Thanks one and all

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Merry Christmas from Melbourne, where the weather is heating up and summer is getting into full swing!

It has been an incredible 12 months and I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the wonderful booksellers and readers who have made 2017 such a memorable year.

I simply could not have asked for more support for my debut novel The Dry, which has sold more than 440,000 copies worldwide since its release in Australia 18 months ago, and I am truly thankful to those who bought a copy in whatever form!

I am also very grateful to all the judges who recognised The Dry for awards in 2017, including The CWA Gold Dagger (trophy pictured above at St Kilda), the Indie Book of the Year, the ABIA Book of the Year, the Davitt awards for Best Fiction and Readers' Choice, the Ned Kelly debut award and Amazon's No.1 Mystery of the Year. It was a privilege and an honour for my book to be recognised in this way, and I am indebted to everyone who nominated or voted for the book in any category.

I was also excited to launch my second novel, Force of Nature, in Australia in October and I'm very much looking forward to its publication in the US and UK in February. Limited signed copies are available in both the UK and the US, some already as pre-orders, so keep an eye out if you would like one.

It has been an absolute joy to meet so many readers this year with visits to the Netherlands and to France for the Quai du Polar festival in March. July saw me pack my nine-month old baby on a 24-hour flight to attend the Harrogate Crime Festival in the UK and Gotland Crime Time in Sweden, and in September I was lucky enough to visit booksellers in San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, Houston and finally the SIBA conference in New Orleans.

Finally, the Force of Nature launch kicked off in October with a wonderful national Australian tour.

Each and every visit and event this year was an absolute joy and thank you to everyone who came out to say hello and ask questions and discuss the books.

As always, I cannot find high enough praise for the hardworking and talented booksellers around the world who have embraced my books, but also more broadly championed reading and new fiction. Booksellers are a gift to the community and a fountain of knowledge and good taste, and if you are lucky enough to have a local independent bookstore near you, I urge you to make the most of it — you never know what you might discover.

And last but not least, a huge thankyou to all the readers who have picked up my books this year. When I started writing, my aim was simply to create something that people enjoyed reading, and it gladdens my heart every time someone tells me that is their experience, so thank you!

I'm currently well on the way with work on my third book, so stay tuned for updates this coming year.

And in the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas filled with happiness and books (surely the same thing?) and a happy and healthy new year ahead.

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