Scarlet Stiletto Bites
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Check-Out Time by Rowena Helston
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Check-Out Time”, the short story by Sydneysider, Rowena Helston, won the prize for Best Investigation in Sisters in Crime’s 2009 Scarlet Stilet...
Milko by Moraig Kisler
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moraig Kisler took out the prize for Best New Talent in Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 2013 for her short story, “Milko”. Moraig ...
Mary's Colours by Vicky Daddo
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vicky Daddo won 2nd prize in Sisters in Crime’s Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 2013 for her short story, “Mary's Colours”. Vicky writes long and sho...
The Case of the Missing Husband by Aoife Clifford
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aoife [Ee-fa] Clifford won the Scarlet Stiletto Award in 2007 and then continued to take out numerous category awards, including the runner-up prize f...
The Body in the Library by Dawn Farnham
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Body in the Library’ won the eponymous prize in the 2013 Scarlet Stiletto awards for WA author Dawn Farnham. She has published numerous short st...
Service With a Smile by Emilie Collyer
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emilie Collyer’s story, “Service with a Smile", took out the Scarlet Stiletto Cross Genre award in 2013. Emilie writes poetry, plays and prose. Sh...
Lilly Pilly Don't be Silly by Nikki Lee
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nikki Lee Taylor won the 31st Scarlet Stiletto Award for “Lilly Pilly, Don't Be Silly.” She is a former journalist, whose work around PTSD was rec...
Fallen Angel by Candice Graham
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Candice Graham won the Best Environmental Story in the 2012 Scarlet Stiletto Awards with “Fallen Angel”. Back then, she was studying her Masters i...
Nursing a Suspicion by Robyn McWilliam
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Robyn McWilliam had been writing crime short stories for years, placing in Queen of Crime Awards and being published in anthologies. Winning a Scarlet...
The Autumn Dog Cannot Live to Spring by Claire McKenna
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Claire McKenna won 3rd prize in the 2012 Scarlet Stiletto Awards in “The Autumn Dog Cannot Live to Spring”. Hailing from the remote outer suburba...
Silk Versus Sierra by Sandi Wallace
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Best Investigative story, 2013Sandi Wallace dreamed of being a crime writer from around the age of six. Her first big win for a crime story was for “...
A Clean Job by Emilie Collyer
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where the neutralisation of emotions is compulsory, an enforcement officer risks everything when she starts to succumb to her feelings.2nd ...
Brought to Book by Kath Harper
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Brought to Book” won Kath Harper the Body in the Library First Prize in 2012. Kath grew up in a family of word nerds, and worked as a nanny/house...
Much Ado About Nunning by Helen Iles
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Much Ado About Nunning” by Western Australian author, Helen Iles, won the prize for Best Film Idea in 2012. Helen writes crime fiction, adult fictio...
Fish for Freedom by Sarah Evans
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Fish for Freedom” won the Malice Domestic prize in the 2012 Scarlet Stiletto Awards for WA author Sarah Evans. She has since had many short stori...
Quit by Aoife Clifford
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aoife Clifford’s story, “Quit”, took out the award for funniest short story in the 2012 Scarlet Stiletto Awards and was runner up in the Body in...
The Key Suspect by Jane Blechynden
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the time of winning the Scarlet Stiletto Young Writers’ Award in 2007, Jane Blechynden was a ten-year-old schoolgirl whose biggest concern was wh...
A Man of Fashion by Lesley Truffle
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lesley Truffle won 3rd prize in the Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 2010 for “A Man of Fashion”. She was then an aspiring novelist, then walking the be...
Still Life by Dianne Gray
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Still Life” won Dianne Gray the second prize in the 2000 Scarlet Stiletto Awards. She has taken out several category awards. She has since publis...
Shifty Business by Liz Cameron
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Shifty Business” by the late Liz Cameron took out 3rd Prize in the 2002 Scarlet Stiletto Awards and was selected for inclusion in Scarlet Stilett...
Dead Water by Bronwyn Blake
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bronwyn Blake was a new writer when “Dead Water” won an award for Best Lesbian Protagonist in the 1995 Scarlet Stiletto Awards . . . an exciting b...
After Azaria by Ann Penhallurick
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“After Azaria” was Ann’s first ever crime story. Receiving a Scarlet Stiletto, Best Procedural award for it was a fantastic motivator for writin...
Froth and Trouble or Sun Hill Blues by Margaret Pollock
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Her story in verse - Froth and Trouble or Sun Hill Blues -was entered in the Scarlet Stiletto competition back in the days when everyone watched the ...
Divine Intervention by Louise Connor
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Louise Connor's story, “Divine Intervention”, won third prize in the 2nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards in 1995. A founding member of Sisters in Crime, L...
Poppies by Kylie Fox
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kylie had always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t until winning the Dorothy Porter Award for her story in verse, “Poppies”, that she realise...
Operation Blue Water by Inga Simpson
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Inga Simpson entered the Scarlet Stiletto while living in Brisbane during her second year of studying creative writing. Two prizes for one story and t...
Bucket Time by Kerry James
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kerry James was a lapsed professional and full-time carer for a loved one in decline when she wrote “Bucket Time”. She was considering people’s ...
Fence Hanger by Linda Tubnor
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Linda was inspired to weave her wildlife rescue activities into a crime story and showcase the amazing, and mostly unsung, work of the volunteer netwo...
The Write Place by Liz Filleul
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Filleul won the Scarlet Stiletto Award in 2004, and naturally wanted to win a second shoe. In 2007, she almost did so with “The Write Place”, ...
Xenos by Evelyn Tsitas
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Evelyn Tsitas is writer, artist, and curator. Her published and performed works range across fiction, nonfiction, stage, and journalism. Evelyn’s sh...
The Super Murder by Margaret Bevege
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Margaret Bevege’s PhD thesis was published as Behind Barbed Wire by UQP in 1993. She had articles in Women, Class and History and Worth Her Salt, wh...
Side Window by Vikki Petraitis
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vikki Petraitis has written 18 books, including her best-selling book The Frankston Murders about serial killer Paul Denyer. In 2023, she released a p...
Smoke by Aoife Clifford
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aoife Clifford is the author of the best-selling literary crime novels, Second Sight, highly commended in the Davitt Awards, All These Perfect Strange...
The Bodyguard by Sarah Evans
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Evans is a seasoned writer of crime and her stories are usually inspired by true events. “The Bodyguard” and “Cold Comfort” are no excep...
Out of the Dark by Anne Cost
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Apart from writing humorous family poetry, Anne had little writing experience. She won awards for two short stories at U3A and joined a creative writi...
The Ugly Thing by Vicki Daddo
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vicky Daddo lives in Hazelwood South, Victoria and is President of the Gippsland Writers Network and a Regional Ambassador for Writers Victoria. Her s...
The Barleymint Corpse by Carmela Saloman
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since completing this short story, Mel Salomon completed her PhD, and moved to the United States where she now works as a medical writer. She has 2 ch...
Interview by Marguerite Johnson
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
THIS STORY CONTAINS DETAILS OF CRUELTY TO A CHILD AND MAY BE TRIGGERING. Marguerite Johnson is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at t...
Revenge is Never the Answer by Sarah Robinson-Hatch
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Sarah won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for the Best Young Writer in 2011, she was in Year 7 at Caulfield Grammar School. Though she had been passio...
Stage Fright by Mary Evans
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Evans wrote Stage Fright while she was being homeschooled by her mother, crime writer Sarah Evans, who encouraged Mary to write and submit her wo...
Trouble in Nine Acts by Kim Westwood
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2011, the year Kim won the Scarlet Stiletto Judges’ Prize was the year her second novel, The Courier’s New Bicycle, was published. Being a creatur...
The Detail by Fiona Drury
13 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fiona Drury is a corporate writer and editor and an international exhibition agent for major museums. She is originally from the UK and has lived in ...
Cock a Hoop by Sarah Evans
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cock-a-Hoop was inspired by a true story told to sarah Evans at a rural community event celebrating women where she was a speaker. At the time she was...
Death in the Skies by Jessica Southern-Reid
30 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Author of Death in the Skies, 2020 winner of Scarlet Stiletto Award & Mystery with History Award..Jessica has always been able to put a string of ...
Crime Traveller by Liz Filleul
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Filleul won the Scarlet Stiletto Award in 2004 and in 2011 she came close to doing it again, with her story “Crime Traveller”, taking out both...
Skin and Bone by Romany Rzechowicz
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Romany won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for short crime fiction and also the Art and Crime Category for 2023.By day Romany helps organisations share the...
Pecking Order by Roxxy Bent
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Roxxy Bent is a founder of Vitalstatisix Theatre Company. She wrote award winning plays for Vitals and other companies; several of which have been pub...
Louisa by Christina Lee
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Persia Bloom by Amanda Wrangles
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2009, when Amanda won the Scarlet Stiletto with her story, “Persia Bloom”, the ex-hairdresser was busy being mum to three young boys and h...
Vermin by Janis Spehr
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Janis Spehr lives in northern Victoria. She has published five story collections and a novel with Ginninderra Press. She is currently writing her seco...
Tallow by Eleanor Marney
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Tallow” by Ellie Marney won the 2010 Scarlet Stiletto Award catapulting her into a publishing contract, a debut novel, and what has turned into a...
Floating in a Live Circuit by Siobhan Mullany
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Siobhan Mullany won the Scarlet Stiletto in 1997. She is a current NSW Convenor of Sisters in Crime. She worked as a criminal defence lawyer. Her non-...
Mrs Wilcox's Milk Saucepan by Roxxy Bent
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Roxxy Bent is a founder of Vitalstatisix Theatre Company. She wrote award winning plays for Vitals and other companies; several of which have been pub...
Habit by Cate Kennedy
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 troph...
Undeceive by Evelyn Tsitas
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Evelyn Tsitas is writer, artist, and curator. Her published and performed works range across fiction, nonfiction, stage, and journalism. Evelyn’s sh...
At Length I Would Be Avenged by Blanche Clark
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and award-winning short story writer Blanche Clark hails from Melbourne/Naarm. After seven years as the Herald Sun's Books Editor, she beca...
Darkness in the Port by Philomena Horsely
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018 Philomena’s dear friend and co-founder of Sisters in Crime, Mary-Ann Metcalf, died unexpectedly. After the funeral, Philomena was prompted t...
Locked Out, Locked In, Locked Up by Rowena Harding-Smith
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rowena is a cross-genre writer with a preference for writing crime. She has been publishing short stories, creative non-fiction and articles since 199...
Diving for Pearls by Jacqui Horwood
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 20...
Hard Knox by TJ Hamilton
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Hamilton is a retired police officer, a criminologist, a published author, a one-time crime reporter, and now TV screenwriter. With a deep understa...
Amy's Sandal by Judith Bridge
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Bunyip's Last Wish by Candice Graham
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013, Candice Graham was studying her Masters in Clinical Neuropsychology when she won the Scarlett Stiletto Award. Just one year prior, she won th...
Shadows (2012) by Josephine Pennicott
26 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eleven years elapsed between Josephine Pennicott’s first Scarlet Stiletto shoe for “Birthing the Demons” in 2001 and her second shoe for “Shad...
The Teardrop Tattoos (2011) by Angela Savage
19 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Savage is an award-winning writer, former CEO of Writers Victoria, and current CEO of Public Libraries Victoria. Her debut novel, Behind the Ni...
Tuesday’s Jocks by Fin J Ross, 2022 Winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 suspici...
Dead Woman in the Water by Janis Spehr, 2000 Winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Brought to Book by Liz Filleul, 2004 Winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone seems to be buying, selling, even collecting online – but scammers are lurking in cyberspace and even hard copy vintage books are targeted,...
Everything $2 On This Rack by Cate Kennedy, 1994 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some crimes are solved by intuition or gut instinct. Others by serendipity. In today’s story an OpShop provided clues...Cate Kennedy has been writin...
Monster Hunters by Hayley Young, 2022 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award and Great Film Idea Award
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Y...
Kill-Dead-Garten by Aoife Clifford, 2007 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Murders happen in the strangest places and for the strangest reasons… as today’s story illustrates.When Aoife Clifford won the Scarlet Stiletto in...
Slasher's Return by Jacqui Horwood, 2003 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Birthing the Demons by Josephine Pennicott, 2001 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, h...
Stone Cold by Ruth Wykes, 2016 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...Ru...
Dust Devils by Julie Waight, 2005 winner Scarlet Stiletto Award
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, wome...
Thursday Night at the Opera by Christina Lee
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Coming Soon from Sisters in Crime Australia: Scarlet Stiletto Bites
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imaginative crime stories with quirky comic moments, deadly characters and a frisson of feminism