Scarlet Stiletto Bites
by Sisters in Crime Australia
Scintillating short crime stories by Australian woman.
Narrated by Susanna Lobez
Podcast episodes
Season 1
Thursday Night at the Opera by Christina Lee
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. Credits Concept designer, co-producer, and narrator: Susanna Lobez Co-producer: Carmel Shute Announcer: Leigh Redhead ProductionManager: Tim Coy Graphic Designer: Caz Brown Copyright Sisters in Crime Australia
Dust Devils by Julie Waight, 2005 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
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!" Credits Concept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna Lobez Co-producer: Carmel Shute Announcer: Leigh Redhead Production Manager: Tim Coy Graphic Designer: Caz Brown Music: sampled and inspired by Prokofiev Copyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023
Stone Cold by Ruth Wykes, 2016 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
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. Credits Concept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna Lobez Co-producer: Carmel Shute Announcer: Leigh Redhead Production Manager: Tim Coy Graphic Designer: Caz Brown Music: sampled & inspired by Prokofiev Copyright Sisters in Crime Australia
Kill-Dead-Garten by Aoife Clifford, 2007 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
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) Credits Concept designer, co-producer and narrator: Susanna Lobez Co-producer: Carmel Shute Announcer: Leigh Redhead Production Manager: Tim Coy Graphic Designer: Caz Brown Music: sampled & inspired by Prokofiev Copyright Sisters in Crime Australia 2023