Scarlet Stiletto Bites

Imaginative crime stories with quirky comic moments, deadly characters and a frisson of feminism

We all feel cynical sometimes, don't we? Today on Scarlet's Stiletto Bites, we meet a super cynic. She's seen everything, but her cynicism leads her to discover seriously sinister crimes. Thursday Night at the Opera by Christina Lee, the Scarlett's Stiletto winner in 1998, and warning: there are a few dark themes in this story.About the Author, Christina LeeChristina Lee won the Scarlet Stiletto twice, much to her surprise, in 1992 and 1994, with an Honourable Mention or Third Place or something in between. Under the Sisters in Crime policy, she was not able to enter the competition after that, and was invited to be a judge. Christina has been on the judging panel every year since then, a wonderful experience, she says. She now coordinates the final judging session.Christina has been writing a long time. Decades ago, she co-authored two crime novels, set in a Melbourne tertiary institution (Unable by Reason of Death, 1989; Not In Single Spies, 1992; Penguin Australia). Both sold and reviewed well. The first was an ABC book reading (1990) and optioned for screen. After that, an all-encompassing thirty-year academic career seriously got in the way of writing for about thirty years, but Christina is an Emeritus Professor now and is back, looking for a publisher for her new crime novel.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer, and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProductionManager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

Do we really wonder WHY women kill? We watched the TV series of that name… well a lot of us did. Long before Coercive Control was even a thing, women were responding to it, with dreams of their own domestic revenge.In today's Scarlet Stiletto Bite - the character Cyndi, an ordinary suburban woman does a bit more than dream…Back in 2005, a friend suggested to Julie Waight that she enter the Sisters in Crime Short Story Competition. She plucked out one of her many short stories, (Dust Devils) edited, did a rewrite to comply with the competition criteria and entered. She says she was astonished when she won.Julie: "I wish I could say that was the beginning of my published writing career. It wasn’t. I’m old-school, I like the smell of a new book and to feel the paper as I turn a page. I’m not on face book, twitter, or Instagram (whatever that is) and not a computer savvy person. There was a close call when a publishing company in the UK wanted to publish my novel Kindred, but the company folded before that happened (something to do with Brexit?)– this opportunity only arose when an interested work student did all the research and sent my novel online – something I can’t seem to do myself.Obviously, I require an agent! (Anyone interested?) I’ve written four novels and over thirty short stories. Thank you to Sisters in Crime, who allowed me to see my work in published form!"CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled and inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Sometimes it is hard to look past the “usual suspects” when a crime is investigated. Perhaps it even takes a smidge of “women’s intuition...Ruth Wykes is an author and editor who lives and works on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Ruth has co-authored two true crime books: Women Who Kill with Lindy Cameron and Invisible Women with Kylie Fox (both Clan Destine Press).Ruth is currently writing her debut crime novel and belongs to a small but passionate writers’ group who meet regularly to write and share experiences. She enjoys writing fiction and in 2016 won the coveted Scarlet Stiletto short story competition. She has extensive experience in editing and proofreading and has written book reviews for a number of publications.In recent years Ruth has discovered a love of judging and is currently on the panel of judges for Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Awards for best crime books by women. In her free time Ruth enjoys gardening, her friends, AFL football, and attempting the occasional home renovation project.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

Crime can come close to us in more ways than one. Would you rather have a loved one who is a victim? Or a perpetrator?The Mother in today’s story, has both.Eleven years elapsed between Josephine Pennicott’s first Scarlet Stiletto shoe for “Birthing the Demons” in 2001 and her second shoe for “Shadows” in 2012. This taught her a lot about tenacity and belief in self. Winning the Scarlet Stiletto helped Josephine gain attention from a major publishing company, which led to her securing a literary agent. Since then, she has had five books published both in Australia and internationally. Her mystery novel Poet’s Cottage was a Spiegel bestseller in Germany.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Sometimes is gets very hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. And often the good guys can get burnout, like Lizzie in today’s story.In 2003, Jacqui Horwood was an emerging writer working at Victoria Police and scratching away at short stories. In 2016 she was an emerging writer who had two draft manuscripts and a number of published short stories under her belt. The shoes have boosted her confidence and remind her that she can do it. She is still an emerging writer. She was a judge for Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Awards for best crime books for 10 years.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Murders happen in the strangest places and for the strangest reasons… as today’s story illustrates.When Aoife Clifford won the Scarlet Stiletto in 2007, she was at home with two small children, suffering terrible morning sickness with what was soon to be her third. Now her eldest has left home and her third crime novel is about to come out in hardback in the UK and she is writing her fourth. The Scarlet Stiletto opened publishing doors but just as importantly introduced her to a community of crime writing friends to enjoy the crazy ride with.Aoife Clifford was born in London of Irish parents and now lives in Melbourne. She is the author of best-selling literary crime novels, Second Sight (Highly Commended at the Davitt Awards), and All These Perfect Strangers, (long listed for both the ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and the Voss Literary Prize). Aoife is a S.D. Harvey award winner, has been shortlisted for the UK Crime Association’s Debut Dagger among other prizes. Her award-winning short stories have been published in Australia, UK and US. Her latest novel is When We Fall (Ultimo Press)CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

The outback of Australia can hold many mysteries and secrets. And its vastness can cover a criminal’s tracks and a family’s hidden past...Hayley Young lives in Canberra with her family and enjoys writing across multiple genres. In 2021, she was at work (sneaking a snack) when she returned a missed call to learn she had won the 28th Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Award and Scriptworks Award for a Great Film Idea. Winning inspired further dedication to her love of writing, and in 2022 her success was followed by second place as well as Best Thriller in the 29th Scarlet Stiletto Awards. She was also the winner of the inaugural ACWA Louie Award 2022, and Audio Arcadia and MNC Writers’ Centre short story competitions in 2021. She has been published in multiple Australian and international works, including four anthologies by Stringybark Publishing, and two shortlisted entries in the Hammond House International Literary Competition (UK). She is currently working on three novels.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Some crimes are solved by intuition or gut instinct. Others by serendipity. In today’s story an OpShop provided clues...Cate Kennedy has been writing short stories for going on 30 years, ever since entering the first Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 1994 and winning two trophies in a row (after which she was invited to become a judge). Cate rapidly became one of Australia’s most admired and awarded short-story writers. She’s also written and published a novel, a travel memoir, and three collections of poetry. Cate works as a writing teacher and fiction advisor on the faculty of Pacific University’s Creative Writing program in Oregon, finally completed her PhD in 2021 and is now trying to clear the decks to finish writing another book.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Everyone seems to be buying, selling, even collecting online – but scammers are lurking in cyberspace and even hard copy vintage books are targeted, as you’ll see in today’ s story.When Liz Filleul won the Scarlet Stiletto Award in 2004, she had recently rediscovered the children’s books she’d loved growing up in England – books like the Famous Five, the Chalet School, the Lone Piners, and Antonia Forest’s Marlows series. This inspired her winning entry, “Brought to Book”.At the time, Liz hoped her Scarlet Stiletto success would be a springboard to a career as a novelist. And it actually did lead to having a detective novel set in the world of vintage children’s fiction collectors published by a niche publisher in the UK. But the success she’d dreamed of – having a mainstream novel published – didn’t happen, and still hasn’t.For over a decade, Liz worked on various novels, periodically taking time out to write short stories. She continued to do well in the Scarlet Stiletto Awards, with the runners-up prize in 2007, 2011 and 2016, and the Cross-Genre Prize in 2011 and the Mystery with History Prize in 2016. Eventually, it dawned on her that maybe her forte was writing short stories. Liz put one of her YA novels on submission and decided to focus on short stories for a while.It was the best writing decision she has ever made. In the past three years, she has had 40 short stories and three serials published in UK magazine The People’s Friend, and she has also been published in the USA magazine Woman’s World. One of her crime stories in The People’s Friend, “Dead Men Tell No Tales”, set in 1830s Van Diemen’s Land and featuring a convict constable, was a finalist in the 2023 Derringer Awards, run by the Short Mystery Fiction Society in the USA.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Bad dreams often come from bad deeds, but who’s bad deeds….Janis Spehr lives in northern Victoria. She has published five story collections and a novel with Ginninderra Press. She is currently writing her second novel, The Blue Door. Her writing journey has taken her away from crime fiction but she retains fond memories of the Scarlet Stiletto. She won first prize two years on a trot, 1999 and 2000.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by Prokofiev

Sometimes an investigation on a hot case unearths a revelation about a cold case. In today’s story, a rookie Constable must sort through her suspicions to find the prime suspect…Fin J Ross has become a repeat offender, winning several Scarlet Stiletto category prizes in the past ten years. She finally kidnapped the coveted Scarlet Stiletto trophy at the 2022 awards with her entry, “Tuesday Jocks”. She has two published novels, and several short stories published in various anthologies, along with five novels languishing in limbo on her laptop. She has co-written three true crime anthologies with her sister, Sisters in Crime convenor and former president, Lindy Cameron. Aside from last year’s winning entry, she’s barely written a word for 18 months, since discovering an addiction to mosaics, which she now teaches in her Paynesville studio.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Angela Savage is an award-winning writer, former CEO of Writers Victoria, and current CEO of Public Libraries Victoria. Her debut novel, Behind the Night Bazaar, featured Jayne Keeney, the Thai-based P I in her story which won third prize in 1998. The book won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Unpublished Manuscript, and all three of her Jayne Keeney PI novels were shortlisted for Ned Kelly Awards. Angela’s short stories have been published in Australia and the UK and she won the 2011 Scarlet Stiletto Award with “The teardrop tattoos”. Angela holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Monash University, giving her the Bond villain-like name of Doctor Savage. Her latest novel is Mother of Pearl.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled and inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

Eleven years elapsed between Josephine Pennicott’s first Scarlet Stiletto shoe for “Birthing the Demons” in 2001 and her second shoe for “Shadows” in 2012. This taught her a lot about tenacity and belief in self. Winning the Scarlet Stiletto helped Josephine gain attention from a major publishing company, which led to her securing a literary agent. Since then, she has had five books published both in Australia and internationally. Her mystery novel Poet’s Cottagewas a Spiegel bestseller in Germany.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled and inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

In 2013, Candice Graham was studying her Masters in Clinical Neuropsychology when she won the Scarlett Stiletto Award. Just one year prior, she won the Catherine Leppert Best Environmental Theme Award with her first ever Scarlet Stiletto entry. Candice reportedly remembers thinking at that time (surrounded by such talented ladies) that first prize was probably out of her reach. Above all else, Candice believes the Scarlet Stiletto Awards teach us what we’re capable of – both in writing and murderous intent! Candice set out to create something memorable and unique with her winning entry, “The Bunyip’s Last Wish”. She hopes that everyone enjoys this story, which was itself a joy to create. Since then, Candice has spent many rewarding years working as a psychologist, primarily with children and young adults. Candice and her husband share two wonderful young children of their own. Candice reports that their lives have pivoted in unexpected directions over the past year, impacted by storm damage, moving house, and winning some battles to become financially stable. Sadly, Candice has stepped back from her work as a psychologist due to severe pain from endometriosis. She believes the time feels right, however, to start writing the multitude of novels brimming in her mind…CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled and inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023

When Judith won the trophy in2014, she had sold a few stories to That’s Life and been published in a few obscurejournals with three readers. Flying to Melbourne and attending the event made her feel recognised as a writer. When she returned to Perth, there was a work thang summing up the year so far and the University Librarian said “and now we have an award-winning writer”, which was terribly exciting, she says. Since then, she has been published in a lot of anthologies and her flash fiction has been read live, recorded, translated and made into tiny films. Her creative urge at the moment is best satisfied recording songs with her duo The Additives.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

TJ Hamilton is a retired police officer, a criminologist, a published author, a one-time crime reporter, and now TV screenwriter. With a deep understanding of the crime genre, TJ is one of Australia's most sought-after technical consultants and story producers for scripted dramas, having worked across various productions in both Australia and the U.S.Winning the shoe in 2015 was a huge turning point in her career. Shortly after, she moved back to Sydney from Hervey Bay with her family and worked as a print journalist for 3 years while she studied screenwriting at AFTRS. Meeting Danielle Cormack on the awards night proved to be a fruitful pathway into writers’ rooms when she introduced TJ to other screenwriters.In the eight years since, she has worked in various script departments across a wide variety of Australian dramas, including a couple of years stint at Home and Away during the Covid pandemic. This year, Hollywood came knocking, and she is beyond thrilled to be on the development team in Los Angeles for a new TV show with one of Australia’s most successful industry exports.None of this would’ve been possible if she had not taken the plunge and sent in her short story for the Scarlet Stiletto, for which she is eternally grateful.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer, and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProductionManager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

In 2003, when Jacqui won the Scarlet Stiletto Award, she was an emerging writer working at Victoria Police and scratching away at short stories. In 2016, when she won the special Silver Stiletto at Sisters in Crime convention, SheKilda 3, she was an emerging writer who had two draft manuscripts and a number of published short stories under her belt. The shoes have boosted her confidence and remind her that she can do it. She is still an emerging writer. She was a judge for Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Awards for best crime books for 10 years.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

Rowena is a cross-genre writer with a preference for writing crime. She has been publishing short stories, creative non-fiction and articles since 1994 in various magazines including Southerly and Island. In 2017 she won six awards for her short stories and creative non-fiction, of which the most thrilling was the Scarlet Stiletto Award. Winning the Stiletto, and gazing on the shoe every day – it lives in her loungeroom – gave her the courage to write a novel. Since then, she’s continued to write and sell short stories but she’s also written two (unpublished) thrillers and has embarked on a third, which she now feels confident enough to attempt to sell. Her work has been featured on the ABC Radio National’s Book Show, Earshot and most recently on Radio ABC Melbourne.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled & inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia

In 2018 Philomena’s dear friend and co-founder of Sisters in Crime, Mary-Ann Metcalf, died unexpectedly. After the funeral, Philomena was prompted to enter the Scarlet Stilettos for the first time – and won! She entered again the following year and came runner-up. Naturally, a life of crime writing beckoned. To better study the craft, in 2020 Philomena joined the Davitt Judges panel as its Coordinator. The role continued to expose her to a vast and diverse range of great Australian crime and mystery writing for people of all ages. In early 2023 she began submitting her draft novel -The Death Cycle – to publishers. Its main character, Finn, is based in the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, a place Philomena had visited during her PhD research on autopsies ten years earlier. In May an excerpt from her book was short-listed for the Geelong Writers Prize…CreditsConcept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteAnnouncer: Leigh RedheadProduction Manager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownMusic: sampled and inspired by ProkofievCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023