AUTHOR Carolyn Morwood’s crime series takes readers on a journey back to real moments in history, with Melbourne the backdrop and inspiration for her mysteries.
The Altona resident has published several books including a series of historical crime fiction novels told through the eyes of protagonist Eleanor Jones.
Her novels are a compelling blend of history and mystery in which 1920s Melbourne comes alive.
Death and the Spanish Lady, set in 1919 at the time of the Spanish Flu pandemic, was the first in the series published in 2011.
The novel was highly commended at the Davitt awards in 2012.
The award is awarded by the sisters in crime for the best work of fiction by an Australia woman in the previous year.
Cyanide and Poppies, Ms Morwood’s second novel in the series was released in 2012 and set in 1923 at the time of the police strike.
Ms Morwood is currently working on the third novel in the series set in 1924 when radio began with a working title of Death in the Third Rehearsal.
It’s no surprise that Ms Morwood enjoys writing, but she described her early writing days as an “apprenticeship” that helped to discover her true love of novels.
“I started off with poetry which I really loved, but I wouldn’t want to write a poem now because I would spend too long on it – I would have to get it absolutely right,” Ms Morwood said.
“Then I went on to short stories, then when I wrote the first novel I loved the space of it, having all of that room to play around. So that’s where I’ve stayed.”
Ms Morwood said she was inspired to write her novels for her own historical enjoyment and in the hope that readers would learn something about their own history.
“It’s that kind of ’goodness me, imagine living through that stuff’.”
Ms Morwood will talk at the Sun Book Shop in Yarraville on 27 February at 6pm for a 6.30pm start.
