@SheKilda - Narrelle M Harris answers six quick questions

When you heard "SheKilda" - what did it conjure up in your mind?

A combination of streetwise, sassy femme fatale and cake shops. :)

How do you see the current state of female Crime Writing in Australia?

It's going strong, particularly with the development of great new indie presses like Clan Destine and Twelfth Planet Press in WA. Small presses like these are opening up the field to less mainstream and more quirky stories for niche markets.  The success of books and shows like the Underbelly franchise has, I think, shone a spotlight on Australian crime stories as well, which can only be good for local writers of any gender.

Where do you see the future of female Crime Writing in Australia heading?

I think the expansion of indie press will provide more opportunities in the short to medium term, as will digital publishing. The readers' love affair with crime doesn't look like ending any time soon, and I think crime fiction by women will continue to find new formats and new markets. I keep wondering how to adapt a crime-related iPhone app...

Where were you during SheKilda 2001?

I had moved to Melbourne in 1998 and I was living in Richmond. I'd finally found work as a writer for an international aid agency after many unhappy years in the banking industry. 2001 was before my first book, two crime novellas under the title Fly By Night, was published. My husband and I were running the theatre review website, Stage Left, as well. I didn't know about Sisters in Crime at that point, so I missed the convention. If I get my hands on a time machine, I'll go back and attend!

What (other than your own panels :) ) are you particularly looking forward to at SheKilda 2011?

Seeing fabulous, smart, passionate women who read and write great fiction and non-fiction discuss their obsessions. And catching up with friends I don't see often enough.

Tell us about your latest book.

I have a small anthology of horror stories, Showtime, coming out at the end of October through Twelfth Planet Press. In December, the sequel to my vampire book (The Opposite of Life, written with a crime structure) will finally be coming out (if all goes to plan). Look out for Walking Shadows before Christmas!