The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with Queenstown Lakes Libraries, invites booklovers to a thrilling evening of criminally good conversation featuring four talented Otago storytellers.

Wānaka children's mystery writer Kate Gordon-Smith and fellow local author LA Joye, a psychotherapist turned thriller writer, will be joined by two-time Ngaio Marsh Awards finalist Paddy Richardson, and literature professor turned debut historical thriller writer Wendy Parkins. They will discuss the art and craft of storytelling, creating memorable characters, the importance and impact of setting and landscapes, and what drew each of them to crime and mystery writing.

WHEN: Thursday, 8 May 2025
WHERE: Wānaka Library, 2 Bullock Creek Lane, Dunmore Street
WHEN: 5.45pm for a 6pm panel
ENTRY: free, but please RSVP to [email protected] or to call us on 03 443 0410. Light refreshments provided.

Kate loves creating fun small-town mysteries and fantasy adventures for readers aged 7-12 all over the world to enjoy. She established the online Kiwi Kids’ Bookstore, promoting New Zealand children's authors, and lives near Wānaka with her husband, their red and white collie Kenzie and rescue dog Snow, a retired racehorse called Tony, and a fluffy, demanding cat named Bob. MADDISON MCQUEEN AND THE DISAPPEARING DOGS is the latest in her Red Collie mystery series.

LA Joye is the crime writing pen name of Wānaka author Lauren Sleeman, who has previously published mythological fiction tales. Crime fiction is a long-time passion, and many themes in her books reflect the insights and experiences she gained in her work as a Jungian psychotherapist. WRONGDOINGS, set in 1943 in Southland where an American Marine is found murdered on the banks of the Ōreti River, is her first crime novel.

Paddy is an acclaimed storyteller who lives in Dunedin and who has published two short story collections and eight novels, including thrillers that have been finalists for the Ngaios. She's won several fellowships and residencies, represented New Zealand at Leipzig and Frankfurt Book Fairs, and is an experienced creative writing tutor and NZSA mentor. Her crime novel HUNTING BLIND, which was a finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel, begins with a picnic by the lake in Wānaka.

Wendy is an Ōtepoti/Dunedin author and former professor of literature who grew up on the north coast of New South Wales, in Gumbaynggirr country. After studying at the University of Sydney, she began her academic career in Perth before going on to positions at universities in New Zealand and the UK, where she was Professor of Victorian Literature at the University of Kent. THE DEFIANCE OF FRANCES DICKINSON is her debut historical thriller.