Krissy Kneen is a Brisbane-based writer of erotica and also the marketing and promotions officer at Avid Reader bookshop at West End. Photo by L.J. May.
Writer Watch
Krissy Kneen
Krissy Kneen is a bookseller and writer. She is a founding member of Eatbooks Inc and is the marketing and promotions officer at the Avid Reader bookshop in West End. You can see her there most
days.
She lives in New Farm, Brisbane with her husband and no pets – she says: ‘The emphasis on no pets is that there is some bestiality in Triptych
so it was a joke. My character is in love with her pet dog. I have no pets at all!’ Just as well, or we would wonder...
In addition to writing books, Krissy wrote and
directed short films and documentaries for SBS and ABC TV but, for now, although her partner is still involved in the film industry, Krissy has decided to concentrate on her writing.
Her published work includes: Swallow the Sound, published in 2007, Affection: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Intimacy, published in 2010 and Triptych: An Erotic Adventure, published in 2011.
In a nutshell from the blurb for Affection: ‘When she was a child Krissy Kneen fell deeply, helplessly in love with her own sexuality and avidly pursued her desires regardless of risk. Now, middle-aged
and happily married, she remains driven by the need for orgasm, racked by obsessive lust, constantly in thrall to the temptation of pornography. Could this be a problem?’ (It might be after people read that Krissy!)
Reviewing Affection, the Sunday Age said: ‘Affection’s triumph is that of an assured novelist of any genre... reconciling sex with something that is much harder to understand
in a world where magazine covers scream their demands for the perfect orgasm, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect body. Learning to live with yourself, perhaps. Learning not to fall in love with your friends. Learning the meaning of affection. No arrogance
required.’
Triptych tells the stories of: Susanna: Triptych I, The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife: Triptych II and Romulus &
Remus: Triptych III. From the blurb: ‘A solitary young woman called Susanna pursues online adventure among the anonymous torsos of Chatroulette, and finds a soul mate. Leda’s first love brings tenderness, heartbreak and a powerful sexual awakening...
The people in these stories don’t know each other yet. By the end of Triptych, the will know each other very well indeed.’
Reviews of Triptych
were mixed, some reflecting alarm. The Bendigo Advertiser’s review was typical: ‘As everyone who has ever tried to do it knows, writing well about sex is difficult to the point of impossibility. But Krissy Kneen, as readers of her first
book, Affection, will be aware, is one of the few writers around who seems to be able to manage it... I have great admiration for this book and frankly enjoyed reading it, but it’s definitely not for the squeamish.’
Affection was shortlisted, Biography of the Year, ABIA, 2010 and was also shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category, Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, 2010.
Krissy, not surprisingly, was dismayed at Campbell Newman’s axing of Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and became one of the instigators of the newly formed Queensland Literary
Awards. She is currently on the QLA board, and was feverishly coordinating the whole effort as the entries came in.
Go to Website Watch below for Krissy’s web
blog Furious Vaginas – (of course they are). Those books to read again are Swallow the Sound, published in 2007, Affection: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Intimacy, published in 2010 and Triptych: An Erotic Adventure.
Website Watch
Krissy Kneen
You can follow the pain on Krissy’s web blog as she battles with writing her next big thing. Her ongoing musings include: ‘I suppose it is fine that everyone sees me as a sex writer. At least I am making
ripples if not waves. The water is constantly churned. Within this turbulence I can still seek to find something beautiful to capture and bring to the world. Share the wear on http://www.furiousvaginas.com