Karen's blog

The problem with the blogosphere is that anybody can be an expert. 

All it takes is time - time to post constantly, time to self promote, time to comment anywhere and everywhere - time to "get the name out there". 

Australian Crime fiction is an older beast than the blogosphere though, and there have been, over many many years, a number of heroes of promotion, support and sheer graft that have tried to carry the message to readers here and all over (right back to when that was truly hard work - before blogs and email signatures  )

Well it's summer.  It's seriously summer at the new house - it's seriously seriously seriously seriously hot.  Which you'd think would be good reading time, but I'm really having bad attacks of the guilts if I sit down in the afternoon's with a book - particularly as I'm STILL looking for missing coffee cups in boxes.

There's going to be some great books out this year - with new offerings from Garry Disher, Peter Temple and Geoff McGeachin's 3rd in his series already out and about.  Let's hope there's even more and that some of the "girls" get in on the act as well.

Thank you to everybody who entered the last competition on AustCrime - for a copy of Dave Franklin's slightly mad English Toss on Planet Andong. He's giving away three copies, so the lucky winners are:

Jenifer Nightingale-Ethier Canada

Sally Roddom NT, Australia

Gary Svoboda NE, USA

Next Up - I've got a copy of Katherine Howell's terrific second book The Darkest Hour to give away so stand by for the announcement of that competition.

I'm about to announce the winners of a copy of English Toss on Planet Andong, and it is definitely time I started the book myself.  Which I did last night.  Slyly funny thus far, I'm really enjoying this.

From the blurb:

"'Don't you realise you can get by without other people?  They're the ones who make you sad.  They're the ones who let you down, who disappoint you.  And a troubled heart's such a chore.'

I'm slowly getting the routines re-established around here, and one of those is a bit of a report on the book I'm currently reading.  I confess I snatched this one of MtTBR because I felt like I needed a visit with an old friend who writes thrillers, crime fiction, mystery fiction - whatever you want to call it, better than most.  A DARKER DOMAIN is set partly in a mining village of the author's own childhood, built around the Miners Strikes in the early 80's.  Thus far the book is absolutely fantastic.

From the Blurb:

Top Books of 2008 is something everybody is doing at the moment. 

I find these lists very uncomfortable - it seems so unfair to distill down an entire years entertainment into a Top 10 or similar.  Besides I'm notoriously mathematically challenged so I don't do 10.  What I have done is found a number of books that are well worth another mention from last year.

Starting out with the locals:

Having just released the third book in the Alby Murdoch series - Dead & Kicking (I'll type up my review as soon as I've finished giggling!), Geoff has happily agreed to a bit of a chat about the book.  Which we're going to do backwards and forwards as I've got a few things I thought I'd like to ask him.

There is absolutely nothing like moving to stuff up your posting time.

I swear if I could find a crime fiction book about somebody who goes completely feral and murders everybody who says "oh you're moving over Christmas...." I'd read it, quote it, start leaving copies around all over the place!

Still the move is half way through - and we've switched over to living in the extreme rural environment of the Pyrenees Ranges in Central West (I think that's right) Victoria.  It's peaceful - beautiful, although bloody hot.  Bloody dry.  Did I mention BLOODY HOT!

Sounds of trumpets / fanfares / mutterings from deep in the couch on Day Two of the Boxing Day test - and we managed a few moments to draw a winner.

Heartiest congratulations to:

Patricia P in Toronto, Canada

Your books will be winging their happy way to you, ready to bring a little Australian sun and fun to coldest Canada with my hope that you enjoy them as much as I did!

Thanks again to Geoff without whose kind support AustCrime couldn't have done this particular competition.