tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64079221515031160462024-03-05T04:06:20.354+00:00WOMEN RULE WRITERWOMEN RULE WRITER: Lit blog of Nuala O'Connor / Nuala Ní ChonchúirGroup 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.comBlogger1554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-45097260681173468582018-06-01T12:08:00.001+01:002018-06-01T12:08:09.899+01:00GOODBYE WRWI've decided to wind down Women Rule Writer after 11 years of blogging. It's been lovely but, as blogland has become a bit of a graveyard, I'm done here, at least. Thanks to all my readers and commenters across the years.<br />
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I have a new website and there's a blog there which I will update from time to time. It's <a href="http://nualaoconnor.com/index.php/category/blog/">here</a>.<br />
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Ciao. Slán. Farewell and thank you 😗</div>
Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-45216392430271438932018-05-27T12:55:00.000+01:002018-05-31T12:56:23.174+01:00COVER OF UK/IRL ED. OF BECOMING BELLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM7vPdlefkgulkCnp635PTe0IxR_YSXCH53rLiyH1uSSl2my-Pc6RFLv0Cyp76vWT0BWX7q73ZLO0pq6J9ZHGqYoxS-a2t2m4Z1OmDXfKSTdw7QdPjZVdTH5ayPxoh1yn3GtF4J6yHco/s1600/UK+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM7vPdlefkgulkCnp635PTe0IxR_YSXCH53rLiyH1uSSl2my-Pc6RFLv0Cyp76vWT0BWX7q73ZLO0pq6J9ZHGqYoxS-a2t2m4Z1OmDXfKSTdw7QdPjZVdTH5ayPxoh1yn3GtF4J6yHco/s320/UK+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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Cover reveal! The UK and Ireland edition of <i>Becoming Belle..</i> It is now available to order on Amazon.co.uk. Go <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0349421250/ref=pe_4028881_259323211_em_1p_0_lm">here</a>.Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-7999788438059890532018-04-22T10:05:00.000+01:002018-04-23T10:05:43.473+01:00LATE APRIL EVENTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh5qhaSFIYRMvgPolR1FvDxWlaPgN7B7KglKZS8tHEEeinYzUCUVGzMiMWyCK4-PLpKHw-Yigfsx7o13srzUptApJpb3zbFJQpD1phQNIbhvRPjZZ7BTz3zEaIPCYRoZ2asNFofS4uXY/s1600/St+Fly+Stories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxh5qhaSFIYRMvgPolR1FvDxWlaPgN7B7KglKZS8tHEEeinYzUCUVGzMiMWyCK4-PLpKHw-Yigfsx7o13srzUptApJpb3zbFJQpD1phQNIbhvRPjZZ7BTz3zEaIPCYRoZ2asNFofS4uXY/s320/St+Fly+Stories.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Busy doesn't even nibble at the edges of where I am just now, so here's a round-up of where to find me this week:<br />
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ONE CITY ONE BOOK, DUBLIN<br />
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Monday 23rd, Cabra Library, 6.30pm: <i>The Long Gaze Back</i> One City One Book event with Eimear Ryan, Susan Stairs and Sinéad Gleeson.<br />
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CÚIRT FESTIVAL, GALWAY<br />
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Tuesday 24th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway. Reading my flash 'Pearl' at the launch of <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ROPESliteraryjournal/">ROPES</a></i>.<br />
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Wednesday 25th, Charlie Byrne's Bookshop. Launching three new <a href="http://salmonpoetry.com/">Salmon poetry</a> collections by the fabulous trio that are Moya Roddy, Paul Kingsnorth and Anne Casey.<br />
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Thursday 26th, Bite Club, Galway. Reading from my story 'The Boy from Petropólis' at the launch of the brand new <a href="https://stingingfly.org/product/stinging-fly-stories/">Stinging Fly anthology</a>.Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-46674397122574272342018-04-13T08:00:00.000+01:002018-04-13T08:00:02.147+01:00STARRED REVIEW FOR BECOMING BELLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This starred review of Becoming Belle will appear in the <a href="https://lj.libraryjournal.com/"><i>Library Journal</i></a> in the USA this weekend. VERY happy with it!<br />
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<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">O’Connor,
Nuala. Becoming Belle. Putnam. Aug. 2018. 384p. ISBN 9780735214408. $25; ebk.
ISBN 9780735214422. F</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">In 1897,
Isabel Bilton dreams of leaving her home at a Hampshire military base for
London. The oldest daughter of a British officer and his formidable wife,
Isobel struggles against the familial and social expectations that diminish
her. At 19, she fulfills her ambition to go to the capital, where she becomes
Belle Bilton, star of the London stage. Though she relishes the nontraditional
artistic and social freedoms offered by city life, Belle still has to contend
with people who seem compelled to control her. This remains a theme throughout
her life, even after she marries the dashing Irish aristocrat William Trench,
Viscount Dunlo. Their marriage scandalizes Trench’s family and London society.
Undeterred by malicious legal action and the threats of disinheritance, William
and Belle relocate to the Trench family demesne in Ireland, their romance
triumphant. <b>VERDICT</b> As with her debut, <i>Miss Emily</i>,<b> </b>O’Connor
offers a stunning historical reimagining. Her eye for details, including
Victorian dress, food, and technology, enhance her mastery of character and
inner dialog.</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">[See Prepub Alert, 2/26/18.]<b>—John G. Matthews, Washington
State Univ. Libs., Pullman</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-79561824530240371902018-04-05T10:40:00.001+01:002018-04-05T10:40:49.860+01:00THE LONG GAZE BACK EVENT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Next Wednesday, 11th April at 7pm, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000477686382&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/lia.mills.37?fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Lia Mills</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and I will be at Tallaght Library to read and talk about </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thelonggazeback?source=feed_text" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">TheLongGazeBack</span></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> as part of the </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/onecityonebook?source=feed_text" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">OneCityOneBook</span></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">celebrations. Book <a href="http://www.dublinonecityonebook.ie/event/evening-nuala-oconnor-lia-mills/">here</a>.</span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-19464859332603095642018-03-26T14:02:00.002+01:002018-03-26T17:07:55.874+01:00CÁCERES, SPAIN - A FEW PICS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm just back from Cáceres in Spain, and am busily catching up on a hundred emails, a bit of writing, housework, cat-cuddling etc. I was over there to teach a couple of CW classes at the University of Extramadura - my friend Carolina Amador teaches there in the <a href="http://unex.academia.edu/Departments/Departamento_de_Filologia_Inglesa/Documents">Departamento de Filologia Inglesa</a> - she's a Hiberno-English expert. She had me over to talk to her classes about my story '<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/storks-a-short-story-by-nuala-o-connor-1.2731223">Storks</a>', which is set in Cáceres (inspired by my previous trip to that beautiful city) and also to talk about my novel <i>Miss Emily</i>. Her students were great - really engaged and bright; I had a great time speaking with them.<br />
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I was put up in a stunning little boutique hotel on the main square, <a href="http://www.hotellaboheme.com/">Hotel la Boheme</a> which is decorated in a Moorish style, it's all salvaged tiles, gold sinks, wooden shutters and Moroccan lampshades. Glorious.<br />
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We managed to squash in two great museum visits around a hectic schedule of teaching and socialising with Carolina and her family (our daughters are friends too). We saw an exhib of Picasso's sketches at the beautiful <a href="http://fmercedescalles.es/">Fundacion Mercedes Calles </a>in the old town. I'm Picasso mad so it was a joy to see recognisable sketches that later became paintings.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmY98__GYNE1NdBI4orMyVnOTk4tlo-EtduYD6YpdWVVdSDra13HlJc0qOpuxIOTMpaiWcezUW05BkO9gmExxK4u2a2haE0sEyd_yecarckPkD8KSvmynneU7Nsp5FzEX-K6gb_Tor3k/s1600/20180322_172357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmY98__GYNE1NdBI4orMyVnOTk4tlo-EtduYD6YpdWVVdSDra13HlJc0qOpuxIOTMpaiWcezUW05BkO9gmExxK4u2a2haE0sEyd_yecarckPkD8KSvmynneU7Nsp5FzEX-K6gb_Tor3k/s200/20180322_172357.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museo Vostell</td></tr>
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Carolina also brought us out to Malpartida, to the <a href="https://museovostell.gobex.es/colecciones.htm">Museo Vostell</a>, one of the most eccentric and wonderful museums I've been to. A German man bought an abandoned sheep farm and woollen mill and turned it into a gallery for his own modern art and that of his friends, including Yoko Ono. It's a treasure trove of bizarre installations - think cars that rake the ground and rockets fashioned from vehicles and chunks of welded metal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl4J7YKnpYrSeMneof8bQzsZpql_VdMPFJAoYJ32CqKPXGm83zJj8at3hE5Ig92K-Aa4axBkaQQGh-rXHWDL6VBhyYCD78UYQT6BV1x_KeIGXBdTJjCRiO5aqbD_CdQOAmk0GLeZIf4s/s1600/20180324_120647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl4J7YKnpYrSeMneof8bQzsZpql_VdMPFJAoYJ32CqKPXGm83zJj8at3hE5Ig92K-Aa4axBkaQQGh-rXHWDL6VBhyYCD78UYQT6BV1x_KeIGXBdTJjCRiO5aqbD_CdQOAmk0GLeZIf4s/s200/20180324_120647.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Cáceres is a bit of a hidden gem - it's 3 hours from Madrid, near the border with Portugal, and it's a gorgeous mix of old and new. It thrilled me - again - to see the huge nesting storks all over the place; to walk the cobbled alleys of the old town; to enjoy delicious cava and Rioja at insanely low prices, as well as local cheese and tapas; to go into the ancient churches and watch them prepare their Easter procession floats. Having friends who live in Cáceres is such a bonus. No doubt we'll be back.Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-86280397610064116132018-03-17T13:00:00.000+00:002018-03-18T08:02:52.505+00:00GIVEAWAY WINNER - YOU<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lá fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise. Happy St Patrick's Day! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's the draw for the copy of </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://newisland.ie/product/you/">YOU</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Apols for the delay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All the names in the St Paddy's day crock:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKUgGmJ00gu7Rpr41ArOfCqBavNyRb1SNLfBN945CyoBYckD4LyuW4Cj4h1lXG2ox2IKayIQtuXD6wlVnzaQcAQ-VdHiobHQbhrKRMWiS8JIj-QfAKKKU2GE5pppFuuYWELPcMyb0H-E/s1600/you+draw+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1165" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKUgGmJ00gu7Rpr41ArOfCqBavNyRb1SNLfBN945CyoBYckD4LyuW4Cj4h1lXG2ox2IKayIQtuXD6wlVnzaQcAQ-VdHiobHQbhrKRMWiS8JIj-QfAKKKU2GE5pppFuuYWELPcMyb0H-E/s320/you+draw+1.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And the winner is...Grace Song AKA </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit;">Annette Seifert. Get in touch with your address, Annette, to nuala AT nualaoconnor.com. Congrats!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncauVpTj2QpYxC6UoKeFPbrXKk9k55-rR74l4TgODPGsno209Z2fgbsgRL8UsCJZ4WTGSDqVTyWfDBLFvOQS-zfqCDKIPId95YUk3s7sTmXk2fcIg27VSzb_qjpTXVO9eAHBAHUtQOjY/s1600/you+draw+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncauVpTj2QpYxC6UoKeFPbrXKk9k55-rR74l4TgODPGsno209Z2fgbsgRL8UsCJZ4WTGSDqVTyWfDBLFvOQS-zfqCDKIPId95YUk3s7sTmXk2fcIg27VSzb_qjpTXVO9eAHBAHUtQOjY/s320/you+draw+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-62649822787138930282018-03-01T15:44:00.002+00:002018-03-18T08:03:01.502+00:00NOVEL GIVEAWAY *YOU*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMYXiCVql0fbiCNHIYiCXCMY08SC43bESMYjBa9wtCsYsYFjeJLmcOVOV_hLok97qrzt2WQTi6EszdI-yMcnE41md6diN3JxkZWhcmuVYIMiZR9EtisFCoPrOqZwB4w6AdPr1dPZkHXc/s1600/you+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMYXiCVql0fbiCNHIYiCXCMY08SC43bESMYjBa9wtCsYsYFjeJLmcOVOV_hLok97qrzt2WQTi6EszdI-yMcnE41md6diN3JxkZWhcmuVYIMiZR9EtisFCoPrOqZwB4w6AdPr1dPZkHXc/s320/you+cover.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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In honour of Cathy Brown of <a href="https://746books.com/100-irish-novels-writers-literature/">746 Books</a> including my first novel <a href="http://newisland.ie/product/you/">YOU</a> (2010, New Island) in her list of 100 Irish novels for Ireland Month, I'm giving away a copy of that book.<br />
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Just leave a comment to say you want to be in the draw. Simples!<br />
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I will post to anywhere but please do NOT comment as ANON. And check back in a week or so to see if you've won. (If the winner can't be contacted by St Patrick's Day, I'll draw another name.)<br />
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☘ Good luck! ☘Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-7689829509684636332018-02-04T13:17:00.002+00:002018-02-04T13:17:40.127+00:00DESNUDO GIVEAWAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJPRGt87xezh5B0VBXwiQ7DA9qmNxKZxRcaC9tWl36RkRwpIGbqBOc4t-n_MiXZk-ceZFStvE0IiiBvHierjZqbibnn1iAdIoMsst5LyAdPwmStcwQqaBbAGNfJ8fxQhwJM3MBgIIqd8/s1600/20180202_140448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJPRGt87xezh5B0VBXwiQ7DA9qmNxKZxRcaC9tWl36RkRwpIGbqBOc4t-n_MiXZk-ceZFStvE0IiiBvHierjZqbibnn1iAdIoMsst5LyAdPwmStcwQqaBbAGNfJ8fxQhwJM3MBgIIqd8/s320/20180202_140448.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Book giveaway on my Facebook page! One copy of <i><a href="http://www.laie.es/libro/desnudo/1232605/978-84-8367-585-4">Desnudo</a></i> (Spanish edition of my
short fiction collection <i>Nude</i>) up for grabs. It's a compact hardback with a bronze ribbon bookmark. Very lovely. It is translated by Maximo Alaez, who also did the drawing of the nude for the cover. Multi-talented Max, we call him.</div>
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Go <a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1529877773757396&id=375029362575582">here</a> to enter!<o:p></o:p></div>
Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-27922780999680202612018-01-25T16:43:00.000+00:002018-01-25T16:46:29.307+00:00VIRGINIA WOOLF, HAPPY BIRTHDAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBpvufM9hyphenhyphenoTWP4D9Orgi1-y5nnCRleBxyKbLSpGS60_VUvTrTKVdBTqAaER0i1wRNf4Nivd1GGiBC6j_N2zWFNAHRcqZ60p5zO_6Ws8ibwLnm0EU6LFAlG_8OXIzj7vhyphenhyphen3hOKrJhCqI/s1600/V+Woolf+google+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="550" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBpvufM9hyphenhyphenoTWP4D9Orgi1-y5nnCRleBxyKbLSpGS60_VUvTrTKVdBTqAaER0i1wRNf4Nivd1GGiBC6j_N2zWFNAHRcqZ60p5zO_6Ws8ibwLnm0EU6LFAlG_8OXIzj7vhyphenhyphen3hOKrJhCqI/s320/V+Woolf+google+image.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Today's Google doodle is in honour of VW's birthday</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">People always moan about January but, being my birth-month, it's a month I like (despite dire post-Christmas broke-ness). I turned 48 this month, so was happy to find, on the </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/monkshousent/" style="font-family: inherit;">Monk's House Insta</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> today, an extract from Virginia Woolf's diary from 25th January 1930, the day she turned 48.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>‘I am 48: we have been at Rodmell—a wet, windy day again; but on my birthday we walked among the downs, like the folded wings of grey birds and saw first one fox, very long with his brush stretched; then a second; which had been barking, for the sun was hot over us; it leapt lightly over a fence and entered the furze—a very rare sight. How many foxes are there in England? At night I read Lord Chaplin’s life. I cannot yet write naturally in my new room, because the table is not the right height, and I must stoop to warm my hands. Everything must be absolutely what I am used to.’</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been wet and windy in Galway today, with little spots of sun, and apparently it's been the same </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">at </span><a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/monks-house" style="background-color: white;">Monk's House</a> too.<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> I spent one of the happiest days of 2016 there. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Blogpost about that </span><a href="http://womenrulewriter.blogspot.ie/2016/08/research-trip-novel-4-monks-house.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">. (And for those who have asked, no I am </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">not</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> writing a novel about VW, I just love her!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxHBnR2FbbxPJk_RVC0SP0w9dwxfoKK7OJjzImp0pu_G8GltAbGAXvr3wRvb3aDPcXrfWqtSpoqXw0CErJkvP6V6fILSWOc_F3Jdok-EH3oy0-71BLx4StYy5q6yZnb67UtNzrTvMxdI/s1600/20180125_163319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxHBnR2FbbxPJk_RVC0SP0w9dwxfoKK7OJjzImp0pu_G8GltAbGAXvr3wRvb3aDPcXrfWqtSpoqXw0CErJkvP6V6fILSWOc_F3Jdok-EH3oy0-71BLx4StYy5q6yZnb67UtNzrTvMxdI/s320/20180125_163319.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A VW silhouette I bought at Monk's House</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-84754991639480691442018-01-05T15:11:00.002+00:002018-01-12T18:10:24.139+00:00BECOMING BELLE - COVER REVEAL GIVEAWAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZpCVmHoPQ3LjI-5wxKj3DcOUXGr37X2CahqFh0jGPZozBdReDEp_WpX4rU9rNv_n9jBZbi4IS1PLa7g4cDucyLSaj2TMiUyVchyfWdHvuow7a1BbpJSFlrj-cG4XKGxpJQiAjGotVgY/s1600/Belle+proof+cover+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1194" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZpCVmHoPQ3LjI-5wxKj3DcOUXGr37X2CahqFh0jGPZozBdReDEp_WpX4rU9rNv_n9jBZbi4IS1PLa7g4cDucyLSaj2TMiUyVchyfWdHvuow7a1BbpJSFlrj-cG4XKGxpJQiAjGotVgY/s320/Belle+proof+cover+front.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PD8P61Ijv3BACMJQUNv7blZO2svKVc2CKCngyaUgBuh4nOiNrpeaT09xtIyI-CUYeWTx3kt4hFLE9i8ynEinWzTmxJsvLk0St2dJf_p-RxxzXkfXqIezNEUo_LzuZaDdMEPjKXGI9PU/s1600/Belle+proof+cover+back+USA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1215" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PD8P61Ijv3BACMJQUNv7blZO2svKVc2CKCngyaUgBuh4nOiNrpeaT09xtIyI-CUYeWTx3kt4hFLE9i8ynEinWzTmxJsvLk0St2dJf_p-RxxzXkfXqIezNEUo_LzuZaDdMEPjKXGI9PU/s320/Belle+proof+cover+back+USA.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE</span></b> - The winner of the proof copy of <i>Becoming Belle</i> is Mary T. Bradford. Congrats, Mary!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hZ4DxOIHQz1hzh9QuDjELowVDbQbDJO5rdw6hCu7G6MlTJwHjH42ccDKl_llC_6WlK6QRw1gG4pH6JnKee2kh-ECMMZPML4BFtB0kdXlDys4z6wxFceFCVV-I_zjQfciaGBsQtrqBow/s1600/mary+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hZ4DxOIHQz1hzh9QuDjELowVDbQbDJO5rdw6hCu7G6MlTJwHjH42ccDKl_llC_6WlK6QRw1gG4pH6JnKee2kh-ECMMZPML4BFtB0kdXlDys4z6wxFceFCVV-I_zjQfciaGBsQtrqBow/s200/mary+b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing - and life - busy-ness has kept me from here but I'm back with a cover reveal and a giveaway. These beauties arrived today - proof copies of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Belle-Nuala-OConnor/dp/0735214409/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515164372&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+belle+nuala">Becoming Belle</a></i>, out August with GP Putnam in NY and Penguin Canada. Aren't they gorgeous?!?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Becoming Belle</i> is described as 'a<span style="background-color: white;"> witty and inherently feminist novel about passion and marriage, based on a true story of an unstoppable woman ahead of her time in Victorian London.'</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, dear readers, if you like the sound of that, I want you to read it asap. Leave a comment to be in the draw - saying that you want to be in the hat - and I will pick one name this day next week, Friday the 12th. Please DO NOT leave comment as 'unknown' - I can't contact an unknown!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Worldwide giveaway. Good luck!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>*PLEASE CHECK BACK NEXT FRIDAY FOR WINNER! I WILL DRAW A NEW WINNER IF PRIZE IS NOT CLAIMED BY FRIDAY 19th JAN.*</b></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-66515397443738698912017-10-08T14:13:00.000+01:002017-10-17T09:13:02.488+01:00Short Story of the Year longlistI am very happy that one of my stories has made the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year longlist. More <a href="https://www.writing.ie/news/writing-ie-short-story-of-the-year-2017-longlist-revealed/">here</a>. Crossing fingers for shortlist luck, now.<br />
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If my story <i>does </i>make the shortlist, there will be public voting anon, so I'll be counting on you, my ONE reader, to vote ;) And there'd be a lovely night out at the Irish Book Awards to boot. Glamour!!<br />
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Come on, Jupiter, arrange that joyride!!<br />
<br />Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-49195260519038390962017-10-07T14:00:00.000+01:002017-10-16T14:05:00.468+01:00BEAUTIFUL STROKESTOWNStrokestown, and the <a href="https://www.boyletm.com/news/irish-women-in-literature-event/264/">Women in Literature Event</a>, was so beautiful in so many ways: that gorgeous Georgian
town (sadly now like so many Irish towns a shadow of its former lively
self); the house itself; the famine museum; the conference and its many
speakers - Christine Kinealy, Marita Conlon-McKenna, Jessamine
O'Connor, Luke Gibbons et cetera. The fresh food in the Strokestown Park cafe! The sambuca...(enough said.)<br />
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Thanks to Jason King of the Irish Heritage Trust for the opportunity to take part. I fell in love with the place and am going back with my husb and youngest at Christmas for their <a href="http://strokestownpark-christmas.rezgo.com/details/86007/victorian-christmas-experience-at-strokestown-park">Victorian Experience</a>.<br />
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A few pics to give a flavour of the event and surrounds:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpKdXotQmyUqp88Odq0aN18ht7k7pP0qPR7_6Zk07BDaGVoyYDKu2O-sOhDBgisbNBW0emIf-GDFILfpDMA9vwH4ZlH3ytX0Y0ldHUHVpJwM5z9gE17xh5ppxoiNt7qmFFecrKDTgM4o/s1600/20171006_125721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkpKdXotQmyUqp88Odq0aN18ht7k7pP0qPR7_6Zk07BDaGVoyYDKu2O-sOhDBgisbNBW0emIf-GDFILfpDMA9vwH4ZlH3ytX0Y0ldHUHVpJwM5z9gE17xh5ppxoiNt7qmFFecrKDTgM4o/s320/20171006_125721.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessamine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQFpgFtvVpFuqfnBLP6_EV2hjKlI9_3XL8JZ-uqsiNM6VwXsu-o3PuU73GX7iTC6nAp6YGuDlEpHWq04HYQGqmH9nZxaBKqM6WJrzKQGEgIBDzuSXeUUsn3iikhNIkQCv1KsgqwKo8xk/s1600/20171006_092222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQFpgFtvVpFuqfnBLP6_EV2hjKlI9_3XL8JZ-uqsiNM6VwXsu-o3PuU73GX7iTC6nAp6YGuDlEpHWq04HYQGqmH9nZxaBKqM6WJrzKQGEgIBDzuSXeUUsn3iikhNIkQCv1KsgqwKo8xk/s320/20171006_092222.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View behind the house</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf_-9LswmyjBKE8ddWP4B9Iz_b-SNmzX63S5be27HqMl-OK_IeITDNkA_Ic_fVuuz77exEPBSdH3rT3nL7xZbJ83HGMZlyhD-tj3_zew18Y4t4jfz46uY12h0djBB1AkDq9uT0mgr91s/s1600/20171006_092212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf_-9LswmyjBKE8ddWP4B9Iz_b-SNmzX63S5be27HqMl-OK_IeITDNkA_Ic_fVuuz77exEPBSdH3rT3nL7xZbJ83HGMZlyhD-tj3_zew18Y4t4jfz46uY12h0djBB1AkDq9uT0mgr91s/s320/20171006_092212.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In through the window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3NDmv1iZTofYbgESri8nR5qzW_KeIG1iV2JRoW2SJ18-NxaYzwbLDum-pijBUE8SmJ2Vc0KP3oq3GSZm78pp0ie-ycD621qRiAw99Go_VdXxjc8TYz1tSr9YvFJin7dfUeIi7XPhPjY/s1600/20171006_091442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3NDmv1iZTofYbgESri8nR5qzW_KeIG1iV2JRoW2SJ18-NxaYzwbLDum-pijBUE8SmJ2Vc0KP3oq3GSZm78pp0ie-ycD621qRiAw99Go_VdXxjc8TYz1tSr9YvFJin7dfUeIi7XPhPjY/s320/20171006_091442.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town doorway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoh1FMJ2lP4DU0YGWUTkKerfGzLhi5vvzrniFMNMc73hCaqOjOS1U2pAPsB0-QftfJfLOdYh7-TeWFv9r6WZUz2-_zLt8B3Wp_IiVx-0By3I4oIkjz_mx0foBHNebh50zblJOHBZ-FJs/s1600/20171005_155529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoh1FMJ2lP4DU0YGWUTkKerfGzLhi5vvzrniFMNMc73hCaqOjOS1U2pAPsB0-QftfJfLOdYh7-TeWFv9r6WZUz2-_zLt8B3Wp_IiVx-0By3I4oIkjz_mx0foBHNebh50zblJOHBZ-FJs/s320/20171005_155529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1vC__EBavdzgIwD_6J1Q9VTjOxqGVoWdm6FS1iAyQYST1FA4bLItHCfpphbsnhytVriruzY4h0MKPZyyieu2a5n1YGIZWX6u7dHP2FdHmTldGsUCBt4Iv5UNun_MDkcYTuS2_akVf34/s1600/20171005_185520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1vC__EBavdzgIwD_6J1Q9VTjOxqGVoWdm6FS1iAyQYST1FA4bLItHCfpphbsnhytVriruzY4h0MKPZyyieu2a5n1YGIZWX6u7dHP2FdHmTldGsUCBt4Iv5UNun_MDkcYTuS2_akVf34/s320/20171005_185520.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKcA7tMulUmN9Emtypr_CwDElLRoFzm9_neoGoc04myWlvm1dzHgF6Yh2YV12sBZ03VbttXlZGZfPykOgE7IMZrf0tYkbK0xGpWmX1Wg_STcxZcnbmkFI6CogJeNJCCtiSULAFY4QFi0/s1600/20171005_185413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1007" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKcA7tMulUmN9Emtypr_CwDElLRoFzm9_neoGoc04myWlvm1dzHgF6Yh2YV12sBZ03VbttXlZGZfPykOgE7IMZrf0tYkbK0xGpWmX1Wg_STcxZcnbmkFI6CogJeNJCCtiSULAFY4QFi0/s320/20171005_185413.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orla, chairperson of Roscommon Co Co, gave a rousing, feminist speech</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0t-SURE6_lGp7M7bEKo4xWrQ0eCrMg_boPcvhme1_E7tBO2kbs6LVzllG5YAV2e2kfst5aQ1GNPMeiRUbTr657QcbIb3uoDBB3J6AqST7fB5hazyPVfcUhh3jBH27qyON-PoJU4jFBo/s1600/20171005_132117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0t-SURE6_lGp7M7bEKo4xWrQ0eCrMg_boPcvhme1_E7tBO2kbs6LVzllG5YAV2e2kfst5aQ1GNPMeiRUbTr657QcbIb3uoDBB3J6AqST7fB5hazyPVfcUhh3jBH27qyON-PoJU4jFBo/s320/20171005_132117.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvAkMEWvEhSL1M8t-yATii46N9xHxvEPehV2arry21q5UVm2XRkqHc7M7QUgTd3jwcifSoziqt_hoTGpW_y0pIrYp6OFUBan9LZh1i5HpsK7Be7uPgHQZOOtuHv_XWe_sbLCFa__pIPY/s1600/20171005_122924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvAkMEWvEhSL1M8t-yATii46N9xHxvEPehV2arry21q5UVm2XRkqHc7M7QUgTd3jwcifSoziqt_hoTGpW_y0pIrYp6OFUBan9LZh1i5HpsK7Be7uPgHQZOOtuHv_XWe_sbLCFa__pIPY/s320/20171005_122924.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famine museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-13923997185689944092017-09-25T11:24:00.000+01:002017-09-25T11:24:21.052+01:00Irish Women in Literature event<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm reading at this free 2 day <a href="https://www.boyletm.com/news/irish-women-in-literature-event/264/">Irish Women in Literature event</a> at S</span><a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" data-mentioned-user-id="202627873" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/strokestownpark" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">trokestown Park</a><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Thursday 5th October. All welcome!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #14171a; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-5068161358217500992017-09-20T10:30:00.002+01:002017-09-20T10:32:49.908+01:00REVIEW JTJ AND EVENTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4HF1QS0BcqzBklVV3XSVWA7PuGPhnWKIt-Qhu9Y03v5QBn2r3BqOvVM6hy4DSHTnz7a4d44uyeA0Tqnw-MRzEWuTQIBkJzyAP5L2NSccJh8aKjJZiyqAeDRyPijm71oP9dU1X9O5FZM/s1600/Joyride+to+Jupiter+front1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4HF1QS0BcqzBklVV3XSVWA7PuGPhnWKIt-Qhu9Y03v5QBn2r3BqOvVM6hy4DSHTnz7a4d44uyeA0Tqnw-MRzEWuTQIBkJzyAP5L2NSccJh8aKjJZiyqAeDRyPijm71oP9dU1X9O5FZM/s200/Joyride+to+Jupiter+front1.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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Liam Murphy reviewed <i><a href="http://newisland.ie/product/joyride-jupiter/">Joyride to Jupiter</a></i> in yesterday's <i>Munster Express:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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'There was a time when people
expected short stories to be like single theme short novellas, and then
magazine fiction changed all that. Stories got shorter and often became like
poems, vague like a fleeting image, a flash of emotion, a realisation without
resolution. Collections of short stories seemed to be based on a theme or
trope; infidelity, expectation, imperfection, loneliness, betrayal and the
modern one of uncoupling couples.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nuala O'Connor who used to be
Nuala Ní Chonchúir until Penguin USA insisted on 'identity clarity' for Miss Emily -
O'Connor's most successful novel. Her fourth novel will be out next year, and
the collection, Joyride To Jupiter is her sixth collection of short stories,
alongside four poetry books. I feel like writing Nuala Ní rather than Nuala O.<o:p></o:p></div>
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An Ovid quotation suggests a
collection about the 'perjuries of lovers', but there is an 'occasional' feel
about some of these stories. This book has been with me during the best summer
ever and rarely was I disappointed. A few stories I had to reread to
understand, but perhaps I was seduced by the language and the fresh, Irishness
of her phrasing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The title story, 'Joyride To
Jupiter' surprised me and took me unawares. When I got to 'Futuretense',
another story with a makeup or cosmetic theme, I went back and read both
together, seeking a linking theme.<o:p></o:p></div>
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'SquidInky' about a tattooist was
my favourite with its visual, descriptive style and a line "Spitting women
and crowing hens will surely come to some bad ends", led into one of the
loneliest passage in the story "My heart opens and closes like a mouth that
wants to speak but can't form the words". Nuala O can form the words and
can seesaw the human heart as in 'The Boy From Petropolis' and 'Napoli Abu'.
Where the opening line is a catcher for a page turner "Fuck knows how I
ended up agreeing to go to Naples with a spinster".<o:p></o:p></div>
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The shorter stories didn't
satisfy me, but the last story 'Storks' caught the mood of a hidden past, a
'betrayal' that gets in the way of present happiness. The last page is as
sensual a thrill as you could ask for "All will be well".'<o:p></o:p></div>
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*</div>
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Next Saturday I am reading with Alan McMonagle, moderated by Catherine Dunne, at the inaugural Bray Literary Festival. 2pm, Bray Town Hall. More about the fest <a href="https://brayliteraryfestival.wordpress.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
And on Culture Night, this Friday, the artist collective I am a member of, Group 8, has the opening of its annual exhibition. This one is called Majesty in the Minute. 6.30pm, Ballinasloe Library. More at our blog <a href="http://thegroup8.blogspot.ie/2017/09/culture-night-exhibition-opening.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I had a great time in Cork at the Short Story Festival last weekend but am way, way to busy to blog it, sadly. My new novel (novel #5!) has joyfully taken over my head and my life, and I have a ton of other projects and things I'm involved in too. Busy is good. <i>Too</i> busy can be a bit of a headwreck. Onward!Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-80857240506425530652017-09-11T11:45:00.000+01:002017-09-11T11:45:14.816+01:00FICTION ZERO INTERVIEWI'm interviewed by <i>ZeroFlash</i> about writing and publishing ups and downs today. <a href="https://zeroflash.org/2017/09/11/getting-into-writing-an-interview-with-nuala-oconnor/">Here</a>.Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-6629464787817189352017-08-19T10:30:00.000+01:002017-09-05T13:31:42.723+01:00BEAUTIFUL REVIEW OF JOYRIDE TO JUPITERDes Breen has written a beautiful review of <i>Joyride to Jupiter</i> for the Irish Examiner. Truly delighted with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4VCvJ6EVDHIdYWDp8YR-J9V5mMxCyyfekoKia5GktRuo0B2QzGsiCR6EnxE26gKZCOINdn7grMemLkuk0qvVQNA8Pm0eDmtERL2Hv5cBnZ3K519BBzfyabIWkOXBKgOX__5cS53iFMQ/s1600/Examiner+review+Joyride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4VCvJ6EVDHIdYWDp8YR-J9V5mMxCyyfekoKia5GktRuo0B2QzGsiCR6EnxE26gKZCOINdn7grMemLkuk0qvVQNA8Pm0eDmtERL2Hv5cBnZ3K519BBzfyabIWkOXBKgOX__5cS53iFMQ/s400/Examiner+review+Joyride.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-10648097047674397872017-08-14T12:03:00.004+01:002017-08-14T12:04:27.827+01:00TERRYGLASS ARTS FEST READING<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm at <a href="http://www.terryglassartsfestival.ie/events/91/nuala-ni-chonchuir.php">T</a></span><a href="http://www.terryglassartsfestival.ie/events/91/nuala-ni-chonchuir.php"><span style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); white-space: pre-wrap;">erryglassArts Fest</span>ival</a><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on Friday 18th </span><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; white-space: pre-wrap;">August</span><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; white-space: pre-wrap;">, reading from </span><a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoyridetoJupiter?src=hash" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">#JoyridetoJupiter</a><span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 6pm, Riverrun. Free event! </span></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-7593482293758799612017-08-07T09:10:00.000+01:002017-08-10T09:25:09.005+01:00FARMLEIGH EVENT - Domestic Frictions<span style="font-family: inherit;">This Thursday I'm at Farmleigh doing </span><a href="http://farmleigh.ie/events/Title,38156,en.html" style="font-family: inherit;">an event</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with writer-in-res Mia Gallagher and her other guests John Boyne, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;">Sean Millar and Maeve McCarthy. 8pm kick-off with words, music, art and chat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">I'm thrilled to perform at Farmleigh - my Granda, Joseph Murray, lived there as a child with his family (his mother was a cook/housekeeper; his father collected rents). And my maternal Granda, Hugh O'Connor, worked there as a coachman - he took care of the horses among other duties; he had a key to the Silver Bridge, so he could feed the horses on a Sunday. We could see the Victorian Clock Tower on the Farmeleigh Estate from my childhood home across the River Liffey (my parents still live there) - it's one of those landmarks that just says 'home'.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;">Here's the blurb about the event from the <a href="http://www.farmleigh.ie/">Farmleigh </a>site:</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Home and Family in Words, Song and Images</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Ballroom, 8pm Thursday August 10th</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Join 2017 Farmleigh Writer-in-Residence <span style="font-weight: 700;">Mia Gallagher </span>for a unique event – an evening of song, words and images which will celebrate and expose the intimate yet often strangely troubled realm of family, home and domestic life. The event will feature some of Ireland’s best loved writers and artists, including the marvellous <span style="font-weight: 700;">John Boyne</span> (author of the international bestseller <em style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas</em>), renowned novelist and poet <span style="font-weight: 700;">Nuala O’Connor</span> (author of the International DUBLIN-longlisted <em style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Miss Emily</em>), singer-songwriter extraordinaire <span style="font-weight: 700;">Sean Millar </span>and award-winning visual artist <span style="font-weight: 700;">Maeve McCarthy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prepare to be provoked, entertained and inspired as these wonderful artists share their work, insights and observations. The first part of the evening will feature readings, music and film. This will be followed by a lively discussion with all the artists, moderated by Mia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To apply for FREE tickets to this event email <a href="mailto:farmleighinfo@opw.ie?Subject=Domestic%20Frictions%20with%20Mia%20Gallagher" style="background: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: #000099; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Email">farmleighinfo@opw.ie</a> before 5pm Wednesday 9th August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Winners will receive 2 free tickets. Please note that only winners will be notified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For further information on this event contact 01 815 5914</span></span></div>
Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-15912633374331411632017-08-02T08:00:00.000+01:002017-08-02T08:00:16.930+01:00INTERVIEW - LEANNE RADOJKOVICH & RACHEL J. FENTON<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am delighted to welcome two New Zealand based writers to the blog today, <span style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.leanneradojkovich.com/">Leanne Radojkovich</a></span><span style="text-align: center;"> and <a href="http://snowlikethought.blogspot.ie/">Rachel J Fenton</a>, who is also a visual artist. Leanne's début short story collection <i>First fox</i>, illustrated by Rachel, is just out from <a href="http://theemmapress.com/">The Emma Press</a>, a really exciting English publisher producing beautiful books.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="text-align: center;">The </span><a href="http://review.cuckoowriters.com/book-review-first-fox-by-leanne-radojkovich/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cuckoo Review</a></i><span style="background-color: white;"> says this 'collection of unusual, fairy-tale like stories… brilliantly enchants and enthralls the reader… </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">First fox</em><span style="background-color: white;"> [is] unique. With its oddly complex realities mixed with bizarre yet magical moments… The power of these stories… resonated with me long after reading.'</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The title story is my new favourite flash and I can't wait to give it a close-reading with students soon. Listen to Leanne read 'First fox' on YouTube </span><a href="https://youtu.be/i6u1RgL-8Pw">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">And you can buy </span><i style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://theemmapress.com/books/first-fox-by-leanne-radojkovich/">First fox</a></i><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> here.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leanne Radojkovich</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;">Leanne Radojkovich lives in Auckland and her flash
fiction </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.leanneradojkovich.com/pinups/">street art</a> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;">has popped up all around the
world from USA to France and Tanzania, as well as in New Zealand. Her stories have appeared in many journals and been placed
in numerous competitions.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel J Fenton</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rachel J Fenton writes poetry, graphic poetry and
short stories. Her work is published widely. Her
unpublished novel </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some Things the English</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> was runner-up in the Dundee
International Book Prize and shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press debut novel
prize. As Rae Joyce, she co-edited </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Three Words, an Anthology of Aotearoa Womens
Comics.</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I began my interview with these two fine, creative women with a few questions to Leanne first, then to Rachel, then some to both.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Nuala: Leanne, talking cats, a woman kept prisoner, birds
appearing from walls. There are echoes of fairytales and, therefore, Angela
Carter in the stories. Would you count her as an influence? Fairy and folktales
in general?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Leanne: I love
folk and fairy tales’ matter of fact bare-bones style, and how in these tales
the everyday and the otherworldly exist in the same dimension. Juxtaposing
fantastic and ordinary elements in a story can feel more truthful, somehow, and
bring to light a new way of looking at a situation. However, much as I admire
Angela Carter’s stories I don’t think of her as a direct influence. I’d count Grace
Paley as number one in that regard; the pared-back brevity of her stories, their
frank tone and sharp sense of humour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: The stories are awash with references to
plants (paw paw, frangipani, banana leaves), birds (cockatiels, crows,
roosters) and other animals (cicadas, fox, cat). Is the natural world a go-to
place for you as a writer?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: The
natural world is what I enjoy most on my daily rounds – anything growing,
flying, running about; perhaps this is
why so many creatures and plants seep into my stories.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: Children and adults often clash in your
stories, with startling consequences. Is this a theme you consciously explore?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: I
chose stories for <i>First fox </i>that
seemed to spark off one another - and then saw a theme emerge in some of these
regarding children and adults. I hadn’t consciously considered it before, but
it’s definitely present in this collection.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: You have been using new ways to get flash fiction
to diverse audiences, such as via YouTube and graffiti. Can you tell me about
that?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: I’ve shared filmed stories on YouTube and SlideShare. <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/leanneradojkovich">SlideShare</a> is my favourite</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">because the viewer clicks through the images at their own pace and the story
unfolds like a book of captioned photographs. I’ve posted about a dozen YouTube
videos, too. I think of them as a kind of audio/visual chapbook, they’re all
filmed using the same three constraints: one continuous shot, from behind, as I
walk in bare feet along a beach or a road or the bush - unless it’s freezing,
then I wear shoes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps the most fun has come from posting my street art <a href="http://www.leanneradojkovich.com/pinups/">PinUps</a>. I place one of my
nature photos in a $1 frame, paste a story on the back and add a tag saying
Please take me home, I’ll look good on your wall. Then I Blu-Tack the frame to
stairwells, shop windows, public toilets, park benches. Several strangers have
contacted me to say they’ve taken a PinUp on further travels. My favourite came
from an American who picked one up in Auckland and took it home where it hangs
in his lounge “in the hope,” he wrote, “that someday it will disappear from our
wall, one dinner-party evening, to look good on another wall and carry the
story into another imagination.” PinUps have popped up in lots of countries
from USA to China, Sweden and Indonesia, thanks to wonderful friends and family
who wish to be part of the experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Nuala: Rachel, y</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>ou’re a writer and visual artist. Can you talk about the process of illustrating work that is not your own?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Rachel: Illustrating other people’s work is something I’ve shied away from on-the-whole, partly I think because of not wanting the responsibility. With Leanne’s work, it was different: I knew and loved her stories, she’s an amazing talent, and I knew her personally – the NZ lit scene is super small – so I felt like I had a good handle on her vision for First fox and I felt I could deliver an interpretation that could fulfil Leanne’s and The Emma Press’s expectations but also satisfy my own creative vision for a cohesive body (albeit it small body) of art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My brief from The Emma Press read along the lines of Six black and white illustrations, some full, some partial, and one cover illustration – details yet to be finalised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The practical process was a case of closely and intensively reading the stories and jotting or sketching the strongest imagery from them, the moments that felt key without acting as spoilers. I had a choice of two or three strong concepts for each story and I picked out my favourite, worked it up in pencil then my own mix of black and sepia water-based ink, scanned it and converted it to black and white and sent it to Emma, founder of The Emma Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>N: How did this collaboration come about?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R: I’ve been posting work-in-progress on Instagram, @redhousemary, from the graphic biography that I’m working on, and Leanne was really drawn to one image of Charlotte Brontë walking arm-in-arm with Ellen Nussey – there are few positive depictions of women’s friendships, I feel, and so this perhaps resonated with Leanne and some of the themes in First fox. Leanne had sent a link to this image to The Emma Press and Emma contacted me to invite me to pitch for the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As a fan of all things blue, I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover. You’re no doubt happy with the design, look and feel of the book. Can you talk about that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m chuffed to bits with the book, from the generous layout to the attention to detail; everything about it speaks of quality and care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Emma had a clear idea of what she wanted for the cover, in keeping with The Emma Press brand: the press’s pamphlets are distinctly recognisable and it was important that the cover of First fox be obviously part of The Emma Press stable. I had been given carte blanche for the interior illustrations, beside their having to be black and white, but the brief for the cover was very specific. Essentially, I had to leave space for the text that, along with the typesetting, was done by The Emma Press. But when it came to the image itself, Leanne felt so strongly drawn to one of the illustrations intended for the interior that it became the cover and what should have been the cover illustration went inside. I work in brown ink, so Emma changed the colour to the specific shade of indigo she had in mind. From the start, Emma communicated so well her clarity of vision for Leanne’s book that I had complete trust in her. It was really a dream job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>N: How do you blend your practices (art vs writing). Is it hard to have enough time for both?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R: I don’t see it as art v writing; it’s all art. Words are fast for me to put down but take effort from the reader to decode. Visual art is a vastly slower practice but I think it can be decoded easier – humans communicated with images before written language, so maybe it accesses a more primal part of the brain? I feel visual art is a necessary part of my language tool box, though I haven’t always had the home circumstances for it. Until recently my practices had a preferred order of works within a day. For eg, poetry on waking, revising, new writing, editing in the evening, drawing or painting and poetry. But the graphic biography requires up to twelve hours drawing per day, interspersed with research and writing – deadline looming – so I’m missing story and poetry writing, and when I finish this biography I’ll throw myself at them. There’s never enough time. My working-class background has never accommodated my artistic ambitions. Add motherhood and you’re left aching for a room of one’s own. Constraints can be more productive than opportunities, luckily. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: You both write short stories and flash.
There is a lot of debate (and some disgruntlement) about the definition of
flash fiction. Do you have a favourite definition, or a personal way of
defining flash that makes sense to you?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: For
me, short stories are are built up in layers; whilst flash fiction relies more
on gaps. This is what attracts me to flash - how small the stories seem, yet
what vast spaces they can conjure for the imagination to roam in. With short
stories it’s almost the reverse, instead of this outward roaming I feel more
more absorbed into the story as I sink into the layers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R: I think definitions can be limiting more than helpful, and worse, sometimes cliquey. It’s the nature of the categorising endeavour: as soon as you put something into a box, something else is pushed outside it. I write stories, they take whatever shapes and forms best suited to their telling. I don’t want to get caught up in semantics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>N: <i>First Fox</i> is published by The Emma Press. You both live in New Zealand. What made you choose a small English publisher for this book?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: I’d
long been a fan of Emma Press’s poetry pamphlets, how fresh and vibrant they
are, how beautifully produced. When their poetry pamphlet “Oils” by Stephen
Sexton arrived in the mail, I stared at it for ages almost bewitched. This was exactly
how I’d dreamed of having my stories published one day – in a slim volume with a
stunning cover, and lovely card and paper. A while later, Emma decided to publish
prose and invited submissions. I sent in a m/s of <i>First fox</i> and was stunned to have it accepted, alongside a m/s by
Jan Carson called <i>Postcard Stories</i>.
Some time after, Emma thought it would be lovely to have her first prose
collections illustrated. She considered several artists for <i>First fox</i> and I was stoked when she
commissioned Rae - not only a fabulous artist, but one who knows this country’s
landscapes, trees and plants that feature in most of the stories. Then a final
magic touch, Emma coincidentally chose a similar rich blue for the cover that
she’d used for “Oils.”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">R: See next Q.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: How healthy is the New Zealand small press
scene?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: There
are quite a few small presses in NZ producing beautiful work such as these two
recent poetry collections which I treasure: Elizabeth Morton’s <a href="http://www.makaropress.co.nz/the-hoopla-series/"><i>Wolf</i></a> published by Mākaro Press; and Anahera Gildea’s <a href="http://www.seraphpress.co.nz/poroporoaki.html"><i>Poroporaki</i></a> from Seraph Press.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R: </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are numerous university presses that give priority to writers within their institutions or specific regions, then there’s a smattering of niche publishers. I think the nature of these can be determined by the fact that indigenous and Pasifika writers turn to publishers that necessarily publish only works by indigenous and Pasifika writers.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: Which short fiction writers make you think,
‘Yes!’?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: Grace
Paley, Lucia Berlin, Katherine Mansfield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">R: Tina Makereti, Zadie Smith, Frances Gapper, Trisha Hanifin, Colin Barrett, Katherine Mansfield, David Constantine, Zoe Meager, Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis, and you!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: What is your writing/creating process – morning or
night; longhand or laptop?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> L: </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m happiest writing very early in the morning when
the birds outside are up and busy. My stories begin as stray words and phrases
scribbled on scraps of paper. When enough scraps have accumulated, I spread
them out on the floor and cobble them into some kind of order. Then I start
typing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">R: I like to get a story down in one go, so mid/late morning, laptop.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: What
story or flash do you love? (You know the one that begs to be re-read over and
over.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">These past few months I’ve been returning to “The Geography of a Name”
by Frankie McMillan (in </span><a href="http://www.cup.canterbury.ac.nz/catalogue/Hungarians.shtml" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">My Mother and the Hungarians</span></i></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">) and Zoë Meager’s “Sharp Stars” (in </span><a href="https://bathflashfictionaward.com/books/" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US">To Carry Her Home</span></i></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">). Both
stories concern migrants. They evoke - with the lightest touch possible - losses
their characters sustain as they are forced, one way or another, into new
lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">R: I go back to Mansfield’s “The Doll’s House”, Davis’ “Break It Down”, Constantine’s “Tea at the Midland”, Thisbe Nissen’s “Deer at Rest”, that I first saw mentioned in an interview you gave to Flash Frontier, I think.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>N: Is
there any writing advice you received that stays with you always?</b><b> What
one piece of advice would you offer novice writers?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">L: When I’m stuck I re-read Grace Paley’s story “A Conversation with my
Father” in which the narrator and her father argue about the purpose of short
stories, and how to write them. I’ve also learned a great deal from several </span><a href="http://www.fishpublishing.com/writing-courses/"><span lang="EN-US">Fish
Writing Courses</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> run by Mary-Jane Holmes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R: Paraphrasing here: '</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Everything’s been written by someone but not by you' – from Nuala Ní</span><em style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> Chonchúir. </span></em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Detail what you alone can.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">N: What
are you working on now/what can we expect next?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L: The
scraps box is filling…. more short stories are on the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">R: I’m on the home straight of a graphic biography of Mary Taylor, Charlotte Brontë’s bestie, that I got CNZ arts funding for. I’ve a couple of short story collections and a poetry collection out on submission and I’m looking for a home for two novels. I’ve another novel outline waiting in the wings as well as poetry and stories to write.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Thank you, Leanne and Rachel, for a wonderful interview. I hope the book does really well for you both. Readers you can buy <i><a href="http://theemmapress.com/books/first-fox-by-leanne-radojkovich/">First fox</a></i> here.</b></span></div>
Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-91615630697618727402017-08-01T09:02:00.000+01:002017-08-10T09:04:10.565+01:00RTÉ CULTURE REVIEWS JOYRIDE TO JUPITERA wonderful <a href="https://www.rte.ie/culture/books/2017/0727/893308-joyride-to-jupiter/">review</a> from Abigail Tuite at RTÉ Culture for <i>Joyride to Jupiter:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Nuala O'Connor writes with a true and at times spell-binding voice, and each of her nineteen short stories is so self-contained it could be a novella. </span></div>
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In <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Consolata, </i>Helen brings her new love Matthew to visit her widowed mother Verona. Home rekindles memories of Helen's girllhood and afternoons spent in a beautiful orchard belonging to neighbouring nuns. Against the backdrop of a blossoming love affair, there’s an exploration of grief and memory and a shocking revelation. With a brutal and sudden one-liner O’Connor exposes the skeleton in the closet. It’s a startling announcement and the reader is left reeling.</div>
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Elsewhere themes of singledom, inheritance and childlessness are explored, lives and promises may be unfulfilled but they are not damned. O’Connor’s characters are complex, vibrant and pleasingly unpredictable.</div>
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<i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Napoli Abú </i>tells the tale of two lonely hearts, tossed together as frustrated travelling companions. "Partners in the pathetic," Tara is scathing of Beatrice and her allergies, her "miniscule lips", "the dour set to her face". But Beatrice is a dark horse, not as we or Tara expected. This is what O’Connor does best, demolishing our expectations - she is the housekeeper in <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Room 313</i> wanting to "catch people doing things that are the stuff of locked doors". Her characters have lived, loved and lost, and are grappling with the way of it.</div>
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The title story, <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Joyride to Jupite</i>r defiantly probes dementia and the demands of old age. The terrors that we all face are bleakly laid bare, but with courage and acceptance. <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">American Wake</i> is a glance into the heartbreak of the emigrant of yesteryear, while <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Shut Your Mouth </i><i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Hélène </i>describes the similarly dispossessed shedding their baggage - literally - <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">en route</i> to the new world.</div>
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The wonderful brevity of <i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Fish</i> - a mere two pages - will put a smile on your face, it's a quirky, feel -good nod to the tyranny of middle age. This is no-holds-barred writing, capturing the vicissitudes and spontaneity of life, it is utterly heart-warming. "When you have seen your neighbour in the raw - and he has seen you seeing him - i t cannot be undone".</div>
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Some of the characters in the 154-page collection are flawed, disillusioned, marginalised, the sexual nun, the mistress, the childless woman, even 'Jesus of Dublin' is given a voice. But above all there’s hope. You’ll come away from this collection re-adjusting your perspective, refreshed and charmed.</div>
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<i style="box-sizing: inherit;">Joyride to Jupiter</i> is a tonic for the soul.</div>
Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-76966433311773225372017-07-19T11:40:00.001+01:002017-07-19T11:40:44.814+01:00FINAL STOP VIRTUAL TOUR - GIVEAWAY!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Last stop on my virtual tour for </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/joyridetojupiter?source=feed_text&story_id=10155578704349228" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">JoyridetoJupiter</span></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> today and I'm at my friend, writer </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=762166666&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/shauna.gilligan?fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Shauna Gilligan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">'s blog. Book and spacy purse giveaway! Go <a href="http://shaunaswriting.com/wordpress/2017/07/qa-with-nuala-oconnor-on-joyride-to-jupiter/">here</a>.</span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-66461463252974840842017-07-17T09:49:00.000+01:002017-07-17T10:00:03.778+01:00Jane Austen 200 - Limerick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAoTBJniL8Oo6_OIU4ldU1U05ksq8xcy48ykJ3czcgHX-3RlwOynMVpQKgArZtv1nGaUDUZ0C2uyT6HxGDxLgKw4gv-5RQt7n7k97tTMnf1iMap2l1OZQrYVAdKoZx0DkEZRgt8-QNZ8/s1600/20170716_150447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAoTBJniL8Oo6_OIU4ldU1U05ksq8xcy48ykJ3czcgHX-3RlwOynMVpQKgArZtv1nGaUDUZ0C2uyT6HxGDxLgKw4gv-5RQt7n7k97tTMnf1iMap2l1OZQrYVAdKoZx0DkEZRgt8-QNZ8/s320/20170716_150447.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was in Limerick at the weekend for a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JaneAusten200Limerick/">#JaneAusten200</a> event organised by Rose Servitova, author of <i><a href="https://www.writing.ie/interviews/flash-fiction-to-a-novel-the-longbourn-letters-by-rose-servitova/">The Longbourn Letters</a></i>: Jane Austen Afternoon Tea at 1 Pery Square. Jane died in 1817 at the appalling age of 41, hence the 200 year commemorative marking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxu6UDkVtLJHgAxYWyFs-QbipvVQCRHuwEmmciVvRfserT1Cf-irVyfQjruvjmO5h8D0piTwJDqWEVzTTCfCR4kaYoFxujWfC5RNbCBMlV9uctWPqg0PzcFfWv8KGnhkEOl4cE5BAHFU/s1600/20170716_145357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxu6UDkVtLJHgAxYWyFs-QbipvVQCRHuwEmmciVvRfserT1Cf-irVyfQjruvjmO5h8D0piTwJDqWEVzTTCfCR4kaYoFxujWfC5RNbCBMlV9uctWPqg0PzcFfWv8KGnhkEOl4cE5BAHFU/s320/20170716_145357.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKIw8KWx4TW12ASxCoQ4vQ-w6QuULdAnIN7GFR4abK72ZbUIUQaIiBrWGebVe7DJ6cPFrwNHia01CsHAdTd8P8qa8j70FtsDJBa1mnnyij9qxeCS6_tTif5ufrcqfjiHrRxjPGavieFo/s1600/20170716_145401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKIw8KWx4TW12ASxCoQ4vQ-w6QuULdAnIN7GFR4abK72ZbUIUQaIiBrWGebVe7DJ6cPFrwNHia01CsHAdTd8P8qa8j70FtsDJBa1mnnyij9qxeCS6_tTif5ufrcqfjiHrRxjPGavieFo/s320/20170716_145401.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We had delicious cakes (blackberry & pear crumble, lemon & pineapple panacotta, tiny scones, choc pistachio) and great entertainment from costume experts, a historian who spoke about Jane's would-be fella, Tom Lefroy of Limerick. We also had a talk on tea, sweet songs from the Regency period, and the wonderful Miss Bates (of <i>Emma</i> fame) came to visit too.<br />
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The event was livestreamed and there are now videos of it <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JaneAusten200Limerick/">here</a>. Rose has many more events planned, up as far as December, so keep any eye on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JaneAusten200Limerick/">Jane Austen 200 Limerick Facebook</a> page for details. Janeites in Dublin and Cork are also having events, so there's plenty to entertain the Irish Austen-lover for the 200 year celebrations.<br />
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We stopped off in Bunratty along the way and spent the afternoon in Limerick city. Great shopping, though the plentiful charity shops are overpriced compared to my midlands home. We ate at <a href="http://aroi.eu/menu/">Aroi</a>, which was my regular spot when I did the short story project with Limerick School of Art. It was as good as I remembered. I enjoyed the <a href="http://gallery.limerick.ie/">Limerick City Gallery of Art</a>, especially the gorgeous landscapes in the permanent collection. I also got a new tattoo from an amiable Gaeilgeoir from Kerry called Liam. And we stayed the night in <a href="https://www.limerick.ie/discover/eat-see-do/history-heritage/historic-attractions/medieval-kilmallock">Kilmallock</a>, a handsome walled town with lots of intact medieval buildings.<br />
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The weather was fab and we really enjoyed exploring the friary and town gates and sweet houses. Ireland is a wonder at the best of times but when the sun shines, there's glory.<br />
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<br />Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-38949641840454161782017-07-12T09:17:00.000+01:002017-07-14T09:18:36.085+01:00JOYRIDE - VIRTUAL TOUR STOP #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The incomparably shiny Claire Hennessy interviews me <a href="http://clairehennessy.com/virtual-tour-joyride-to-jupiter-nuala-oconnor/">here</a> on stop four of my virtual tour. We talk about my use of my birth name, stories vs novels and more.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">'<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">There was a shit-storm on Twitter when I reverted to my birth name, from a bunch of Irish writers whom I shall not identify. Betrayal of identity, blah-fucking-blah. These people don’t even know me; they’d be better off writing books rather than bitching about what I do, imo…'</span></span></i>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6407922151503116046.post-8375252605016100632017-07-04T09:13:00.000+01:002017-07-14T09:14:20.187+01:00JOYRIDE VIRTUAL TOUR - stop #3<span style="font-family: inherit;">My virtual tour continues with a fab review from Cathy Brown at 746 Books <a href="https://746books.com/2017/07/04/joyride-to-jupiter-by-nuala-oconnor/">here</a>.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>'</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 14.6px;">Joyride to Jupiter<i> is a collection that shows a writer with complete mastery of her craft. The best of the stories hint rather than shout but all are poignant and complex, riding on the dichotomy between hope and despair. She is clear-eyed when exploring the dark realities of human behaviour, but the humour and wit displayed within her affecting prose allow this collection to soar.' </i>Cathy Brown</span></span>Group 8http://www.blogger.com/profile/07924947352624027079noreply@blogger.com0