The Scarlet Stiletto Awards and my Melbourne weekend

The full low-down on all the high jinks

I arrived home Sunday from a four-day weekend in Melbourne. It was exactly what I was hoping for, but boy was I zonked that evening!

I’d been shortlisted in the Scarlet Stiletto Awards in October, so I decided to make a trip of it and spend some extra days in Melbourne. Partly, this was because who trusts airlines to get you there on time without delays these days? Nobody, that’s who. But also, I really, really love Melbourne. Any excuse to go there.

After arriving Thursday afternoon, I had a lovely walk to dinner at Mexican restaurant Mamasita. My friend and I had guacamole, potatoes, tacos and mocktails, which was all fab, then we walked over to the river precinct and checked out the lights along the way. Magical stuff.

Friday, I checked out the BTS pop-up store in Emporium Melbourne. Prices were kinda spicy, but there some things were 20% or 30% off, so that helped. My thrifty self ended up getting a pencil case for $17 and I picked up a few items for a friend. I was tempted by other things, but was conscious of my luggage limit. I also checked out Fitzroy Gardens and Treasury Gardens, then went back to the hotel and ordered room service because it was a dark, stormy night and I was afraid of being blown away if I stepped back outside, lol.

Saturday, I met a friend for a coffee in the morning and she took me on a mini-tour of some significant sites to her years in Melbourne, which was super-interesting. Then we talked about writerly things and parted ways in the Bourke Street Mall. I needed a red top to wear to the Scarlet Stiletto Awards that night, as the dress code was ‘scarlet and pearls’. Between Black Friday sales and families with small children visiting Santa, the area was swamped, so I completed my mission and skedaddled out of the area as quickly as possible. The top I bought was 40% off. Great success!

On the night, I was on a table full of lovely people. It was me, Eva Leppard from Tassie, Jacqueline Warner from Perth, and Georgina Coleman from Victoria, along with assorted family and friends. There was plenty to entertain us: some lovely food (I ordered the salmon), a stall from the Sun Bookshop packed with crime fiction, a panel discussion with Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox from Every Cloud Productions about how they brought Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries to TV, and the award presentations, of course. When each person’s result was announced, there was an accompanying description of their story and their bio was read out. So many accomplished female writers in the room and I couldn’t get over the wide variety of story ideas.

In the end, the could only be one winner and I… was not it, haha. Romany Rzechowicz won the ruby-red slipper, with Jude Bridge winning 2nd prize, and Sandra Thom-Jones collecting 3rd. Georgie from our table won the Malice Domestic Award. I took home a special commendation, looking spiffy in its frame.

There were some classy and creative and downright eye-popping outfits in the room. A sparkly red coat! A crimson beret! Red flowers in the hair! Scarlet pearls! Knife earrings coated in fake blood! And a gentleman at our table in a see-through red ruffled shirt. He won a special prize in the fancy dress competition. Yay for table three!

I would’ve liked to have won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, or taken home a category award, but I was so pleased to have been shortlisted and be in the room to meet so many cool, crime-loving chicks. It felt like I was among my tribe, for sure.

On the Sunday, I visited ACMI and the National Gallery of Victoria for some arty goodness. There was an exhibit on an imaginary eco-city at NGV and at ACMI, I walked through displays about the history of the moving image. I had an Indigenous lunch at Mabu Mabu’s Big Esso of eggplant in a bush tomato sauce and wattleseed sourdough with spiced butter, which was fab.

It was a weekend filled with invigorating, inspiring stuff, so I’m most pleased with it. And now you’ll finding me napping to recover from all the excitement. : )

---

Giveaway

Last week’s giveaway, The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, was won by Val Crisp. Hooray! I’ve emailed you, Val.

Book giveaways will return next week. xx