Category Archives: Life Happens

Presenting the TARDIS Wardrobe

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Well, here we go. Those of you on Twitter will probably have heard mention of the project to decorate my son’s room including his request – the TARDIS Wardrobe. So here is the long awaited blog post about it with all the pictures and some details on how it was done. There are some bits I’d like to change, nothing new there, but on the whole I think it looks great. Continue reading Presenting the TARDIS Wardrobe →

Libraryland goes to Rome

Life Happens, Photo Moments, travels, ,

Or what I did in the first week of January 2011.

Below is a slideshow of pictures from the trip to Rome for the library conference, although not many of the conference itself. Librarians talking… not too thrilling there. But lots of photos of our various walks and tours, our wanderings around, of Christmas trees, lights, fireworks (we were there for the Epiphany which is a huge holiday there), Churches, crypts, a titulus (3rd century church) underneath the crypt and libraries. Lots of photos of libraries. Including the Vatican library from the outside. Continue reading Libraryland goes to Rome →

2010 and onwards

Life Happens, links and stuff, New releases, Octocon, PCon, Publications, RNA, Wexworlds, Writing Life, , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Yes, I’m late. Why does this surprise you?)

Well, it’s been quite a year. Let’s see if I can sum it up… er…

In January The Wolf’s Mate came out as an ebook, the novella tracking the further adventures of Jeren and Shan from The Wolf’s Sister sporting a gorgeous cover from Natalie Winters.

In February I finished the first draft of The Wolf’s Destiny.

March brought the Pheonix Convention or Pcon which is always awesome fun.

April and the awesome news that May Queen had sold to Dial Books for Young Readers. OMG the stress and excitement.  Then there was a blurr of contracts, rewrites, and a variety of things I’d never imagined.

In May Soul Fire came out in print. I was so busy I almost missed it. Poor neglected book. Paranormal Romance with sexy sidhe should never be neglected. If you missed it, you might like to go and look now. It also has a magnificent cover. I’ll wait.

Spent most of the summer writing Graffiti Angel and editing The Wolf’s Destiny. In July I went to the RNA conference in Greenwich which was incredibly fun! And just a bit glam!

Sad news reached me in August that my wonderful super-agent Colleen Lindsay was giving up agenting but luck was with me and the equally fantastic Suzie Townsend won the wrestling took me on and things have been going swimmingly since then. And I can still have random chats with Colleen about Dr. Who and mad cats whenever! 🙂

September… I think I lost September somewhere. Checked down the back of the sofa but no joy.

October means Octocon. George R. R. Martin was Guest of Honour. Met so many wonderful people! <3 to you all. I was also a Geek of the Week.  At the end of October we went to Ashford Castle for a Harry Potter night. It was awesome!

November was Wexworlds which was a winter wonderland edition as all the snow in the world decided to fall on Wexford that weekend. We met, among others, Eoin Colfer which made my son’s decade (a feat as he’s not quite a decade old)! It also brought rewrites on May Queen which are now all done.

December brought Songs of the Wolf to print, The Wolf’s Sister and The Wolf’s Mate collected together for the first time with another lovely Natalie Winters cover. My first and latest Samhain novella together. Pretty! And a freakin’ unbelievable amount of snow! I mostly hibernated. This also meant I got the second round of edits on May Queen finished early (Yay me!) and sent them back.

So what next? Well, we’ll have to see what 2011 brings. I’m off to Rome for a libraryland conference this week – will be sure to bring back photos. Many many photos. And tonnes of inspiration. I’ve started working on Forest King, the sequel to May Queen, and a number of other things (of course). Looking forward to the Pen dinner in February and PCon in March – anywhere writers gather really. RNA conference is in Caerleon this summer and as plans stand I’m definitely going. It’s only a ferry ride away. Ok, a ferry ride and a drive/train, but close enough. And this is the year we will knock May Queen into its final shape.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting year. Can’t wait.

A break in the silence

Life Happens, Photo Moments, travels, Writing Life,

Yes, I’ve been very quiet. Putting the finishing touches to the edits for MAY QUEEN and generally getting ready for Christmas. I’ll be away in early January, off on a libraryland trip to Rome so hope to have lots of pictures for you all then. May even get into the Vatican Secret Library if I’m lucky. Fingers crossed.

Of course it all depends on the weather which has been less than cooperative so far this month! Lots of snow, lots and lots of snow…

The last one is paricularly interesting for me becuase it shows a view used in GRAFFITI ANGEL, looking from Cherrywood up towards Killiney Hill. The Obelisk is just visible on top of the hill on the right hand side.

So I will be scarce for the next while, but will pop up from time to time. Have wonderful holidays everyone and for those who celebrate it a very happy Christmas.

A fairytale trip, NaNo and a little bit of news

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I’ve been a bad bad writer, not keeping you all up to date.  But I have also been very busy.

So I give you a brief report of our Halloween trip, something about NaNo and some news. The news is at the end. Yes, I’m making you wait. I’m mean like that! Continue reading A fairytale trip, NaNo and a little bit of news →

Researchy* researchy goodness

Life Happens, Writing Craft, Writing Life, , ,

Wow, this month ran away with me. Why? Well a number of reasons. Life, of course, and a bit of a whirl on ideas, research, rewrites etc.

The research bit is what I’m thinking most of today. As a writer I’m continually researching. I want to know how everything happened (luckily I married an  engineer who wants to know how everything works). I want to know about the people involved and the events which shaped history. I got a fantastic interactive DVD on Dublin from Viking to Tudor times yesterday from the fab Dublin City Radio. Once I can wrestle it back from my children I’ll spend hours playing with it.

Once I can wrestle it back from my children.

Research means always asking questions, about squirrelling away bits of information to be used later, about following up on things. Anything can be useful information. Especially when writing fantasy. Books of course, but also documentaries, exhibitions, lectures, holidays and day trips.

And they don’t have to be boring. Continue reading Researchy* researchy goodness →

Life Happens

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Real life that is.

So yesterday my superagent Colleen Lindsay announced that she was leaving us for a flightless bird taking a super new job with Penguin and I got lots and lots of messages from my lovely friends to find out what was happening to her clients. You’re all wonderful and thoughtful but everything is under control.

I am now represented by another superagent from FinePrint (she has a cape and everything, perhaps even a sparkly tiara) Suzie Townsend.

So all is well and I am happy and not doing my famous headless chicken impression AT ALL. *

Our relationship with our agents and our editors is a surprisingly close one. We create things together and that makes people feel close. It’s a wonderful feeling, if you ask me. I’ve been fortunate to work with fantastic people who have moved on to other jobs in my writing life, and in my day-job life. It’s part of the rhythm of things I think. I miss working with them, but they aren’t “gone“. They are still my friends and we are still in touch. (I love Twitter SO MUCH! But that’s because I’m lazy.) I love seeing my friends do well. It’s a good thing.

I feel really lucky to have worked with Colleen. I’m desperately jealous of anyone who gets to work with her in the future. She loves May Queen almost as much as I do and while a book deal might have happened, it wouldn’t have been this one. And my book wouldn’t have been the book it is now, or the book it will become (because we all know a book isn’t finished until its finally subbed for printing 😉 )

I’m also really excited about working with Suzie because… omg, just go and google her! 😀

I finished the first draft of Graffiti Angel last night. It’s rough and ready but I think it basically hangs together well. The people with the wip-whips (those friends who read my books piecemeal and keep me writing by various forms of threats and nagging) seem to like it which is very promising.

And of course I forgot to save it to drop box so its sitting on my laptop and I’m deeply paranoid I didn’t save the end properly and will have to write it again.

And there’s no one at home right now to check.

And I can’t drive home and check because my car is in the garage for repairs.

And my husband is in a playground which my children refuse to leave.

And.. and… and…

*deep breath*

Yeah, you don’t envy Suzie now, do you?

~~~oOo~~~

*not about that, anyway.