SheKilda celebrates female Australian crime authors in October 2011.

1.  When you heard “SheKilda” – what did it conjure up in your mind?

‘She killed ‘er!’ he said, pointing at the whimpering dog, nudging her owner’s lifeless body. Thank god the stupid mutt can’t talk, he thought.

2.  How do you see the current state of Female Crime Writing in Australia?

The best it has ever been, thanks to Sisters in Crime and the camaraderie of Australia’s female crime writers.

3.  Where do you see the future of Female Crime Writing in Australia heading?

As Australia plays a more pivotal role in global affairs, I believe our crime fiction will increasingly take on global themes. I, also, believe that Australian central characters will become more popular in other countries.

4.  Where were you during SheKilda 2001?

Dividing my time between the corporate world and volunteering for Greenpeace. Through Greenpeace I met world renowned geneticists, and The Genesis Flaw became the genetic engineering thriller I had to write.

5. What (other than your own panels 🙂 ) are you particularly looking forward to at SheKilda 2011?

I love to hear other writers talk about their inspiration, their characters and how they work. We often approach crime writing in different ways and I have no doubt I will leave SheKilda with a fascinating insight or two.

6.   Tell us about your latest book.

The Genesis Flaw is tale of corporate espionage, murder and world domination…

Human experiments in Zimbabwe. An Australian farmer’s death. A Sydney CEO’s suicide. Only one woman sees the connection.

Serena Swift is a ballsy advertising director with a guilty conscience who takes on the world’s most powerful biotech company, Gene-Asis, because she believes they are responsible for her father’s death.

Serena hooks up with a hacker and disguises herself to infiltrate Gene-Asis in an attempt to expose the company’s horrific genetic experiments. She little realises her investigations are being watched.

Suddenly, Swift’s informants disappear; she is hunted by a hired killer and framed for murder. Chased from Sydney to New York, she must face the man she fears most, on his own turf.

If she fails, nothing can stop a global catastrophe. And nobody can help her – except a dead man.

The Genesis Flaw is a fast-paced environmental thriller that is spine-chillingly pertinent for our times and will grip readers from beginning to end.