Just heard about this really awesome sounding writer’s course that’s coming to Australia and am helping Allen and Unwin get word out about it. I’ve had a look through the course program and it seems very comprehensive and in depth. There will be guest spots from David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Bernard Cohen and Charlotte Wood and individual consultations as well.

After great success in London, Paris, Dublin and Toronto, Faber has partnered with Allen & Unwin in Australia to offer courses in creative writing. The first is ‘Writing a Novel’ which will be taught by Kathryn Heyman and James Bradley and will run from March to August 2011 at Allen & Unwin’s Crows Nest offices. What’s exciting about it is the hands-on nature of the classes, the publishers and agents reading night and the expectation that participants will finish the course with a complete first draft of their novel. There’s more information about the course outline on our website: www.allenandunwin.com/faberacademy

And to celebrate the Academy coming to our fair shores, I have one copy of The Reversal by Michael Connelly to giveaway. All you have to do is email me through this website with the name of the course, using either the contact form or the comments section to reply. Easy Peasy!

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True to form, Connelly delivers another gripping book. Much of the narrative is taken up with the actual court proceedings as Haller crosses the floor to work for the prosecution. In less skilled hands this could have been boring or even obtuse, but for Connelly its meat and potatoes and he manages to infuse it with enough threat and tension and characterisation to make it a thoroughly enjoyable, sustained read.

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My wonderful editor sent me a proof copy of the new Michael Connelly novel The Reversal which features both Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch. And a new Michael Koryta. So excited, can’t wait to read both!

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The best thing about this is being on top of Michael Connelly, who I love!

The Angus and Robertson Top 5 Crime are on the left of the page.

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As you will know if you’ve been reading this blog, I munching my way through the more recent Michael Connelly novels. The Lincoln Lawyer and The Brass Verdict are both written through the eyes of Mickey Haller, a defense attorney whose office is in the back of his car. While I enjoyed the actual stories and smooth writing, the thing I found most interesting was seeing how well Connelly could create another character in the same world as Bosch without making him just a carbon copy of his long time protagonist. Writers have a tendency to repeat characters, most times unintentionally. In The Brass Verdict, lawyer Haller, ends up working with detective Bosch, and its a beautiful ‘writerly’ challenge seeing Connelly differentiate the characters.

There are similarities, for sure, but ultimately enough differences to make the story work. Haller isn’t quite as principled as Bosch but is as determined and focussed.

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I’ve long been a fan of Harlen Coben, and prefer his Myron Bolitar series to his stand alones. There’s something so appealing returning to the same characters and watching how their fictional lives grow and change. I’ve come to Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels quite a long way into the series, but even so I’ve got that same sense of familiarity and intimacy with the characters, even after having only read three of them. Connelly deserves his success, his writing is strong and his plot crafting really is excellent.

For any aspiring writers, read his FAQ answers for some succinct and thoughtful responses. I particularly like his answer to the questions, ‘do you read reviews?’.

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