IT’S something you'd only read about.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A Ballarat husband-and-wife duo are going head-to-head in national literary awards, vying for the title of best Australian horror novel.
Kirstyn McDermott and Jason Nahrung, from Wendouree, both have recent novels short-listed for the Aurealis Awards and the Australian Shadows.
Mr Nahrung said although competitive, he and his wife were approaching the awards in a relaxed manner.
“So far it’s been pretty laid back,” he said with a laugh. “My wife already has a number of awards under her belt and for both of us it’s just amazing to have been shortlisted.”
The horror novels, Mr Nahrung’s Salvage and Blood and Dust and Ms McDermott’s Perfections, are gothic and vampire-based books set in Australian locations.
The couple, who met through the Australian writing community, settled in Ballarat earlier this year.
“It’s a bit cheesy, but I tell everyone I meet that I loved Kirstyn’s writing before I loved her,” Mr Nahrung said.
“It was a given that we’d one day marry.”
The Australian Shadows are announced tomorrow and the Aurealis Awards are presented on May 18.