Congratulations to AWC alumna Sarah Bailey who appeared in the Sun Herald and The Sunday Age. Sarah has just published her second book Into the Night (Allen & Unwin), a brazen murder with hundreds of witnesses and a case where no one can be trusted.
Sarah’s acclaimed debut novel The Dark Lake (2017) was a bestseller around the world and her taut and suspenseful storytelling earned her comparisons with authors such as Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. In 2018 The Dark Lake was winner of the Davitt Award (Debut) award for best crime books written by Australian women.
In Into the Night, the protagonist, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock from Sarah’s first book is back on the case, but this time she’s in Melbourne. Now she’s investigating two very different deaths and looking for a connection between the two.
Sarah started writing short stories to give herself a sense of completion and flexibility that fit with her busy lifestyle working in advertising. Words flowed easily, and she knew that writing was something she wanted to pursue. Keen to hone her skills and hear from professional writers on the fundamentals of writing a good story she completed Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers’ Centre.
“I’d heard really good things about the Australian Writers’ Centre course, the reviews were always really positive, and people were always providing really good feedback on social media, so I just thought that was a really good place for me to start.”
Congratulations Sarah. We look forward to reading more riveting books featuring Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock in the future.
Hear more about Sarah's path to publication.
Sarah Bailey
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of “The Dark Lake”
