What does ‘neighbourhood noir’ look like as a genre? Author Maryrose Cuskelly knows, and she discusses her latest novel The Campers, blending crime and psychological elements as well as contemporary issues.
00:00 Welcome 04:43 Writing tip: The importance of practice 10:26 WIN!: The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler 13:01 Word of the week: ‘Galligaskins’ 15:00 Writer in residence: Maryrose Cuskelly 18:01 Inspirations for The Campers 21:38 Defining the genre 22:12 Maryrose’s research and writing process 26:43 Bringing the setting to life 28:08 Incorporating COVID into the story 29:35 Character development and choices 31:09 Homelessness and social issues 33:04 The writing process and fellowships 36:29 Balancing writing and life 38:48 Publicity and new projects 44:36 Tips for crime writers 45:58 Final thoughts
Maryrose Cuskelly is a writer of fiction and non-fiction.
She is the author of The Campers (Allen & Unwin 2025) and of The Cane (Allen & Uwin 2022), which was a bestseller and shortlisted for best debut in the 2023 Davitt Awards.
In 2019, her book Wedderburn: A True Tale of Blood and Dust (Allen & Unwin, 2018), was longlisted for Best Debut and Best True Crime in the 2019 Davitt Awards.
In 2016, she was awarded the New England Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Writing (non-fiction) for her essay on the 1972 abduction and murder of Marilyn Wallman.
She is the author of Original Skin: Exploring the Marvels of the Human Hide (Scribe 2010) and The End of Charity: Time for Social Enterprise (Allen & Unwin 2008) co-written with Nic Frances, and winner of the Iremonger Award for Writing on Public Issues.
Her essays and articles have been published in a range of magazines, journals, and newspapers, including Crikey, The Age, The Australian andThe Melbourne Magazine.
She has twice been awarded fellowships at Varuna, the National Writers’ House, most recently in for her novel The Campers.
