Emma Viskic – March 1 2020

Hearing Awareness Week (Deafness Forum of Australia) – March 1-7 2020

Emma, a classically trained clarinettist whose musical career includes performing with José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, is also the award-winning author of the Caleb Zelic series. Caleb is partially inspired by a profoundly deaf girl Emma went to school with and, wondering what Caleb’s world would be like, Emma began a five year process of extensive research including learning Australian sign language (Auslan). The first book in the series, Resurrection Bay, won the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, as well as an unprecedented three Davitt Awards: Best Adult Novel, Best Debut, and Readers’ Choice. It was iBooks Australia’s Crime Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger and New Blood awards. Emma won a grant from Writers Victoria to research and complete its sequel, And Fire Came Down, which won the 2018 Davitt Award for Best Novel. The third book in the series, Darkness for Light, was published in 2019.

Resurrection Bay
Echo Publishing, 2015; ISBN 9781760406943
Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since early childhood, has always lived on the outside – watching, picking up tell-tale signs people hide in a smile, a cough, a kiss. When a childhood friend is murdered, a sense of guilt and a determination to prove his own innocence sends Caleb on a hunt for the killer. But he can’t do it alone. Caleb and his troubled friend Frankie, an ex-cop, start with one clue: Scott, the last word the murder victim texted to Caleb. But Scott is always one step ahead. This gripping, original and fast-paced crime thriller is set between a big city and a small coastal town, Resurrection Bay, where Caleb is forced to confront painful memories. Caleb is a memorable protagonist who refuses to let his deafness limit his opportunities, or his participation in the investigation. But does his persistence border on stubbornness? And at what cost? As he delves deeper into the investigation Caleb uncovers unwelcome truths about his murdered friend – and himself.

And Fire Came Down
Echo Publishing, 2017; ISBN 9781760402945
Deaf since early childhood, Caleb Zelic used to meet life head-on. Now he’s struggling just to get through the day. His best mate is dead, his ex-wife, Kat, is avoiding him, and nightmares haunt his waking hours. But when a young woman is killed after pleading for his help in sign language, Caleb is determined to find out who she was. And the trail leads straight to his hometown, Resurrection Bay. A heatwave is suffocating the town which is on bushfire alert and simmering with racial tensions. As he delves deeper, Caleb uncovers secrets that could threaten his life and any chance of reuniting with Kat. Driven by his demons, he pushes on. But who is he willing to sacrifice along the way?