Southern Cross Crime
Very few writers invest their time in guiding readers toward new reading experiences from authors they may never have heard of. Yet Craig Sisterson, ex lawyer, features writer and crime fiction expert who founded the NZ Crime Writing awards (Ngaio Marsh Crime Writing Awards) has done just that. In recent years Craig has interviewed hundreds of crime writers (including me) and talked about the genre on radio, podcasts and writing festivals on three continents. Now living in London, he's been a judge of crime writing awards such as the McIlvanney Prize (Scotland), the Ned Kelly Awards (Australia) and is the co-founder of the Rotorua Noir crime festival. So why has this guy written an essential guide to crime fiction, film & TV of Australia and New Zealand?
Because with his knowledge of and expertise in crime stories from around the world, he knows the stories written 'down under' will appeal to readers around the world. He believes they will love a unique difference in flavour and style: a blend of the exotic and familiar, from small towns to coastal cities to the outback, seasoned by distinctive senses of place, outlook and humour, with roots that trace to the earliest days of the genre. And he gives us the names of over 250 storytellers to explore with information about them and their books to whet our appetites.
We all have our favourite crime authors but many of us devour stories faster than we can write them. This is what makes Southern Cross Crime such an important contribution to readers' knowledge of what's out there. As Michael Robotham says in the forward to this book, 'Readers around the world are beginning to crave what we are offering: a unique sense of place and distinctive voices. We are not Nordic Noir, or Tartan Noir, or Emerald Noir. We are Outback Noir and Yeah Noir. (Yeah Noir is a play on New Zealand vernacular where many Kiwis begin answers to closed questions with "yeah, nah")
Robotham, himself an outstanding writer of psychological thrillers, and two-time winner of the UK Gold Dagger Award, goes on to say, "If you want to know us better, this (Southern Cross Crime) can be your guide. Follow the directions carefully and you will enter a world of suspense, tension, murder and intrigue, where you will be required to expose the lies, interrogate witnesses and interpret the evidence. You want bodies? Start digging."
Start digging here - http://oldcastlebooks.co.uk/index1.php?imprint=5&isbn=9780857304001
or
here: - https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Cross-Crime-Essential-Australia-ebook/dp/B08166XDLZ