SheKilda!

It’s only a few more days before the crime writing event of the decade: SheKilda 2011 – Australian Women Crime Writers’ Convention, coordinated by Sisters in Crime in Melbourne, and the excitement is building.

if you like crime, suspense, thrills and chills in your reading, then do try to find a way to get to Melbourne this coming weekend! There’s a fantastic line-up of authors attending from Australia and overseas, including Margie Orford, Shamini Flint, Vanda Symon, Kerry Greenwood, Malia Nunn, Tara Moss, Katherine Howell, Kathryn Fox, Jaye Ford. Romantic suspense – or Crimance, as the Sisters call it! – is well represented with Helene Young, Sandy Curtis, Emma Boling and I on a panel moderated by the wonderful Anne Gracie, and Sandy and I doing a workshop on Writing Crimance.

The Convention program is packed full of great panels, events and workshops, beginning with a walking tour exploring some of Melbourne’s cold cases on Friday afternoon, followed by a cocktail party on Friday night. Whether you like finding out the facts of true crime, or gritty realism or fun entertainment in your crime fiction reading, there are sessions on Saturday and Sunday to fascinate and enjoy; and there’s also the Davitt Awards dinner on Saturday night.

I am so looking forward to the weekend, and I hope to meet a lot of readers there. It’s a once in a decade opportunity to explore the rich world of Australian women’s crime writing, so if you can possibly come, please do!