9mm: An interview with Yvonne E. Walus

Welcome to the latest instalment in Crime Watch's ongoing series of author interviews; 9mm - 9 Murder Mystery questions put to a variety of New Zealand and international crime, thriller, and mystery authors.

After a run of international authors in the 9mm series recently, I thought I’d introduce you to another New Zealand-based crime writer. So today, for the 43rd instalment of 9mm, we are talking to Yvonne E. Walus, who was born in Poland, spent her teenage years in South Africa, travelled extensively, and now has spent the past several years living in New Zealand. Just like her diverse geographic ‘homes’, Walus also has many literary homes; she writes in several genres, including crime, romance, short stories, poetry, and more. She also has several blogs, covering her different writings and interests, and writes articles for the likes of Mystery Readers’ Journal.

Her most recent crime novel is MURDER @ PLAY, a prequel to her debut MURDER @ WORK, which was shortlisted for the South African Writers’ Circle Novel Award. Although she now lives in New Zealand, Walus’s murder mysteries have thusfar been set in her teenage home of South Africa, particularly dealing with the period around the end of Apartheid in the 1990s. You can see a book trailer for MURDER @ PLAY courtesy of YouTube below:

You can read more about Yvonne E. Walus here, and see the full list of blogs she contributes to here. MURDER @ PLAY is now also available on Kindle (see here) for a very reasonable price.

But for now, Yvonne E. Walus stares down the barrel of 9mm.

The Crime Watch 9mm Author Interview: Yvonne E. Walus

Who is your favourite recurring crime fiction hero/detective?
My childhood hero was, predictably, Hercule Poirot. I've changed my mind several times since, and am currently into Harlan Coben's Windsor Horne Lockwood.

What was the very first book you remember reading and really loving, and why?
"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" had me hooked before I was 10. I loved all the misdirection and the relentless logic of the solution.

Before your debut crime novel, what else had you written (if anything;) unpublished manuscripts, short stories, articles?
Science fiction short stories, literary short fiction, poetry and travel articles. For some bizarre reason, I didn't know how to write short crime fiction for years.

Outside of writing, and touring and promotional commitments, what do you really like to do, leisure and activity-wise?
I spend a lot of time parenting my children, and I actually enjoy it... mostly. This leaves very little time for things I'd like to do more of: sleep, travel, sleep, scuba diving, sleep, reading, wine tasting, beach walks... did I mention sleep?

What is one thing that visitors to your hometown should do, that isn't in the tourist brochures, or perhaps they wouldn’t initially consider?
Define my hometown. If it's where I live, and it's North Shore City (not Super City), they should sit on a bench at the Tui Park beach in Beach Haven, look at the water and listen to the silence. My original hometown is Warsaw, Poland, and there I would invite the visitors to take the first mode of transport out of the city and head south until you hit a tiny spot called Wieliczka, where you go underground to tour a salt mine.

If your life was a movie, which actor could you see playing you?
Sophia Loren

Of your books, which is your favourite, and why?
Always the one I'm currently writing. Of the published ones, I prefer "Murder @ Play".

What was your initial reaction, and how did you celebrate, when you were first accepted for publication? Or when you first saw your debut story in book form on a bookseller’s shelf?
When I got the contract, I thought I must have made a mistake and sent the manuscript to a vanity press! I almost chucked it in the bin....

What is the strangest or most unusual experience you have had at a book signing, author event, or literary festival?
I remember a particular book signing in downtown Auckland, where one Kiwi reader told me "Murder @ Play" wasn't South African enough. It felt strangely gratifying. I consider my setting an integral part of the novels, and to hear people say they loved it and wanted more... it confirmed that my instinct was right.

In contrast, many Americans feel uncomfortable with books set in foreign countries. I understand and respect that, but I'm so very glad New Zealanders can embrace New Zealand fiction set elsewhere.


Thank you Yvonne E. Walus. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk with Crime Watch.

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So what do you think of this 9mm interview? Have you read any of Yvonne E. Walus’s crime novels, or her other stories and articles? Do you like the idea of South African murder mysteries set during the late Apartheid/transition era? What do you think of crime writers setting their novels somewhere other than the country they live in (eg Irishman John Connelly setting his books in the USA rather than Ireland, etc)? What about book trailers? I'd love to read your comments. Please share your thoughts.

Crime Fiction in the news and on the 'Net: Weekly Round-up

There have been some more great crime fiction stories on the Web this past week - from newspapers, magazines, and fellow bloggers. Hopefully you will all like finding an interesting article or two linked here, that you enjoy reading. Of course several of the blog posts and stories from early in the week related to the terrific Bouchercon by the Bay crime writing festival held in San Francisco last weeked. It sure looked like a fantastic time, and I hope to make it to a Bouchercon one day myself.

Onto the round-up.

Crime Watch Weekly Round-Up: In the News and on the 'Net

• John Barber of the Globe and Mail looks at the strengthening crime fiction cohort at the upcoming Toronto Festival of Authors (where IFOA Noir has become something of the 'centrepoint'), asking if this is the year when 'murder got respectable', after Canadian crime writers suffered blatant snobbery by other authors in years past.
• The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at the TV retelling of the classic Sherlock Holmes character, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, calling it "superior sleuth TV".
• In an interesting interview with BBC News, Welsh author and Gold Dagger recipient Belinda Bauer (the first person to win the top award with a debut novel in 40 years) talks about enjoying horror fiction before writing crime (like our own rising star Paul Cleave), unexpected success, and the writing of BLACKLANDS.
• The Sowetan has an article on South African crime writer Diale Tlholwe, who will be appearing for the Miriam Tlali Reading and Book Club session at the African Literary Bookshop in Johannesburg today (Saturday).
• In good news for the crime fiction world, The Bookseller reports that Titan Books has acquired worldwide distribution rights to paperback series Hard Case Crime, whose former publisher Dorchester Publishing ceased mass market paperback publishing in August.
• Bob Patterson of OpEdNews.com gives one fan's perspective of the happenings at the recent Bouchercon festival. You can also read some other thoughts on Bouchercon from Ruth Jordan of Crimespree magazine here, from J.Kingston Pierce of The Rap Sheet here, from Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts here, and from Peter Rozovsky of Detectives Beyond Borders here.
• In an interesting interview with a new author, The Anchorage Daily News takes a look at a new crime novel written by Juneau Fisheries Biologist Scott Kelley.
• In a long-ish article, Peter Craven in The Australian takes a broader look at crime fiction, particularly Scandinavian crime fiction, on TV and in books, including comments about art and trash, popularity and quality, as he examines the second Swedish-language film instalment in Stieg Larsson's trilogy, which is now showing in Australian cinemas.

Have you (or will you) read Bauer's Gold Dagger-winning debut BLACKLANDS? Do you think the literary world is starting to respect crime fiction more? What do you think of the modern-day Sherlock Holmes? Have you been to Bouchercon? Thoughts and comments welcome.

Currently reading: BLOOD SAFARI by Deon Meyer

Regular Crime Watch readers may have noticed a lot of 2010 Global Reading Challenge related posts earlier this year, particularly from January-May. The Global Reading Challenge is a fantastic web-based initiative sparked by fellow crime fiction enthusiast and blogger Dorte Jakobsen of Denmark-based DJ's Krimiblog. There are more than 100 reviewers participating.

The aim of the 2010 Global Reading Challenge is to encourage participants to read books from (or set in) a wide variety of countries, in the coming year. Participants sign up on the website - here - and then attempt one of three (now four) levels of reading challenge over the 12 months of 2010:

• Easy Challenge: read one novel from each of six continents (Africa, Asia, North/Central America, South America, Europe, Australasia) in 2010 - trying to find novels/countries/authors that are new to the reader;
• Medium Challenge: read two novels from each of the six continents, trying to read and review novels from 12 different countries if possible; and
• Expert Challenge: as above, plus two novels set in Antarctica (14 books)
• Extremist Challenge: three novels from each of the six main continents, two novels which are set in Antarctica, and one 'wildcard' - a novel from a place or period that is NEW to you (21 books).

I finished the Expert level in early May, and so then turned my sights on the new 'Extremist' level that Dorte added. And as Dorte has said, "If you are really an extreme reader, you will do your best to read novels from 21 different countries or states".

However a few other things have taken priority since then - along with some new projects and a significantly increased workload at work, I have also had a lot of freelance writing to do (eg author interviews for the Weekend Herald), and have been working on the (now postponed) inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel. So unfortunately my 'global reading' has been on hiatus somewhat, although I still have been reading a lot - just predominantly NZ, US and UK crime fiction - often in preparation for author interviews or other reviews etc.

Right now, in terms of completing the extremist level, I officially have two more books to go - one African crime novel and one South American crime novel. However, I may tweak or bolster my final 21 book line-up with a replacement Asian or North American crime novel, to add even more variety than I currently have in those continents (e.g. try and read a Mexican or Cuban crime novel, rather than having two US and one Canadian etc).

So, getting back on the 2010 Global Reading Challenge horse, I've now just started reading BLOOD SAFARI by Deon Meyer, as my third African crime novel (following crime novels set in Ancient Egypt and contemporary Botswana). I've heard lots of great things about Meyer's crime writing, so I'm looking forward to reading this South African tale.

In BLOOD SAFARI, Lemmer is a freelance bodyguard for Body Armor, a personal security company in South Africa. Lean, angry, violent, he is way down on the price list where the bargains are to be found.

Emma le Roux wants to find her missing brother, who supposedly died twenty years ago, but whom she is convinced she's seen on the news as a suspect in the recent killing of a witch doctor and four poachers. She hires Lemmer to watch her back when she goes looking for answers.

As le Roux and Lemmer look for clues in the Lowveld, it becomes clear someone wants to keep them in the dark. Someone who will go to any lengths to stop them asking questions. When they are attacked and almost killed, Lemmer decides to go after whoever is hunting them - against all odds.

I am really looking forward to reading this, and its great to get back into some more 'global reading'. Dorte has done such a fantastic job with the challenge.

Have you read any of Deon Meyer's novels? What do you think of South African-set crime fiction? Are you participating in the 2010 Global Reading Challenge? Do you like trying books from a diverse range of countries and authors? Comments welcome.

Crime Fiction in the news and on the 'Net: Weekly Round-up

There's been some more great crime fiction stories on the Web this past week - from newspapers, magazines, and fellow bloggers. Hopefully you will all like finding an interesting article or two linked here, that you enjoy reading.

Before I dive into all the fantastic stories out there however, I thought I'd quickly mention my own feature that was in last weekend's Weekend Herald, for those that missed it. You can read my article on bestselling British crime writers Peter James and Peter Robinson, here.

I was fortunate enough to also meet Peter James in person earlier this week, at a great, packed event at Takapuna Library on Tuesday evening. He had the audience in stitches, and is a very funny, interesting, and humble guy. I am currently about two thirds of the way through DEAD LIKE YOU, and enjoying it a lot.

Onto the round-up.

Crime Watch Weekly Round-Up: In the News and on the 'Net

• In his regular slot for the Huffington Post, thriller writer Jason Pinter shares a cool little post from Don Winslow (SAVAGES, THE GENTLEMAN'S HOUR) - whose books Pinter describes jabbing "a fountain pen in the eye of anyone who can read one of his tomes and state with conviction that crime fiction isn't literature" - about using a little poetic license in his latest novel.
• Katie Allan of The Bookseller reveals that Wellington-based crime writer and TV screenwriter - and Ngaio Marsh Award finalist - Neil Cross is to write three spin-off novels for Simon & Schuster, based on his character Luther, made famous by Idris Alba in the recent TV series of the same name.
• In further Neil Cross-related news, it has been announced that Luther will premiere in the United States on 17 October, and that the BBC has also commissioned "a spine-chilling new single drama" from Cross for Christmas - Whistle And I'll Come To You, a "thoroughly modern re-working of the evocative Edwardian ghost story "Oh, Whistle and I'll come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James". Busy man, Mr Cross.
• Echoing a view that I've shared on this blog several times, Justin Peacock of The Daily Beast takes a much more eloquent and lengthy look at how crime fiction really has become the modern social novel. "Tom Wolfe and other writers used to tell us about the state of America, but now if you’re looking for great social novels you’d better turn to crime writers like Richard Price and Dennis Lehane", says Peacock.
• Paul Robinson of the Yorkshire Post talks to actor Stephen Tompkinson about playing Peter Robinson's famous sleuth Inspector Alan Banks in the upcoming "gritty" ITV crime drama, DCI Banks: Aftermath.
• Mike Nicol of Crime Beat SA interviews longstanding South African crime writer Wessel Ebersohn about his latest novel, and much more, as his new political thriller Those Who Love Night, which sees the return of Abigail Bukula, the brilliant young lawyer, is released.
• In a nice little article, "Murder, we read", that seems to have only recently popped up online, Malcolm Jones of Newsweek takes a closer look at our centuries-long preference for crime fiction, a literary trend that dwarfs temporarily 'hot' phenomena like vampires or boy wizards.

What do you think of the round-up? Which articles do you find interesting? Is crime the modern social novel? Is crime fiction the biggest, most longstanding modern literary trend of all? Are you looking forward to DCI Banks: Aftermath? Will you read books centred on the intriguing 'Luther'? Please share your thoughts. I'd love to read what you think.