The Davitt Awards

A Decline in Prophets (Rowland Sinclair #2) has been short-listed for the Davitt Award.  The award is presented for the best crime novel written by an Australian woman in the previous year, by the irrepressible Sisters in Crime.  I am very honoured to be on this list.  My fellow shortlistees are:

Beyond Fear - Jaye Ford

To Love Honour and O'Brien - Jennifer Rowe

Shattered Sky - Helene Young

The Courier's New Bicycle - Kim Westwood

Death and the Spanish Lady - Carolyn Morwood.

My sincere congratulations to my fellow crimewriters.  I'm very chuffed to share a list with you.

Now of course, the award ceremony and announcement of the winner will not be held till 1 September and consequently I have no pictures of the event.  So below is one taken last year of myself and my dear friend and fellow crime novelist Angela Savage.  I include it because it reflects how I feel about being a member of this wonderful, supportive and murderous gathering of crime writers.  It is well worth writing a crime novel simply to be part of this group.

 

Byron Bay Writers' Festival

There is no better way to describe the Byron Bay Writers' Festival than warm, the weather is so, the poeple are so and the conversations are particularly so.  2012 was no different.  Throughout the festival I felt I was among friends, surrounded by a common love of the word.  Some like Jesse Blackadder, Shamini Flint, Edna Carew and Ashley Hay were old mates with whom I'd pannelled and sparred and laughed before.  Others like Michelle Aung Thin, Jane Caro, Kel Robertson, Elliot Perlman, Rohan Wilson, Stuart Littlemore, Shane Maloney and Nick Earls gave body and personality and humour to names I've long heard and admired in this writing game.  And then there were the many many readers who spoke to me about books and fascists and excellent coffee and made me feel like I was at some glorious garden party full of the most engaging guests.

History tells a darn good story - with myself, Michell Aung Thin, Edna Carew (moderator), Jane Caro and Rohan Wilson (out of shot - sorry Rohan)

Myself and Michelle.

Giving up the Day Job... An Argument of Lawyers.  Elliot Perlman, Shamini Flint, John M. Green and me.

Keeping the Pages Turning - Stuart Littlemore, Russel Eldridge, me and Nick Earls. 

Classic Crime Fiction and its New Protagonists... kept in control by Chris Hanley (left).  Me, Kel Robertson, Shane Maloney and Stuart Littlemore.

The lineup.... Me, Kel, Stuart, Chris and Shane.

Congratulations and a very sincere thank you to Jonathan Parsons, his tireless and extraordinary committee and all the charming and cheerful volunteers at the Byron Bay Writers' Festival. 

As luck would have it, the official release of Paving the New Road has been sandwiched between a bout of the flu (in which 3 of the 4 human members of my household ended up with pneumonia) and the wonderful Byron Bay Writers' Festival.  Not only did thoughts of the latter help me survive the former, but the two have worked together to give me no time or energy to fret about the reception which this latest outing of Rowland Sinclair's might recieve.  That doesn't mean of course that I do not have moments, between coughing and packing, to furrow my brow and hope people will like it.  It just means I have things to do while I worry.

Regardless, on Friday I will be in Byron Bay... soaking up the creative atmosphere, catching up with old friends and colleagues like Jesse Blackadder, Shamini Flint, and John M. Green and hopefully making a whole lot of new ones.  Oh.... and I'll speaking on a few panels too.

On Friday in the Red Marquee....

12.00pm – 1.15pm Bringing history to life Michelle Aung Thin, Jane Caro, Sulari Gentil, Rohan Wilson Chair: Edna Carew Sponsored by Inside History

On Saturday in the SCU Marquee....

10.15am – 11.15am Classic crime fiction and its new protagonists Sulari Gentil, Stuart Littlemore, Shane Maloney, Kel Robertson, Chair: Chris Hanley Sponsored by First National Byron Bay

4.15pm – 5.15pm Giving up the Day Job: Lawyers turned writers Shamini Flint, Sulari Gentil, Elliot Perlman Chair: John M Green Sponsored by Holding Redlich

And on Sunday in the Red Marquee....

10.45am – 11.45am Keeping the Pages Turning Sulari Gentill, Stuart Littlemore, Nick Earls, Tony Birch, Chair:  Russell Eldridge Sponsored by Frontline Copy Centre

So.... getting excited now.....　 

Paving the New Road

Ta Da!!   Released 1 August 2012. 

Sydney Writers' Festival

In May, I once again had the honour of being a guest of the Sydney Writers' Festival.  It was a writerly indulgence from the minute I landed in Sydney... a series of wonderful conversations with readers, writers and old friends.  It was exciting, inspiring and incredibly warming.  Connecting with readers is the wonderful end product of all those predawn hours when it's just you and the words. I so appreciate it.  And the experience of talking to other writers is for me glorious... the feeling is more than collegiate, it's closer to kinship. 

  

Chatting with James Valentine on the ABC.

Candida Baker and me.

  With the wonderful and talented Jesse Blackadder.  Toasting life with P.M. Newton

 My very own signing line!