Melanie Casey is an Australian crime/paranormal writer with the first two books in a trilogy out through Pantera Press.
I attended the launch of her second book, Craven, in the spooky bowels of the Adelaide Uni Barr Smith Library earlier this year, so when the opportunity to interview her came along, I was excited.
We sat down for a chat over Thai food in the far less spooky light of day to discuss her books and everything writing.
Your books, Hindsight and Craven, are modern-day crime fiction with a psychic twist. What the series is about?
I have a background in English literature and was always annoyed by the classical Cassandra from Greek mythology. She is this intelligent, powerful woman who has psychic abilities and could foresee the future, including her own death. Her curse was that no one ever believed her and she passively went to her death, even though she could have prevented it had she done things differently.
I wanted to reinvent that classical Cassandra in this series, give her some self determination, and that’s really what the story is about. Cass doesn’t want her ‘gift’, she’s become a recluse because of if, but she eventually decides that she does want a partner and normal life, perhaps children at some stage, and that requires her going out into the world.
The books are set in Adelaide and South Australia and it’s been great to be able to promote Adelaide to the world.
What sort of reader would be drawn to your books?
That’s interesting because I’ve been to several different literary festivals in recent times and found the audiences there were drawn to different aspects of the books. It’s not gendered, they appeal equally to men and women, probably in the 25-55 year age bracket. The psychic and paranormal elements seem to appeal more to the Gen-Y readers, and the crime and police procedural side of it seems to appeal more to older readers. I found at the Newtown Festival in Sydney that readers were more interested in the psychic element and at other festivals, readers focused on the crime.
How did you go about researching and fleshing out your characters?
I don’t know what it’s like to have psychic abilities. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced, but since writing the books, I’ve had plenty of people approach me to tell me about theirs. I personally find those individuals who are a bit reluctant to discuss their ‘gift’ to be more believable – it’s like I imagine Cass to be with her gift. It’s something that she doesn’t really want, but has to live with. I was once contacted by someone claiming to be a psychic pet detective, and I found that a bit kooky.
I’ve [also] got a background as a lawyer and I belong to the SA crime writer’s group. We have a really diverse membership including ex-cops and forensic psychologists. I’ve asked them for details and checked procedures on numerous occasions. For example, one of my police contacts told me how the cadaver dogs, used at crime scenes to find bodies, are the princesses of the canine world and have their paws tied up in little booties so they don’t get prickles in them!
Another example of my ‘crime contacts’ coming in very handy was when I needed an example of a real-life murder that had occurred in a restaurant. My police friend told me about a cold case from the early 1990s where a student from the UK was stabbed on the street, then wandered into a Japanese restaurant where she died. I felt better about using this example in my book because her family are overseas and so less likely to hear about it and get upset at it appearing in my book.
Are you ever worried about getting the details wrong?
Yes, I am, and I check details thoroughly. I’ve even confirmed details like the colour of the police tape used at crime scenes – it used to be the chequered variety, but now due to budgetary constraints, it’s just plain yellow tape.
Can you tell me about your writing life and journey to publication?
I ran into an old school teacher years after establishing my career as a lawyer, and she was totally underwhelmed by my achievements. She demanded to know why I wasn’t writing. That was the catalyst I needed to enrol in the Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing) run by the Adelaide College of the Arts (TAFE), and I completed that course in 2010. Hindsight was written as my final year project for that course and I had several excellent writing tutors to guide me with that including Kirsty Brooks, and Jane Turner-Goldsmith.
After that, I tried to get an agent to no avail. I tried in Australia, the UK and USA. I’ve had lots of rejections! Then as a last ditch attempt, I decided to skip the agents and approach publishers directly. I submitted it to Pantera Press as one of the few publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts, and luckily they liked it enough to offer me a publishing contract.
Which writers do you enjoy?
I read everything and anything. As I said, I have the classical English literature background, so I love all that. I have floor to ceiling bookcases at home full of the likes of Shakespeare and David Malouf and, of course, the more commercial books by writers like Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Clive Cussler (to remind me what a great action scene looks like!) and Kathy Reichs. When I’m in the process of writing a book, I’m very careful about what I read so I don’t subliminally steal anything. I’ll stick to ‘safe reading’ like Agatha Christie.
Do you think there are myths about the publishing industry?
They’re not myths, they’re all true! It is very hard to get published, and there are stacks of manuscripts submitted to publishers every week. You just have to be persistent and treat your writing like a business.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t give up, treat it like a business and carve some time out of every day to dedicate to it. Develop a thick skin, and talk to other writers. They’re a quirky bunch and all of them have something valuable to offer.
What’s next for Melanie Casey?
The third book in the trilogy is due out next April/May. It’s called Missing and focuses on themes of home and homelessness. After that, I plan to write some stand-alone books that are more speculative in nature than straight crime.
Where can Glam Adelaide readers buy copies of your books?
Hard copies are available through Dymocks, and you can also get them through online book distributors that sell Australian books.
Interviewed by Samantha Bond
Twitter: @SamStaceyBond
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