Bio

Adam

Karen — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:33:42 +1100

AKA: AJ aka the-grumpy-developer-in-the-corner

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: web developer, programmer, open source software advocate, bowser jockey

What does he read: Science Fiction, Fantasy, horror and the occasional crime novel when she nags and nags and nags and nags.....

Speciality: Hard Core Science Fiction, Cyberpunk and really Good Fantasy

Eureka!: Arthur C Clarke's The Nine Billion Names of God.

Weak spots: cider, tamarind lollies at Chinese New Year, electronics

Andrea

Karen — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:17:21 +1100

AKA: voyagersaus aka Media Girl aka that-bossy-chick-from-Perth

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: agribusiness analyst (doh, what's a canola?), dressing up as a chicken, photographer, Avon lady, bank johnny, P.A., kennel hand, animal rescuer and book reviewer.

What does she read: Whatever she can land her hands on.

Speciality: British police procedurals, American thrillers, horror, urban fantasy and religious thrillers

Eureka!: When she discovered Dean Koontz and Stephen King, (long may they reign).

Weak spots: magenta Barbie pink, pop-tarts and coffee

Helen

Karen — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:13:07 +1100

Name: Helen aka the lovely even-tempered young (... ish ... ok, oKAY, old ... and maybe a bit grumpy) woman from Newcastle.

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: milk bar maid, library assistant, typist, office worker, librarian, Library web maven and general techno troubleshooter.

What does she read: Crime, just crime, and mystery, and a bit of thriller too.

Speciality: I like to walk on the darkish side, and enjoy police procedurals, PI and amateur crime novels by Australian, British, Scandinavian and European authors. I lighten up with the odd humourous mystery.

Eureka!: Reading Scandinavian crime writers Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo for the first time many years ago, that led to me discovering wonderful crime writing from many countries.

Weak spots: chocolate, red wine, champagne, chocolate, coffee and (chocolate) ice cream

Karen

Karen — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:26:50 +1100

AKA: KC aka Web Witch aka that-grumpy-old-woman-from-Melbourne

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: Project Manager, Technical Writer, open source advocate, hanging around the edges of the IT industry since BEFORE the PC and Microsoft even existed (wasn't joking about the "old" bit)

What does she read: Whatever she can land her hands on - but only romance if all the cereal packets have been read, there's are no product brochures left in the house, and because I can't see the usage notes on medication packets anymore.

Speciality: British police procedurals, Scandinavian and European procedurals and PI style novels, local novels of all types, selected woo wooⁱ (I'm fickle), and a bit of just about everything else.

Eureka!: My first Henning Mankell and Reginald Hill novels - both such different writers and yet I just "got" what they were saying!

Weak spots: sparkling reds, book shops, kitchen gadgets, Australian Terriers

Kerrie (smik)

smik — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:21:36 +1100

AKA: Kerrie (smik), passionate crime fiction reader from Adelaide

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: teacher of history and ICT, creator of oz_mystery_readers

What does she read: almost exclusively crime fiction, apart from other people's blogs

Speciality: crime fiction, murder mysteries, police procedurals

Eureka!: Ruth Rendell, Peter Lovesey, PD Martin, Gabrielle Lord, Ian Rankin, Karin Fossum, the list goes on. Check my blog at

Weak spots: often compelled to read titles in order, very addicted to the online life and to blogging. Can't go without a book on the go, and have to pack at least a dozen titles when I go on holiday. Can't ever walk into a bookshop without buying, so i avoid them. I always have too many books on the go... and I can't read fast enough.

Sally

sally906 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:31:01 +1000

AKA: Sally906, Sally from Oz; The ‘delicate’ northern flower; Wine drinker extraordinaire, Elle Macpherson’s double (and if you believe this – you’ll believe anything!!)

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: Motor Vehicle Warranty Clerk, Librarian, Office Administrator, Wife (aka general Pest), Mother and now Grandmother.

What does she read: A lot of crime fiction – mostly from the cosier, paranormal end of the scale – but have been known to stray into the dark side occasionally. I do read other genre – Fantasy, Non-technical Science Fiction (not interested in how many super cool gadgets there on thrusters – tell me about the planet and critters that live on it – preferably not meat (human) eaters), Chick Lit – really anything other than hard core horror or westerns.

Speciality: French Onion Soup, Crab Ravioli with Champagne cream sauce – Oh – you mean genre? Well - mysteries, thrillers - less blood and guts and more physiological, magical people, humour and suspense, animals as main characters – if they help solve the crime so much the better – love Young Adult novels as well.

Eureka!: Enid Blyton’s Famous Five introduced me to mysteries, John Wyndham to Science Fiction and C S Lewis to Fantasy

Weak spots: Bookshops – new and used, White Wine, Sparkling Merlot, anything connected to cheese, British TV, cooking channels, and my beagle - Hunter

Sunnie

sunniefromoz — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:50:49 +1100

Name: Sunnie - that "traditionally built" woman who never stops talking and constantly obsesses about food.

Former jobs before Aust Crime included: Check out chick (still do that). Tour guide. Chief cook and bottle washer/dogsody and general servant at home for my 2 sons and hubby (now all grown up and flown the nest - aaaah, the peace. hubby, bless his cotton socks has stayed on. ) Office type work way back when dinosaurs roamed.

What does she read: Crime fiction, crime fiction and just for a change more crime fiction. I do also read some Australian true crime - especially anything by John Silvester and Andrew Rule (of Underbelly fame). Also some poltiical stuff if it's suffienctly entertaining and left-wing ratbaggy.

Speciality: UK Crime. Aussie True Crime. and an ever increasing amount of Australian crime fiction.

Eureka!: Ian Rankin, Reginald Hill, Shane Maloney, Christopher Brookmyre, Adrian Hyland to name but a few.

Weak spots: Food - chocolate, good coffee, gin and tonic, anything with cheese, British tv (except reality or chat shows). and...... major confession time here which will have certain people of my acquaintance cringing - a good romantic comedy.