Are you an emerging writer working on a crime fiction manuscript (mystery, thriller or suspense)? Do you have questions relating to your writing, the publishing industry, pitching to agents and publishers and more? In this manuscript appraisal session, you have the opportunity to seek feedback on the opening chapters of your crime manuscript and receive a one-on-one mentoring session with crime writer, Dinuka McKenzie.

The opening chapters of a crime novel are critical to capturing the attention of an agent or publisher and will often form the basis of their decision to pass on a manuscript or seek a full manuscript submission. Dinuka will read the first 10,000 words of your work in progress to discuss areas for improvement, submission readiness and suggested ways forward, as well as answering any specific questions you may have.

What you will receive:

Pre-reading of the opening chapters of your crime fiction manuscript (mystery, thriller or suspense) up to a maximum of 10,000 words. Your manuscript extract will need to be submitted at least two weeks prior to the scheduled mentoring session as a MS Word or PDF document and formatted at 12 pt and double-spaced.
One-hour (1 hour), in-person or online mentoring session during which Dinuka will discuss your work, provide verbal feedback and answer your questions. This is the perfect opportunity to ask any specific questions you may have about your writing, manuscript, publishing goals etc. Please note that feedback on your manuscript extract will be discussed verbally during the mentorship session (no written report or editorial notes will be provided).

Dinuka McKenzie is the author of the Detective Kate Miles crime series, The Torrent, Taken and Tipping Point, published in Australia and the UK. She is the winner of the 2020 HarperCollins Australia Banjo Prize. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards, the Bad Sydney Crime Danger Awards, and longlisted for the Richell Prize. Her short fiction appeared in the 2022 Dark Deeds Down Under crime and thriller anthology. Dinuka lives with her family in Southern Sydney on Dharawal country.

Author image credit: Emma Stergio.