Local author launches latest crime fiction novel

Local award-winning crime fiction author Margaret Hickey at Beechworth Library on Thursday night spoke about her fifth book released last month. The joint event between Beechworth Books and the library drew an audience of more than 50 book lovers to hear about the latest gripping rural crime novel ‘Ill Wind’ set in the Wimmera district and Golden Plains north west of Geelong. Margaret recently returned from an intense author tour in Western Australia with the book officially launched in Perth at the ABC Radio's Big Day of Books. The busy tour then took Margaret on trips around New South Wales and Victoria before returning to her home town of Beechworth where she could talk about her novel to the locals. Margaret captivated her audience with an intriguing account of the story’s background, new characters and insights into her writing in an interview by Beechworth Books’ Charles Dean. Charles said Margaret's writing revels in the variety of Australian landscapes. “Ill Wind takes us to the windswept beautiful Wimmera area depicting the social strength and weakness of rural towns and small communities which is a mark of her writing,” he said. The new book explores surfaced tensions and secrets when a massive wind farm is constructed on the outskirts of a small Victorian town. The wind farm has ripped the rural town in two with some welcoming jobs and prosperity it brings while others are enraged by the loss of farming land. The novel begins with 300 wind turbines spinning relentlessly high on a hill above Carrabeen - except one, now eerily still, with a body hanging from its blade. Beechworth’s Vikki Gray said she loves how Margaret thinks about the small communities and how people in small communities are affected by different problems in her books. “I also love the fact that I'm living in the same town as this fantastic creative person,” she said Beechworth’s Kylii Vasey said she had read all Margaret's books and looks forward to reading the latest one. “I'm very proud that we have a local author who writes these amazing stories,” she said. “Margaret seems to have a real empathy for the places that she writes about, and writes a really good story of intrigue.” Mr Dean said having a well-known and respected author as part of the Beechworth community makes a real difference to the town. “Being able to say, I'm reading the book by Margaret Hickey, and she's our local author gives people pride,” he said. “Margaret brings something fresh every year with a new crime novel.” Happy to have written five crime fiction novels, Margaret said she is writing the next one due in December. “I'm about 40,000 words in, and the story is set again in the North East,” she said. Beechworth Library’s Penelope McGufficke said it’s wonderful to have a local author who can share knowledge and her writing experience with the community. “We live in an incredibly creative community, and having role models can really inspire young people as well to see the possibilities and pathways to creative outcomes,” she said. The new release follows Margaret’s previous crime-fiction best sellers - Cutters End, Stone Town, Broken Bay and The Creeper published by Penguin Books.

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