Karen Chisholm runs the AustCrime Fiction weblog, which covers a staggering amount of crime fiction - both local and overseas. I doubt there is a local crime fiction release that she doesn't read and review, or at least mention. If you're at all interested in Australian crime writing then you should be reading this weblog.
1. How would you describe your weblog to someone who wasn't at all sure what this blogging business is about?
It's a light amusement. I guess some people would think of a blog as a conceit, publicising your opinions on books constantly. AustCrime started out with the grand aim of providing a database of books, then it expanded to include reviews, chats, all sorts of things in one place. It really started out as a place to accumulate the ramblings and notes from post-it notes, emails, notebooks and whatever else I had spread around the place. It's interesting for me to look back and see what I have been reading, how I've reacted to a book or a series and whether that initial reaction holds in the event that I reread a book (and I do reread - not as often as I once did, but I do). Of course, there is always the sneaking suspicion that the site justifies my obsession with books of course, but I really don't want a justification. I've always been a book accumulator - since my first Agatha Christie books when I was a child.
2. Have there been any major changes in your weblog's direction, theme or subject since you started?
Not really - a long time ago I gave up pretending that I want to read much "literary fiction". I prefer crime fiction stylings - interesting, engaging books with plots and characters. Whilst I've always read an enormous number of books (I was one of those kids with the torch under the blankets of a night), I've been called more and more to crime fiction over the years. The blog does cover the occasional True Crime book (local only), as I sometimes like to balance fiction with reality, but mostly its crime and thriller fiction.
3. Do you have more books in your house than you can possibly read? If so, why?
Of course - doesn't everybody? I have a profound fear that publishers will stop producing books if I stop accumulating them. There's also the "saving for my retirement" argument. But really - pick any reason you like - being surrounded by the years of accumulated books - read and to be read - makes me happy.
4. If there were three things you'd like to include in your weblog if you had more time/money, what would they be?
I'd like to be publishing writers' work - directly on the website - subscription or free or any combination, published or unpublished authors - local only, as a showcase of the absolutely terrific work that's going on out there.
5. How would you eat an elephant?
With a steak knife, a fork, and a serviette. Table manners are very important.
