GIVEAWAY WINNER - YOU

Lá fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise. Happy St Patrick's Day! Here's the draw for the copy of YOU. Apols for the delay!

All the names in the St Paddy's day crock:

And the winner is...Grace Song AKA Annette Seifert. Get in touch with your address, Annette, to nuala AT nualaoconnor.com. Congrats!!

NOVEL GIVEAWAY *YOU*

In honour of Cathy Brown of 746 Books including my first novel YOU (2010, New Island) in her list of 100 Irish novels for Ireland Month, I'm giving away a copy of that book.

Just leave a comment to say you want to be in the draw. Simples!

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.)

☘ Good luck! ☘

*YOU* DRAW WINNER

My beautiful friend, writer and artist Marcella Brown, is on hand today to draw the winner of the copy of YOU. Take it away, Marcy!

And the winner is:

Melissa Cronin!!

Congrats, Melissa, and please send me your address to nuala AT nualanichonchuir DOT com. And, it seems, you and I will meet in Dingle in July. Even better :)

*YOU* GIVEAWAY

Summer has come to Ireland. Actual sun shining from an actual blue sky!! To celebrate I am giving away one copy of my first novel YOU, which is set in the summer of 1980 in Dublin. Here are what some reviewers had to say when the book came out in 2010:

 ‘...You deserves to find a place in our pantheon of much-admired, beautifully crafted variations on a theme.’ The Irish Times

‘...timeless, placeless and universal... a must read.’ The Irish Independent

‘...a vivid and immediate sensory experience,...Ní Chonchúir's ear – as you might expect of a poet – is alive to the language of her characters...it is about the ordinary, and the secret life that runs beneath it.’ The Sunday Business Post

‘The novel flows beautifully and is understated in tone...This gem is sure to win her further acclaim. Nuala Ní Chonchúir is a writer to watch.’ The Irish Examiner

‘You supplies a pitch-perfect voice to the estranged youngster within each of us, the result being a quietly disarming experience for the reader...It is another success from a writer who seems composed of something that literary awards like to be around... It's all done organically, the hand of the author combining with the reader's own sense of childhood nostalgia to create literary alchemy.’ Sunday Independent

'Ní Chonchúir is excellent on the shifting allegiances between children...this would not have been taken for a début.’ Sunday Tribune

If you would like to win the book, simply leave a comment AND say you would like to be in the draw. I will pick the winner from the hat on the 7th June, next Tuesday. International comp - I will post to anywhere. Good luck!

INTERVIEW and *YOU* REVIEW - READING IRELAND MONTH

For Reading Ireland month, self-confessed book-buying addict and Antrim-based Arts Officer Cathy McNally, interviewed me on her 746 Books blog here. We talk about novel writing (including Miss Emily) and women's place in the literary world.

Today she has a heart-warming review of my first novel YOU on her blog: 'The reader is left to deduce what our narrator often cannot understand and the apparent simplicity of the narrative style belies a moving poignancy and understated intimacy.' The full review is here.

Míle buíochas, Cathy :)

FAB REVIEW/ESSAY ABOUT *CLOSET* IN THE DUB REVIEW OF BOOKS

Susan McCallum-Smith gives an extremely thoughtful once over to The Closet of Savage Mementos, and some of my other books, in The Dublin Review of Books. Her theme is motherhood in all its guises, a subject (obsessively) close to my heart. As a Scottish writer and mother, living in Ireland, who has personal experience of adoption, Susan is peculiarly well placed to review the book. She does a great (and humbling) job. Full review/essay here.

NEW REVIEW OF *YOU*

Kim Forrester has reviewed my 2010 novel YOU on her site Reading Matters. And it's a great review, which is lovely :) Read it here.

GALWAY READING TONIGHT, BELFAST PICS, MOTHER AMERICA MOBI

Namoredeira from Brazil

I am reading tonight with Seamus Scanlon at the Dominican Hall, The Claddagh, Galway as part of the Artistic Atlas celebrations. I don't read often in Galway so that's kind of fun. 6pm, admission free. Please come!

Marisol Morales Ladrón

Belfast was fab, I must say. Again, I took very few pics (too busy walking, eating and enjoying the sights and shops.) I loved Marisol Morales Ladrón's eco-critical look at my novel YOU, at the IASIL Conference at Queen's University. She was spot-on in her assessment of the importance of the river in the book. It is fascinating to hear your work talked about by academics - they go to the heart of it so much more than critics. Gracias, Marisol :)

Queen's Uni, Belfast

This particular conference is like the queen of Irish Studies conferences so there were lots of the lovely people there whom I met in Brazil last August, including Laura Izarra who brought me the namoredeira above, the statue you see in so many windows in the north of Brazil. Sweet :)

In other news my short story collection Mother America is now available as a mobi file at New Island's page on Small Epic for £4.99 (about €5.80) for all you e-reader readers.

ARTISTIC ATLAS LAUNCH, READINGS AND TRIPS

Atlas inventor Liam Duffy - pages from the book behind him

Sometimes I get lazy and refuse to carry my proper camera to events. I bring my little camera which is light but fairly mediocre, it has to be said. Anyhoo, I was lazy yesterday so herewith a few mediocre pics from the Artistic Atlas of Galway launch last night in the Dominican Hall in the Claddagh. It was great - Sarah Clancy gave a rousing speech on the importance of the arts to Galway. She reminded me of why I first came to live in in Galway by saying it has always been one of those places where it feels like anything might happen and often does.

The Atlas itself is a thing of beauty - my poem is accompanied by a stunning photo of train tracks from John Lawless. All the writers I spoke to were thrilled with the quality of the production.

There were readings, Mexican food, wine and shots. There were writers and a hall chockful of beautiful art (exhib runs all week). All this week writers featured in the Atlas will read at 6pm. Myself and New York based Irish writer Seamus Scanlon read together on Friday at 6pm. The Atlas is for sale at the hall and also online here.

In the meantime I am off to Belfast to hear a paper on my novel YOU from Spanish academic Marisol Morales Ladrón at an Irish Studies Conference. Accompanying me on my trip will be Gerard Stembridge's new novel, The Effect of Her, which I will review on Arena next Monday. I can't wait to get stuck in.

Helen Freeburn and Mary Mullen at the launch

Artwork on exhib by Sylvia Gryczuk

Jimi McDonnell reading

Sarah Clancy launching the Atlas

Artwork 'The Chase' by Aran Young

BVM candle

NEW REVIEW AND 'QUIET' BOOKS

North Carolina based Irish writer Rich Rennicks has just reviewed my novel YOU, which came out three years ago (I can hardly believe it's been three years). Rich reviews it on his blog A Trip to Ireland. I love this about the internet - there is no two-week window for your book to get noticed; there is endless time and scope and space.

A small quote from the review: 'YOU is a quiet, surprising novel, that captures a young girl’s growing perception of the world quite beautifully.' Cheers, Rich, much appreciated :)

As an aside, 'quiet' is a word I often hear about my work. It gets me a bit knicker-knotted because I don't quite get what it means, except I feel I am being told that it is not altogether a good thing to be 'quiet'. The feeling I get is that publishers/reviewers/agents really want fiction a bit more shouty than mine and that's what will make a book a big hit, as opposed to the minor hits that I've had. Anyway, I think, as an introvert, quiet is where I'm at and will continue to be at for a long time to come. For what it's worth, Mr Rennicks didn't seem to think 'quiet' was a negative but others have (agents/publishers who have rejected my work in the past). Anyway, with a publisher I like for my last two books and my next (New Island) and a new agent on the foreshore also, this 'quiet' irritation may belong to the past.

THE BOOK ON ONE - YOU

My novel YOU is the Book on One, all week, Monday to Friday, 26th to 30th November, at 11.10pm on RTÉ Radio 1. Listen Back online afterwards (for four weeks) here.

Actress Martina Carroll is the reader. You may know her as Handy Sandie's Ma on 'Republic of Telly' :)

BOOK ON ONE TONIGHT - YOU

My novel YOU is The Book on One starting tonight, for five nights. 11.13pm RTÉ Radio 1. Martina Carroll will do the reading honours. I am assured that this time it is actually happening :) It was pulled last time for Paddy Galvin's Raggy Boy, which is absolutely fine except no one told me or my publisher. Anyway, I am told it will be broadcast tonight and I can't wait to hear what it sounds like.

SAME COVER IMAGE AS 'YOU' USED - AGAIN!

Lookee here!

I blogged about this happening before here (the same image from my book used as the cover of A.N. Other's book). This time it's a Dutch translation of a Norwegian book. Thanks to She Reads and Reads for alerting me. It is odd.

YOU on THE RADIO - NOT!

So I'm tucked up and tuned in, waiting for my book to come on the radio and it didn't!! Sigh. Now I have to find out when it will be on. Stay tuned, so to speak...

LA TIMES BOOK FESTIVAL READING

California, here I come! I will be reading from my novel YOU at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, with fellow Irish novelist Kevin Power, on Sunday May 1st, as part of Imagine Ireland. We are on the Discover the World Stage at 2pm.
For more information go to LA Times and Imagine Ireland.

INTERVIEW - AGALLAMH AR R na G

Beidh agallamh liom á chraoladh ar an gclár Glór Anoir ar Raidió na Gaeltachta, tráthnona amárach (Déardaoin) idir 5.05 agus 5.45 i.n.

I'm in interview about my novel YOU and writing in general on Raidió na Gaeltachta's Glór Anoir tomorrow evening (Thursday), sometime between 5.05pm and 5.45pm.

The programme will be archived for a week to listen back to here.

DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL - pics

The Dublin Book Festival was about the busiest I've ever seen it - City Hall and its environs was buzzing. I went to the Salmon Poetry 30 year Celebration Reading (fabulous!) and my own reading, with Paul Soye, Yvonne Cassidy and Liam Carson, introduced by Sinéad Mac Aodha. It was all very jolly and thanks to all my friends and fellow writers who came along.

Jessie Lendennie, Director, Salmon Poetry

Nessa O'Mahony, Patrick Chapman, Ann Le Marquand-Hartigan, Maurice Harmon

Paul Soye, novelist

Meself, and the panel I read with. Sinéad Mac Aodha to my right.

Liam Carson, memoirist

Yvonne Cassidy, novelist

Sarah, Juno and Finbar, heading back to the DBF for more readings

READINGS - WOMAN FACTOR & DUB BOOK FEST

I'm doing two readings this coming weekend in Dublin.

I'm reading with my women's poetry group The Prufrocks, at The Woman Factor, run by ArtWave, on Saturday the 5th at 8pm, in The Back Loft/La Catedral Studios. See the poster above for admission prices etc.

The Woman Factor is a 3-day event whose aim is to bring together women of all ages and nationalities to show the diversity and creativity of females in Ireland and to celebrate their achievements and passions.

On Sunday 6th March at 4pm, in City Hall, I am reading at the Dublin Book Festival and taking part in a panel discussion with fellow writers Liam Carson, Yvonne Cassidy and Paul Soye. The event will be chaired by Sinéad Mac Aodha. Free admission.

For World Book Day on Friday I am reading to twenty-five 6, 7 and 8 year olds. Eek. Kids are the toughest audience of all. Well, apart from frosty-faced fellow writers...

REVIEW OF *YOU* AND INTERVIEW

 Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy

There's a review of my novel You in this week's Connacht Tribune by Gearóid O'Brien, accompanying an article about me and my writing by Judy Murphy. Judy interviewed me for the piece. She calls me 'a young mum' in it. How sweet. I feel like an old hag most of the time.

The Trib's photographer came out to my house to take my pic. I made an effort but I still manage to look weird. I genuinely hate getting my photo taken - I can't seem to smile without looking extremely nervous and half-crazed (as you can see).

The article is very nice, I must say, and the review is positive. These things always make me feel a bit glowy and a bit mortified. You can read some of the article online here.

REVIEW OF *YOU* AT WRITING.IE

I found a mini-review of my novel You on writing.ie this evening, while poking about their site. It was a nice surprise as I am in a totally narky mood. (And why, google, did you not alert me? Oh, because you are useless...)

It doesn't say who wrote the review*, but whoever s/he is , I like her/him enormously. Here's the review in its entirety, because it is short:


Nuala Ní Chonchúir, an award-winning poet and short story writer, sets her poignant debut novel in Dublin during the summer of 1980 and brilliantly invokes the period. Unusually, her unnamed ten-year-old narrator speaks to us in the second person, thus drawing the reader inexorably into the story from the very first line to the very last. Between the two we encounter the challenges and hardships faced by this endearing, exuberant child as she tries to make sense of growing up with a troubled mother and two much younger brothers. By turns tragic and charming this beautifully crafted story lingers in the imagination long after the last page has been turned. The fact that Ní Chonchúir literary antecedents are deeply rooted in poetry is evident in her lyrical, beautiful prose. Her obviously genuine affection for her compelling central character is truly infectious. A wonderful read.

Some of my favourite quotes:

"'He’s a divil for the buttered Mariettas’, she says. You’re mad for them yourself; you love squishing two together and watching the butter ooze out through the holes, like tiny yellow worms.”

"You’re glad it’ not one of the new orange buses. It’s one of the cream and black ones, the pint-of Guinness buses that have an open back door.”

Thank you, nice review person*. You have cheered up a tired and cranky writer.


* I've just been told her name is Eleanor Fitzsimmons.