Crime and Justice Festival Program

The Crime and Justice festival program was released yesterday and to my surprise, I am appearing on three panels. All sessions are in a space called ‘The Refectory’ (which sounds ecclesiastical):

Saturday 19 July, 10am – A First Offence: Crime and Justice is fortunate to feature some astonishing debut crime novelists this year – talking about their big break will be Lauren Crow, Angela Savage, Jarad Henry and, as participating chair, Lenny Bartulin.

Saturday 19 July, 6pm – Just the Facts, Ma’am! It is the quality of the research that often makes or breaks a crime novel; discussing how they fill in the fine details will be Gabrielle Lord, Marshall Browne and Angela Savage with Liz Porter as chair.

Sunday 20 July, 2pm – Writing from Life: Crime writers – like any other writer – often use elements of their own life and the lives of those around them in their fiction; discussing borrowing from life and the blurred line that divides fact from fiction will be Leigh Redhead, Angela Savage, Dorothy Johnston and, as chair, Beth Driscoll.

Needless to say, I am excited and nervous about sharing the floor with such terrific writers – and at least a few entertaining speakers that I know of – especially as I will be flying overnight from Cambodia with a two-year-old and arriving in Melbourne precisely 24 hours before my first appearance.

Given the venue used to be a Catholic convent, perhaps I could apply for a special dispensation from my fellow panelists: Jarad, Lauren, Lenny - please cover for me if I start nodding off. Or worse, e.g. whimpering, blathering, speaking in tongues…

I was brought up Catholic and used to get dragged off to visit a great-aunt who was a nun at the Abbotsford Convent twice a month for years. And you should see what these old haunts can do to us apostates, especially when we are jetlagged beyond belief.