What We're Talking About

Pulp Fiction Press - Small Australian Press looking for submissions from local authors

Karen — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:02:09 +1100

Pulp Fiction Press is an independent Australian publisher, with national distribution in Australia and New Zealand.

They are currently accepting submissions for crime and mystery, and speculative fiction - science fiction, fantasy and horror novels.

Head off to their website for their submission guidelines, contact details and - of great help - some publisher notes.

http://www.pulpfictionpress.com.au/

Incidentally - there is a note on their site:

"As always, we’re keen to see new work, but at the moment, Pulp Fiction Press is only interested in submissions from Australian or New Zealand writers – although if there’s anyone out there from New Guinea or somewhere in the South Pacific, feel free to submit! We don’t necessarily only want stories set in Australasia, but we do want to present Antipodean voices to the world."

123 - A Carrion Death, Michael Stanley

Karen — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:30:10 +1000

Peter from Detectives Beyond Borders has triggered this meme off again and I kinda like these sorts of things - it's amazing how intriguing a random paragraph from within a book can be. But this time I thought I'd get a little creative and rather than the book I'm currently reading - the first full paragraph from page 123 of my next up book - A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley:

" 'We're seeing the whole satellite scene here,' he continued. 'I'll zoom in to the area of the river where the body was found.' He did so, but as the image magnified, it started to break up into small blocks. 'As we zoom in,' Bongani told Kubu, 'each image point is magnified to a square on the screen. So everything looks jagged.' The edge of the river was no longer smooth but saw-toothed. Still, the riverbed was clear and Bongani pointed to a greenish area which he claimed was the actual acacia tree where the body was found."

123 Meme

Karen — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:37:18 +1000

Meme's frighten me to death.

Tag six other people. Most days I can't remember who I am, let alone who anyone else is.

But at least I can sort of play this one:

Sort of thanks to Katherine Howell the 123 Meme is pretty simple:

How it works is this:

Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you in the first place.

So the nearest book is Michael Robotham's Shatter which is sitting beside me waiting for me to write up a review.

"Julianne is a better person than I am. She is stronger emotionally and has more invested in holding this family together. Here's another cliché - there's a third person in our marriage"

How's that for a cliffhanger.

Now to tag onwards - Sunnie, Andrea and Helen can all post here - so ladies it's over to you. Sally - you're it as well.

15th Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards: 2008 Women’s Crime & Mystery Short Story Competition

Karen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:15:04 +1000

15th Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards: 2008 Women’s Crime & Mystery Short Story Competition

$3100 worth of prizes

Harper Collins First Prize: $750 & the coveted Scarlet Stiletto Trophy Donated by Sally Brown

Kill City 2nd prize: $400

Readings Books Films Music Third Prize: $250 (voucher)

Allen & Unwin Young Writer’s Award: $250

The Kerry Greenwood Malice Domestic Award: $500

The Cate Kennedy Award for Best New Talent: $350

The Dorothy Porter Award for Innovation: $250

Pulp Fiction Bookshop: Funniest Crime Award: $150 (voucher)

Chronicles Bookshop: Best Investigative story $200

Thanks also to Spinifex Books

Story length: 5000 words max.

Entry: $10

Closing date: August 31, 2008

Judges: National Convenors, Sisters in Crime

Entry form attached

Further information: Sisters in Crime, GPO Box 5319, Melbourne 3001 or ring Carmel Shute: (03) 9537 2781 (a/h); 0412 569 356

2007 Favourites #1

Karen — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:25:30 +1100

In, I hasten to add, absolutely no particular order I thought I might as well start on my favourites of 2007 - because there are a lot of them and this could take a while.

Starting off with a new Australian author, winner of the Best First Crime Novel at the 2007 Ned Kelly awards:

Diamond Dove by Adrian Hyland

I read this back in January 2007 and I knew then that I'd read one of my favourites for the year. Great / strong female voice with such amazing cultural awareness, this has got to be a mandatory book for anyone who wants to know something of the reality of outback Australian life. It's a journey book, with a crime. Whatever else you do - read this. It'll provide you with a significantly clearer view of Australia - the sensibilities and sensitivities of those outback communities. And it's laugh out loud funny in places - particularly if you have just ever so slightly an inkling of the real locations behind the fictional names.

2008 Melbourne Writer's Festival

voyagersaus — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:04:46 +1100

A forum topic has been created for the 2008 Melbourne Writers Festival here on Aust Crime (on the right side of this page).

Let us know if you plan on attending! It would be great to get a good turn out this year.

Now we just wait eagerly for the program of events!

Andrea

2008 Ned Kelly Shortlist

Karen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:36:04 +1000

There's a rumour going around (and I haven't been able to confirm this list via the Ned Kelly's own website, but the short list may have arrived!) ** means I've read it!

Best First Fiction:
Golden Serpent, Mark Abernethy **
A Fraction Of The Whole, Steve Toltz
The Low Road, Chris Womersley **

Best Fiction:
Sucked In, Shane Maloney **
Amongst The Dead, Robert Gott **
El Dorado, Dorothy Porter **
Shatter, Michael Robotham **

Best Non-Fiction:
Underbelly The Gangland War, John Silvester and Andrew Rule **
Killing Jodie, Janet Fife-Yeomans
Red Centre, Dark Heart, Evan McHugh

If this is the list there are a few interesting things on here - firstly no Peter's!

Secondly it's a bit disappointing there are so few women, and I am sad to see some of the newer authors on the best fiction nominees that were dropped.

It's beyond pleasing that El Dorado made the short list - it's an absolute stonkingly good book.

The exciting thing is there there are really only 3 books I haven't personally read yet!

8th Davitt Awards Nominations

Karen — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:22:30 +1000

Forty-one crime books by Australian women are competing for Sisters in Crime's 8th Davitt Awards for the best crime novels and true crime books by Australian women published in book form in 2007.

Four Davitts will be presented this year - adult, young adult, true crime and readers' choice, as voted by Sisters in Crime's 500 members nationally. The awards are sponsored by the Victorian Police Museum.

The winners each receive a handsome trophy to be presented on Friday October 10, 7pm, Celtic Club Restaurant, corner La Trobe and Queen Sts, Melbourne by Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon. Ms Nixon will also talk about her life and times with Sisters in Crime national co-convenor, Dr Sue Turnbull.

Adult Novels

Gospel - Sydney Bauer (Pan MacMillan) **

The Fourteenth Day - Joyce Berendes (Zeus)

The Curse of the Golden Yo-Yo - Robin Bowles (The Five Mile Press) *

Redback - Lindy Cameron (Mira) *

Scarlet Stiletto - The First Cut - Lindy Cameron (editor) (Mira) *

Bye Bye Baby - Lauren Crow (Harper Collins) *

Skin & Bone - Kathryn Fox (Pan MacMillan) **

To All Appearances Dead - Liz Filleul (Bettany Books)

Vodka Doesn't Freeze - Leah Giarratano (Random House) *

The Calling - Jane Goodall (Hachette Livre) **

Killing the Rabbit - Alison Goodman (Random House / Bantam)

Trick or Treat - Kerry Greenwood (Allen & Unwin)

A Question of Death - Kerry Greenwood (Allen & Unwin)

The Secret of Lost Things - Sheridan Hay (Harper Collins / 4th Estate)

Frantic - Katherine Howell (Pan MacMillan) *

Orpheus Lost - Janette Turner Hospital (Harper Collins / 4th Estate) *

Eden - Dorothy Johnston (Wakefield Press) *

Cock of the Walk - Wendy Laing (Writers Exchange E-Publishing) **

Severance Package - Wendy Laing (Writers Exchange E-Publishing)

Shattered - Gabrielle Lord (Hachette Livre) **

Rockhound - Pat Noad (Zeus)

Blood of Dreams - Susan Parisi (Penguin / Viking) *

El Dorado - Dorothy Porter (Pan MacMillan / Picador) *

Cherry Pie - Leigh Redhead (Allen & Unwin) *

The Night Has A Thousand Eyes - Mandy Saye (Harper Collins)

An Easeful Death - Felicity Young (Fremantle Arts Centre Press) *

Young Adult Novels

What Willow Knew - June Colbert (Hachette Livre)

Crime Seen - Jenny Pausacker (Hachette Livre)

Willows for Weeping - Felicity Pulman (Random House)

The Maharajah's Ghost - Sophie Masson (Random House)

Love Notes - Margaret Clark (Random House)

True Crime

The End of Innocence: The Remarkable True Story of One Woman's Fight for Justice (Hardie Grant Books)

Rough Justice: Unanswered Questions from the Australian Courts - Robin Bowles (The Five Mile Press)

Meaner than Fiction - Lindy Cameron (The Five Mile Press)

Imprisoning Resistance: Life and Death in an Australian Supermax (Federation Press)

Judas Kisses: The Remarkable True Story of One Woman's Journey to Hell and Back - Donna Carson and Debbie Ritchie (Hardie Grant Books)

Done Like a Dinner - Jennifer Cooke and Sandra Harvey (Media 21 Publishing)

Killing Jodie: How Australia's most elusive Murderer was Brought to Justice - Janet Fife-Yeomans (Penguin Books)

The Child Who Never Was: Looking for Tegan Lane - Allison Langdon (Media 21 Publishing)

The Devil's Garden: The Claremont Serial Killings - Debi Marshall (Random House)

The Making of Me - Tegan Wagner (Pan MacMillan)

* Read and reviewed here

** Here but unread as yet

A witchy spin on fangs and fur.

voyagersaus — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:30:28 +1100

As always, hard to classify a vamp novel but fangs and fur about covers it.

TALL, DARK AND DEAD by Tate Hallaway is the first in a new series featuring a witch who is on the run from the Vatican (oh those nasty, nasty Catholics) and finds herself getting entangled with the odd gorgeous vampire (oh darling, of couse he's gorgeous) along the way.

I don't mind my urban fantasy. A whole steaming pile of it is horrifically bad, and yet that doesn't seem to affect it's popularity . Who are we to say? Paranormal romance crosses in varying degrees into this fantasy genre and that is a topic for discussion for a whole other day. All readers, come to me, I also say.

I'm about half way through this novel and I have others of the kind on the TBR's yet to report on. TD & D has that nice witchypoo spin to it and while there's been the usual "biting" passion, it hasn't been laid on too thick. Yet..

Review WILL come.

A.T.

Ah, that old sailing classic has been done again.

voyagersaus — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:22:58 +1100

STILL SUMMER by Jacquelyn Mitchard, done.

What was the last "peril at sea" novel I read? Probably SEA TRIAL by Frank de Felitta (1980 - he also wrote the classics AUDREY ROSE and THE ENTITY) - long time ago, but the idea of women at peril on the high seas has also been done before. Friendships undone, finding the inner strength and all that.

Another best-selling women's author has used this premise recently too - now who was it???

Review yet to come as I have just finished this one and I'm putting together my thoughts. It was an enjoyable read but the feeling is that opportunities for some truly delicious suspense were squandered terribly in the writing of this novel. Trying not to scare off the drama readers of the best-selling author, perhaps? Stay tuned!

A.T.