News and Events
Present Tense chosen as one of 2020’s best books!
Robyn Walton, crime critic of The Australian, has chosen Present Tense as one of her best reads of 2020. The article's in today's Weekend Australian (12-13 December, 2020). There's a paywall so I can't insert a link, but here are her international and local...
Crime Fiction – South African Style
My crime novel, Present Tense, is set in Cape Town, South Africa. Since it was published, many readers have wanted to know more about crime fiction in that country, and asked me to recommend some good crime novels set there. So here’s a brief rundown, and...
Don’t Write What You Know: Go Hell-for-Leather Into the Unexplored
From time to time, Atlin Merrick (author and redoubtable editor of Improbable Press) and I write joint blogs. We often disagree, but not this time. Here's our latest, on writing what you know:
PRESENT TENSE WINS NED KELLY CRIME FICTION AWARD!
I am thrilled to announce that Present Tense has won the 2020 Ned Kelly award for best debut crime novel. These awards (we call them the Neddies) are given by the Australian Crime Writers Association. Here's the announcement:...
Favourite supporting females in TV crime shows
Here's a piece I did for Sisters in Crime Australia. Like many of us, Sydney author, Natalie Conyer, has been watching a lot of TV crime during the pandemic and it has prompted her to reflect on the wonderful women appearing in supporting roles. Read more here
Present Tense shortlisted for Ned Kelly Award – debut crime fiction!
I'm thrilled! Present Tense has been shortlisted for the 2020 Ned Kelly Awards, for debut crime fiction. This clip has the full list
The Only One in the World – A Sherlock Holmes Anthology
What if Sherlock Holmes were Polish? What if he and/or John Watson were Indian or Irish or Australian or Japanese? How would their worlds look if one or both was from a completely different background? That's the brief I was given when I was asked to contribute a...
Stop Editing Your Book and Start Writing Rubbish
This is one of a series of joint posts in the She Said/She Said series, in which Atlin Merrick and I muse on writing topics. Atlin is publisher of Improbable Press and author of The Night They Met and The Day They Met. You can find the post here:...
Present Tense shortlisted for 2020 Davitt Crime Fiction Awards
I'm delighted that Present Tense has made it to the shortlist of this year's Davitt Crime Fiction Awards - and in such great company. Here's the announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP9S9rU_-lw&feature=youtu.be
Does where you read a novel affect how you read a novel?
This is the last of three blogs on reading. Does where you read a book affect your understanding of it? I ask because of a conversation I had with a friend. We were discussing books, and I said I was reading Olive Kitteridge. She said she’d read it but hadn’t enjoyed...
Crime writers and their detectives
Some of the world's best crime writers (among them Lee Child, Val McDermid, Sara Paretsky) talk about their detectives - and how hard it is to kill them off....
Present Tense has been long-listed for the 2020 crime fiction Davitt Awards
I am extremely chuffed that Present Tense has been long-listed for this year's Davitt Awards. It's in great company! https://www.sistersincrime.org.au/womens-crime-wave-continues-davitt-awards-longlist-announced/