Chris Hammer writes bestsellers with a distinctly Australian flavor. His latest book, Treasure & Dirt, his fourth, is a gritty, hard-to-put-down crime thriller, and it’s no surprise that Chris is winning awards, as well as an international audience.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today Chris talks about transitioning from journalism to successful fiction writing. He explains why he thinks Australian crime fiction is growing in popularity around the world, and the blossoming of “Outback noir” – though not all of Chris’s books are set in the Outback. 

We’ve got three eBook copies of Treasure & Dirt to give away to three lucky readers in our Crime Giveaway. You can enter that draw on the website www.thejoysofbingereading.com or on our Binge Reading Facebook page. Chris’s books and social media contacts are also to be found on the website.

ENTER DRAW FOR TREASURE & DIRT E-BOOK

And remember, if you enjoy this podcast, you can find more exclusive bonus content, including Chris answering the getting-to-know-you quickfire questions, by becoming a subscriber on our Binge Reading on Patreon page. For no more than a cup of coffee a month, you’ll be able to get bonus content and have the satisfaction of supporting us in our work. Check it out at www.patreon.com/thejoysofbingereading.

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Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How Chris transitioned from non fiction to fictionthe new sub genre of "dingo noir"Martin Scarsden may still returnThe 'father' of quality Australian crime writingThe writers he admires mostWhat he's working on next.

Where to find Chris Hammer: 

Website: https://chrishammerauthor.com/

Instagram: @thehammernow/

Facebook: @HammerNow  /

Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hammer-6a551bb/?originalSubdomain=au

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/chris-hammer

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Hammer/e/B07JR7CCRX/

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Introducing Chris Hammer, thriller author of Outback Noir

Author Chris Hammer- creating a new wave of crime fiction - Outback Noir

Jenny Wheeler: But now here’s Chris. Hello there, Chris, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Chris Hammer: Hi there, Jenny. Thank you so much for having me on.

Jenny Wheeler: Getting the geographic location set at the beginning – you're talking from the Australian capital of Canberra, aren’t you?

Chris Hammer: That's right.

Jenny Wheeler: Are you a Canberra born man?

Chris Hammer: No, I was born in Tassie actually – Tasmania – but I've lived most of my life in Canberra. I grew up here. I tried to escape several times, but I kept getting sucked back. Being a journalist, it's a good place to be, in the Capital. I did a lot of politics as a journalist, but also my wife is an academic. She specializes in International History and History of the Asia Pacific and for her the Australian National University – the ANU – is based in Canberra. So it's perfect for both of us.

Jenny Wheeler: You had a stellar journalism career and looking at your life from the outside, it looks like you replaced a stellar career in journalism with an equally stellar one in books. Right from the beginning, your first book, Scrublands, was an award winner and an international bestseller. Tell us how you managed to make that transition.

Chris Hammer: You make it sound so easy and inevitable, but it wasn't. Indeed, Scrublands isn't my first book. Many writers, of course, have the one or two in the desk drawer that will never see the light of day, but I did write two nonfiction books. I quit full-time journalism for a while and went freelance.

How Chris Hammer transitioned from writing journalism to fiction

Award winning first novel - Scrublands, by Chris Hammer