Provocare

Violence against women is endemic, while the creative expression of violence against women in crime fiction is popularly skewed towards ‘murder porn’, where threat becomes titillation. Can digital and transmedia literature enable crime writing to challenge predatory viewpoints and express lesser-heard voices?

‘Provocare’ (pron. Prov-oh-car-ay) is adapted from my original work, Provocation, a novelette commissioned by literary journal Review of Australian Fiction now published by Brain Jar Press. Working with collaborators Mez Breeze (design and web development) and Donna Hancox (project manager), ‘Provocare’ is a beautiful digital graphic novel.

You can read my article about ‘Provocare’ on The Writing Platform here, and view the creative work here.

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The Great ‘Gabba Mystery: Story City

There’s a heist in progress under your very eyes. Catch the thief and solve the case!

You have responded to a job ad as a local Private Investigator, but your interview goes awry when you witness a crime in progress in Woolloongabba’s vintage heart. Equipped only with your wits and a police radio, it’s up to you to help P.I Street catch the thief, in this glamorous noir adventure. Get ready for getaway cars, gangsters, goddesses and aliens – this mystery in the heart of the ‘Gabba Precinct, where pretty meets ugly and sport meets art, will test all your deductive skills. Will you save the day and land the job?

Written by: Meg Vann, Art by: Clare Neal, Music by: Schae

Story City is a digital storytelling experience that puts you in the story. Through a free interactive app, it combines fictional choose-your-own-adventure style stories with physical locations, allowing the fantasy to become ‘real’ to the reader. This adventure starts at the Police Beat at 6 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba.

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“Feral“, Island Magazine, Autumn, 2013.

In “Feral”, two teenage girls explore a world of natural beauty and precocious risk on isolated Kurrigee Island, until adult affairs tear them apart. “Feral” is excerpted from a novella length work The Centre, a literary thriller which explores unspoken truths of girlhood and the erotic passion of belonging, leading us to consider the power of love in liminal spaces.

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Publications: Non Fiction

During the course of my studies and work in creative writing, I produce articles on a range of related topics – especially crime fiction, and digital futures. I will share them here, and look forward to your comments and discussion.

Genre and gender: reading domestic noir through the lens of feminist criminology Published October 2019 in TEXT Journal Special Issues Series Number 57 

New Processes, Old Conversations: How agile methodologies for developing and releasing content provide authentic, creative solutions for authors and publishers to secure audience share in an evolving market. Published in Meanland 2012

An Introduction to Feminist Readings in Crime Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography Research paper 2008