Clan Destine Press Blog — Natalie Conyer

In lo, these unusual times, have you ever found yourself wondering how Australian and New Zealand crime writers focus their finely-tuned brains enough to pen their heart-pumping prose? Wonder no longer! How Do You Work From Home When You Write Crime (The Answers Involve a Pig)? [New South Wales] is not in total lock-down yet, so my tip would be walk your dog while you still can! Naturally, keep a safe distance from people when you do this. I find it energises me and giving my dogs a cuddle is very soothing. If you don’t have a dog, maybe run...

by Natalie Conyer How soon before you’re allowed to give up on a book?I’m reading Hilary Mantel’s latest, The Mirror and the Light. It’s the third in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy and I loved the first two so much I pre-ordered this one, probably before she finished writing it.But. At nearly a thousand pages, it’s a big read. And it’s detailed. Oh, so detailed. It’s got a cast of thousands, many of whom have titles different from their names. So I keep having to go back to the five-page list of characters to check. And do I really need to...