I enjoyed four excellent crime novels in May and three of those were by Australian authors. Here are my “Good Reads” for the month! Disclaimer: Being a crime fiction addict and lover of series books, expect lots of my reading to fall into these categories. You can also expect to only hear about the books…
Once again, I enjoyed some excellent crime fiction last month. So, without further ado, here are my April "Good Reads", the cream of my reading for the month! Disclaimer: Being a crime fiction addict and lover of series books, expect lots of my reading to fall into these categories. You can also expect to only…
It was quality over quantity of books for me in March. I only managed to read three books for pleasure, but all were thoroughly enjoyable and rate the “Good Reads” status. Disclaimer: Being a crime fiction addict and lover of series books, expect lots of my reading to fall into these categories. You can also…
This is my second “Good Reads” blog with my standout reads for February. The first and second half of this month were defined by the edits landing for my next Harvey & Franklin rural crime thriller, Into the Fog. Continuing a tradition I started while doing the final edits for Dead Again, I turned to…
We know our reading tastes. We can usually tell from the cover, title and back jacket copy if a book will tick the boxes for us, whether it is by a new (or new-to-us) author or an old favourite. Without necessarily following trends, word-of-mouth from those with similar reading tastes is an awesome way to…
Anna may well be a quintessential bohemian author, answering the Who Are You? quiz while the song of the same name plays, then slipping back into her creative vacuum…but not before revealing where she will be found over the next week. 25 October 2017: Fellow crime writer Emma Viskic will launch Anna’s new book Little…
Karen M. Davis is the author of gripping police thrillers Sinister Intent and Deadly Obsession. Karen knows her stuff; she served twenty years of active duty with NSW Police until being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Writing began as therapy, and turned out to be something she loved to do, and is adept at.…
The Foothills magazine has just reinvented itself as an online publication and I have a new column, especially for aspiring writers! The first instalment of my column, The Write Foundation, is 'Unlocking Imagination' and you can find it here. Please share it far and wide, with family or friends or workmates, anyone who would love…
Alan Carter is a man who responds to pressure, answering the Who, What, Where and more in record time. While he doesn’t mind The Who’s Who Are You? playing in the background, The Proclaimers 500 Miles would suit him better. He gets fast and fun and then he’s done, vacating the interview chair for my…
Anna George is lulled through The Who, What, Where and more of this interrogation while The Who’s Who Are You? plays in the background. Then, the volume dial is cranked, a bright spotlight activated, and extraction commences on the Fast and Fun stuff. If this leaves you wanting more, Anna will be at Ginger Fox…
Anna George is lulled through The Who, What, Where and more of this interrogation while The Who’s Who Are You? plays in the background. Then, the volume dial is cranked, a bright spotlight activated, and extraction commences on the Fast and Fun stuff.
If this leaves you wanting more, Anna will be at Ginger Fox in Beaumaris on 31 July 2017 to celebrate her new novel The Lone Child. For details and bookings click.
THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW, AND THEN… OF ANNA GEORGE
Under the magnifying glass is Anna George
WHO are you as a writer and in the other part of your life? Writing for me is a marathon not a sprint. I’ve been writing for over twenty years around study and work, and then kids and mess. Along the way various writing projects have come and gone, including feature film scripts and abandoned novels. My first novel came out in 2014 and my second is due out next month. Most of the time, I’ve found working part time and writing works well; in the last decade, throwing in a few kids and a husband has seen the juggle get trickier. These days, I have work that I can start and stop depending on the writing deadlines and my headspace. I work as a factual investigator which probably sounds more exciting than it is. But it’s extremely interesting as I get to speak with loads of different types of people and ask far too many nosy questions. In spare moments, you’ll find me reading, or walking, but mostly reading.
WHAT is your latest release and what inspired the story? My second book is called The Lone Child and it comes out on July 31. It’s set on the Mornington Peninsula, over one Easter long weekend, when a new, well-to-do single mum finds an unkempt little girl, who seems to have been abandoned. The book explores how the desire to mother and to be mothered can be very seductive.
The story was inspired by one of those devastating news-stories about a young child who had gone missing. At the time, I thought the pictures of the girl released by her family showed a sad looking child, with difficult life circumstances. Her parents were young and struggling with the often-hostile media attention. As it turned out, the girl had been murdered by her mother. I found myself imagining what it would have been like to see that young girl in the weeks before she was killed, and to steal her to save her from that fate. Once I started writing, the story moved away from the “stealing” idea and more into an abandonment scenario. I also wanted to explore judgement and class, motherhood and parenting.
WHERE do you write and do you have any quirky writer’s habits? I write at one end of my kids’ playroom, usually surrounded by drying washing. It is very unglamorous. As for quirky habits, no, not really. I drink far too many cups of tea and use hanging the washing and doing the dishes as down time… I also try to sneak out for a walk by the sea to clear my head. It’s usually when I’m walking (or doing the dishes) that a solution to a knotty plot point or ideas for the next chapter come.
WHEN did your writer’s dream start and how long did it take to write your first book? Like lots of people, I have wanted to write since I was a child. And I did write bits and pieces – songs, poems, short stories – growing up. But when I left school I didn’t know what to do with my writing. So I stopped for a few years until, in my mid-twenties, I decided to have a go. At the time I was working as a solicitor, which I didn’t enjoy, so I packed it in. I studied Professional Writing and Editing at Holmesglen TAFE and then at RMIT TAFE, and my writing life began. Those early days were wonderful. I felt like I had found my home, and my people. Finally!
It was however a windy path to the publication of my first book What Came Before which came out in 2014. After a heady start at TAFE, I’d meandered off on different tangents, toying with novel writing and then screenplays before returning to the novel. During that time, I lost and found myself as a writer a few times. Finally, I made the decision to write a novel and do my best to get it published. I knew that would take time. And it did. It took about twelve years from beginning the novel that became What Came Before to selling it to Penguin. During that time, I wrote in fits and starts, sought lots of feedback and did a lot of rewriting. For me, writing is all about rewriting – that’s when the book begins to emerge from the words.
WHY do you write in your chosen genre? I tend to write books which are framed around a crime or a mystery. I haven’t seen myself as a crime writer, though I’m happy to be called one. I don’t think in terms of genres, as such. I am interested in the psychology of why people do what they do. I like to dig under the skin and try to tease out what’s hiding under there.
HOW many books have you published to date and can you please give us a snapshot of them? What Came Before is a psychological thriller framed around the night a husband has strangled his wife. It is told in his and her points of view; and it’s set in Seddon in Melbourne. Dave, the husband, is a jaded solicitor and Elle is a flourishing film maker, when they meet. The book went on to be shortlisted for the Ned Kelly and Sisters in Crime Debut Fiction Awards and was long listed for the Dublin International Literary Award. Both What Came Before and The Lone Child are to be released in German too.
AND… What is your current project? My third book is in its embryonic stage. It’s going to be framed around another intriguing set up, squarely in the world of teenagers. But, as I’m only about nine weeks pregnant with these ideas, it’s a little early to reveal too much.
AND THEN… What would you like to try your writer’s hand at in the future? I’m happy writing adult fiction, but lately I’ve wondered about writing for teenagers too.
NOW, LET’S GET FAST AND FUN WITH ANNA GEORGE Favourite food: vegetable lasagne Beverage when I want to chill: pinot noir or banana smoothie, depending Book I’m currently reading:Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain Favourite season: Summer Strangest job I’ve ever had:finessing the copy for a 100-page lingerie brochure which had been translated from Cantonese into English – by someone who didn’t know their way around a bra Something most people wouldn’t know about me:I love the sea but am a lousy swimmer; similarly, love to eat, not-so-hot cook Top tip for aspiring writers: have faith in yourself and keep writing, no matter what (if you love, love, love it) A random thought I’d like to add: Before What Came Before was picked up, I thought of getting published as an end point… but now I’ve come to realise getting published is really just the end of the first act
31 July 2017 – Anna will be at Ginger Fox in Beaumaris (Victoria) to celebrate the release of her new novel The Lone Child. For details and bookings click.
