s about the soul of the place and I love to visit!
Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books have a similar effect on me, even though her Egypt is that of the 1890s through to the 1920s, now long gone. She takes us from the archaeological digs of Dashur, Amarna and Luxor, replete with heat, sand and musty, bat-filled burial chambers, to the filth-strewn back alleys of Cairo and the colonial extravagances of Shepheard’s Hotel. I know this is fiction, but it resonates with my childhood memory of the old Semiramis Hotel, where I stayed in an opulent suite with my mother, and our trip to the Great Pyramids. That faint echo between her fictional, historical Egypt and the Egypt of my own history, is sufficient to let me relax into the rest of her locations.
Alexander McCall Smith has written several different series of books, each set in different locations. The location I’m familiar with is Edinburgh, home to his 44 Scotland Street series. His description of “…the towering stone edifice of Warrender Park Terrace, with its giddy attic windows breaking out of the steep slate roofs…” takes me straight back my time in that city. I even lived in an apartment building up four flights of stairs, exactly as described in the first novel, 44 Scotland Street—right down to the musty smell in the flatshare bedroom. Ah, memories…
So it’s not surprising that when I read his No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, I feel confident relaxing into his depiction of Botswana and the world of Mma Precious Ramotswe, where formality and good manners are the order of the day and the mysteries can as easily be a missing dog, a husband devoured by a crocodile or even suspected muti killings. It’s a wonderfully exotic and deeply foreign place for this white-bread, London-born, middle-class girl.
Janet Evanovich’s version of New Jersey, as seen through her Stephanie Plum series, is no less exotic. Although Plum is a product of “the burg”, a respectable, all-American, blue-collar corner of Trenton, she embraces the fact that crazy drivers, armed madmen, sticky heat and unbreathable air are all part of the landscape in Jersey. I suspect I’d find Plum’s Jersey utterly terrifying, but I love to visit through the pages of Evanovich’s books.
Perhaps one day I’ll get my travelling mojo on, and visit Botswana and New Jersey, and all those other places detectives do their thing. But for now when I catch myself jonesing for somewhere different, I’ll take myself off to fiction-land.
With Drew Barrymore at the helm of this project, you would be mistaken for thinking this was all about the boobs and butt and less about the heart. Who can forget the lollypop wielding Cameron Diaz doing the bum dance in her undies and telling the delivery guy he can stick things in her slot. Mm There’s some quality script writing.
This is the reloaded; yes that’s the new buzzword “Reloaded”, version of the 1970’s TV show that shot Farrah Fawcett to hair style fame.
For anyone who hasn’t managed to see some of the reruns, the current series, or the movies of which there were two; the foundation storyline is about the rich Charlie Townsend (voiced this time around by Victor Garber) giving ex-cons a second chance to use their skills, previously used for personal gain and criminal activity, to fight crime and injustice in and around Miami Florida.
Abbey was a high society cat burglar, Kate was a good cop gone corrupt, Eve was an expert at boosting high end cars, and Gloria was a military girl gone bad. The girls are helped with technology by the computer hacker expert/ tax fraud king Bosley played by the smoulderingly hot Ramone Rodriguez.
Episode one, Angel with a Broken Wing, has the girls Abbey (Rachael Taylor) Kate (Annie Ilonzeh ) and Eve (Minka Kelly) trying to crack a child smuggling operation that just happens to have connections with the death of their fellow Angel, Gloria (Nadine Velazquez).
Between the explosions, the cat suits, the death defying climbing scenes, the grand entrances, and the hot cars, there’s a half decent storyline that was easy enough to follow. There wasn’t too much foretelling, though at times you were wondering why they were wipping out their Ipads (or whatever tablet product it was) and not just flipping the information up on a big screen tv. WiFi people.
If you’re looking for an entertaining show that won’t make your brain hurt and has more double sided celebrity tape than an Oscars red carpet, check it out. The premier timeslot was 7:30pm on Channel 9. Who knows what time it could be moved to depending on ratings. Check your local TV Guides for next week’s episode.
Arrabella Candellarbra & the Questy Thing to End All Questy Things is the debut novel for newly minted author, A K Wrox.
It’s clear from the outset that this isn’t your average bodice-ripping, er, fairy tale, well um… comic fantasy and romance – with a hint of the erotic. Yes, it does have a heroine, a hero, a fairy prince and the wisest of all wizards, and yes, it’s a quest story. It’s all these things and much, much more.
The author’s crazy creativity is sheer genius. Arrabella Candellarbra is an adventure filled to the brim with quirky pop culture references and double, no triple, entendres. It’s reminiscent of those much-vaunted full-bodied wines that leave the tasters or, in this case, the readers, with a fabulous story that lingers, plays with the mind, and threatens, even days later, to gurgle and burble into full-bellied laughter.
You won’t want to put this story down; you’ll leap from one page-turning moment to the next. The brilliant repartee and endless witticisms will hold you in thrall until the last page. Then, like me, you’ll pick it up and read it again, in case you missed some morsel of mirth.
The story? Well it’s about Arrabella the chosen one; Lord Gary, the wisest of wise wizards; Prince Jim, the very fey fairy prince; and Lord Langley Kilkenny, the perfect specimen of manliness. Their quest has them pitted against the evilest of evil beings: the crone, Betty Sue, and her dastardly minions: the Barrella Monkeys, the Vicious-Tongued Frogs and, worst of all, the Sawtoothed Bunnies.
It’s also about love, lust, loyalty, sexual shenanigans, high kicking carry-ons, side-splitting hilarity, naughty to-dos, trickeries and troubles.
I’ve had the privilege to read this first offering by A.K. Wrox (who in reality is the talented duo of Amanda Wranglesand Kylie Fox) and can’t recommend it more highly. Both authors have taken honours in the Sisters in Crime Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards and individually write in other genres.
This is a tale of epic and hilarious proportions and while they may think that they’ve completed their story, I feel that the reading public will demand much, much more.
Marianne here: I just wanted to pop in with some news.
Firstly HUGE CONGRATS to AK Wrox (Kylie Fox and Mandy Wrangles who are both treasured writers with MDPWeb) on the launch of their book Arrabella Candelabra today. We’ll have a review of it for you very soon.
Secondly, Tara Sharp 3 is powering along with Tara having adventures on the streets of Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Who knew a place could be so dangerous! Very soon she’ll be heading home to Perth where things don’t let up!
Lastly, I’ve been reading Tana French and I have to say I haven’t enjoyed a series of crime novels so much ever. I’m not skim reading at all (a bad habit I have) but am enjoying every single word. Brilliant characterisation! Would love to meet the author. If you haven’t read them then YOU SHOULD!
You don’t need to be a cop to catch the baddies any more. Well, to be honest, in crime fiction you never did—from Nero Wolfe to our own Tara Sharp, private investigators have been outsmarting both cops and crims for decades.
But I’ve never fancied the life of a PI, so I’ve been checking out other options. Here are my top picks.
It seems that would let me interview suspects, wield a gun (even better if it’s comical), collect clues and get my hands on any amount of sexy high-tech gadgetry. Best of all, I’m likely to be surrounded by cops who just aren’t quite as smart as me, so I’ll get to explain the science to them in condescending tones, and that has to be fun.
Perhaps there’s an opening for a series with a forensic accountant (Cashed Out) or a forensic astronomer (Death Stars)? Perhaps not.
Psychologist
Although the cops and other agencies have their own profilers, the real fun happens when you let the civilians loose on the scene.
There’s the expert who can tell when you’re lying, like Tim Roth’s wonderfully eccentric Cal Lightman in Lie to Me. With a dodgy past and a distinctly personal set of morals, he loves nothing better than to outwit the cops.
Or how about The Mentalist, reformed carnie and scam artist, played by Australia’s own Simon Baker. He can manipulate and second-guess his way through any case. But his recent success in catching—and killing—the man who murdered his wife and kids will land him in jail.
And all that walking around in a murderer’s mind can’t be fun. Poor old Cracker was a train wreck of a man, and I’m sure his job had something to do with it. No, that’s not for me either.
Amateurs
I’m using the old meaning of the word amateur, from the same Latin expression that gives us the word amorous, is “someone who does something for the love of it”. Amateur sleuths do it for the love of it, not in order to get paid or because they have another agenda (such as doing research).
Here we find Miss Marple and Lord Peter Wimsey, pottering about the English countryside or the streets of London, investigating murders simply because they can.
Amelia Peabody fits here, too, along with her archaeologist husband Radcliffe Emerson. During expeditions to Egyptian digs, she and her family tumble in and out of murder, espionage and intrigue in a most satisfying way.
But the true amateur sleuth either has a job which supports and allows for their ratiocination (as Amelia would say); or has independent means. Which leaves me out of the picture.
Writer
Now that’s more like it! These are some of my favourite crime fighters—the WRITERS.
These days, bestselling crime writer Richard Castle (the gorgeous Nathan Fillion—pause for moment of fangirl distraction) has teamed up with cop Kate Beckett to keep murder to a minimum in New York City. In a dizzying display of circular promotions, a real novel entitled Heat Wave was released in 2009. The novel features a fictionalised version of the already fictional Castle (are you still with me?)—who enters into a partnership with Nikki Heat, the character inspired by (the fictitious) Castle’s own (fictitious) relationship with (fictitious) Kate Beckett. Now the (fictitious) Castle even has his own (real) website.
No, that’s all too complicated for me.
Solution
I’ve got it! I’m simply going to let the sleuths and PIs and consultants and cops and writers do their jobs, while I kick back and enjoy from the comfort of my couch. I can even yell the solution at the TV screen when I figure it out before they do. Perfect.
In the stunning latest offering from forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, we enter a world of fast cars, cold cases, right-wing politics and stonewalling from the FBI.
When a hand is found submerged in a rusty drum packed with asphalt at the dump next to the Charlotte raceway; Tempe Brennan knows things are going to get complicated. After all, it is race week and the reporters are already circling the story like sharks after bait, but before a proper examination can be carried out, the FBI confiscate the evidence and conveniently have it destroyed.
No one gets between Dr Brennan and her quest for answers – not even the Feds. When a NASCAR engineer brings her the story of the 12 year old disappearance of his sister and her boyfriend, Tempe is more determined than ever to discover the truth. Only problem is more bodies pop up than answers.
I must admit I am a huge fan of Reichs but the last few novels had, in my opinion, fallen a little flat. Thankfully, “Flash and Bones” has the feel of classic Tempe and reminds us of why she became such a phenomenon in the first place.
“Flash and Bones” is a high octane tour through the shady dealings of militant groups, NASCAR and its groupies, and the lengths the FBI will take to ensure national security. Throw a certain forensic anthropologist into the mix and you know for sure things are about to take a deadly and dangerous turn.
It is as though Reichs has gotten back to basics and focused more on crafting a suspenseful murder mystery than Tempe’s topsy-turvy love life. Sure we still get a glimpse into what is happening behind the scenes: there’s new drama with Pete and Summer; Ryan still has her puzzled; and there’s a new hunk-o-spunk on the scene – but the balance is perfect.
The characters are larger than life, the plot thick and fast, and the humour quick witted. And in my opinion, what’s the best thing about delving into Tempe’s world? There is always something new to learn, whether you’re a new reader or not.
So step out the pits and onto the circuit, and join Tempe for one heck of a ride.
In this age of uncertainty it is good to know that some people have their survival priorities in the right order. And while there are plenty of zombie survival guides out there few take the time to dive into the academics of post infestation life as the Official Zombie Handbook (Australia).
The usual topics are covered in the Handbook – fortifications, supplies, weapons and transport – as well as a slew of in depth subjects such as how prepared the Australian government civil and military forces would be in case of a zombie outbreak. It’s rather surprising how accurate the articles get in fact; either the authors have made some great guesses or they have insider knowledge that they shouldn’t.
Reading through the handbook it is often difficult to discern whether it has been written as a preparedness manual, role-playing guide or a critique of human nature. Whatever it is it does it well. Not even a third of the way through my first read and I was already calculating how long the food in my cupboard would last and whether I had enough toilet paper to see me through till help arrived.
In a sense of seriousness the Handbook reads as a series of fictional essays; each focused on the minutiae of survival topics. The writing is clean and well formed with plenty of laughs and more than a few points to leave you thinking.
So where’s the comic gone! Well it’s time I filled you guys in on what’s been happening. After the first issue was published, I began talks with a comic publisher. They seemed interested and asked that I hold off on issue 2 while they decided. That took several months and in the end they came [...] […]
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Storm Born: Graphic Novels by Richelle Mead, Grant Alter and Dave Hamann Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she’s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld’s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supern […]
Mandy says:
Kylie says:
Gaile says:
