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CRIME AUTHOR IS SALE BOUND

Crime author Vikki Petraitis will be in Sale on Thursday.

Stefan Bradley

AWARD-WINNING Melbourne crime writer Vikki Petraitis will be in Sale this Thursday to discuss her debut novel The Unbelieved, and her experiences covering true crime over three decades. Ms Petraitis is well known for her true crime books The Phillip Island Murder and The Frankston Murders, and is working on her third podcast series for Casefile Presents. Ahead of the free event, Ms Petraitis told the Gippsland Times that The Unbelieved had been well received since its release on August 2. “As a true crime writer, you never get reviewed. I wrote my book about the Frankston murders and an article will give an overview of the case, and then it says the book by Vikki Petraitis is in stores now, but the quality of my writing is never under any scrutiny,” she said. “But since The Unbelieved is fiction, it gets reviewed. That’s daunting for me.” The book is the winner of the inaugural Allen & Unwin Crime Prize. Asked if it was more difficult to write a crime fiction novel compared to true crime, Ms Petraitis said it was all about the storytelling. “If you’re a true crime fan, you’ll see shadows and influences of so many real crimes (in The Unbelieved). We have children that are left behind when parents are killed; drink spiking, which is very common; and sex offences - one in four women are victims,” she said. “What I’m doing is covering stuff that I’ve been covering for years, but with fiction, you have the potential to reach such a huge audience that you wouldn’t reach with true crime. “People like me will go straight to the true crime shelf in bookstores. And I have people tell me they never read true crime, but everyone reads fiction.” The success of Ms Petraitis’s two podcast series have literally given her a voice worldwide. “You’re a bit invisible as a true crime writer. (The genre was) never really personality driven, until podcasts started coming out. After I released my podcasts, it became about me and people would recognise my voice. “I was surprised how easy the transition was from writing words for a book to writing a script for a podcast and using spoken word. It was such a natural flow from that skill of writing. “I think people are interested in the story behind the story. I’ll talk about my experience with true crime for the true crime fans. People are also fascinated by the process of a novelist, so I’ll be talking a lot about the true crime fiction/non-fiction crossover.” Ms Petraitis said she was very excited to come to Sale. “Sale in our family means quad bikes, motorbikes and camping, not that I camp,” she laughed. “My husband has been coming to Sale for years and years … and as adults we’ve kept coming back.” “So we’re very happy to come down there.”

Photo: Sarah Enticknap

The Unbelieved is out now in bookstores, and also available as an audiobook and ebook. The In conversation with Vikki Petraitis event is this Thursday (August 25) at the Port of Sale at 7pm. Booking are essential for this free event.

FROM Daddy Cool to Mondo Rock and as a solo artist with no less than 26 ARIA Top 40 hits to his credit as a singer, Ross Wilson is one of Australia’s most awarded, respected and well-known artists. From the legendary band Daddy Cool whose 1971 anthem ‘Eagle Rock’ smashed all sales records in Australia, to the 1977 formation of Mondo Rock, delivering 80’s hits ‘Cool World’, ‘State of the Heart’, ‘Chemistry’, ‘No Time’ and ‘Come Said the Boy’ and into the 21st century as a solo performer, producer and songwriter, Wilson (pictured) has never been out of the limelight. Twice inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Wilson has written hits for Jimmy Barnes, John Farnham and Joe Cocker, and produced smash hit albums for Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons and the Screaming Jets. Ross Wilson and The Peaceniks will be performing once again at Glenmaggie Hall on Saturday, November 19 at 8pm. Tickets are available now through www. eventbrite.com.au at $65 each plus booking fee and are selling quickly. Return buses available from Coongulla, Heyfield and both Glenmaggie and Blores Hill Caravan Parks, and can also be booked through Eventbrite. Four Seasons performance

THE Melbourne Chamber Orchestra is coming to The Wedge to bring Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to life for Gippsland.

The Four Seasons is not just well-known; it’s one of the most exciting, colourful and innovative works from the Baroque era. Each concerto is accompanied by a sonnet, and the hallmarks of each Italian season - from birdsong in spring to pesky flies in summer - are imagined in amazingly vivid musical form. As a priest working in an orphanage, most of Vivaldi’s music was only heard by a small circle of people in Venice, and almost all of it was forgotten, lost or disregarded for nearly two centuries after his death. This concert also includes a concerto by Corelli and the world premiere of celebrated Victorian composer Calvin Bowman’s Daylesford Music, commissioned by residents of Daylesford. The performance will take place next Tuesday, August 30 from 8pm. More information and tickets can be obtained by visiting thewedge.com.au or calling the box-office 5143 3200.

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