Category Archives: links and stuff

A Bookish Tour of Ireland

http://stackedbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/crack-in-everything-book-cover.jpgI’ve been running around a bit the last month between Worldcon (which was amazing) in Dublin and then up to Titancon (also amazing). And now I will be in the editing cave for most of September.

But I was delighted to find out that A Crack in Everything is included in Stacked’s “A Bookish Tour of Ireland” today. It’s an amazing round up of YA books set in Ireland. Thanks so much for the inclusion.

Check it out.

I’ll be at Octocon on the 13th October in Blanchardstown. There will be badges and ribbons. Oh yes. More of them.

In the mean time, I’d better get back to work. Jessica Thorne is very demanding. 😉

Angels everywhere

I got a wonderful email today to let me know that A Crack in Everything is on a list of 10 Glorious Young Adult Fantasy Books About Angels. There’s a super list of books featuring angels and apparently an AI generated video describing them. (!)

So if you’re interested in angel books have a look.

Of course A Crack in Everything, and its sequels A Hollow in the Hills and A Darkness at the End are available in all good bookshops. They have slightly less jogging and winged sprites and more desperate escapes, blood and terror but hey. 😀

And now back I go to working on the new Jessica Thorne project. More soon. <3

A Darkness at the End Playlist

When I’m writing I usually end up collecting songs which connect to the book and A Darkness at the End is no different. Each song represents either a character, a place, an event or a general theme of the whole book. So here’s the playlist for it, and a link to the playlist on YouTube. Enjoy and let me know if there are any you think should be in there as well (and why).

A Darkness at the End Playlist

Hound things – Greyhound walk & #Grá4Greyhounds

As some of you know, AmeliaLeaveswe adopted our lurcher, Amelia, from Dog’s Trust three years ago now. For me, a confirmed cat-lover, this was a big step. But there was this gangly, stripy baby with huge brown eyes and floppy little ears and I was smitten. I didn’t stand a chance. (And if I’d argued with the rest of the family, I might have been left behind instead of the dog).

Smitten or not I had also done some research (because I’m a writer and a librarian so it’s all about the research). Sighthounds – and lurchers and greyhounds in particular – do not have a high adoption rate, which is very strange because they are truly a perfect family dog. They are sweet-tempered, gentle creatures, elegant and beautiful, almost deerlike. They need only a little exercise compared to other breeds,  as they are sprinters by nature and prefer to sleep on the sofa in the sunshine.

MeAmeliaOurs grew up with a fearsome tom-cat to show her the ropes, and when he passed away we got a new kitten. Amelia adopted her as surrogate baby. They sleep together, play together and miss each other when apart. And with the kids, our Diva Doggy is a dream. At school pick up I’ve seen her stand stock still, patient and calm, while the junior infants come over to pet her and fuss over her. She loves the attention.

If anyone is sad or upset, she cuddles up beside them, offering comfort and companionship. She even attempts to help me when I’m writing. They may look big, but they curl up to the size of a cushion. Ours is sometimes known as the donut dog.

SunWorshippers

I keep wondering if perhaps we got the fluke perfect dog from the litter. But no, every sighthound owner I’ve known says the same thing. By turns, elegant and goofy, affectionate and soulful, they are empathy personified.

Adopt a lurcher, greyhound, or some other gorgeous pointy dog today. They need your help and love and they will return that love a hundredfold. The only danger is that you will lose at least one sofa, probably the one that gets the most sunlight.

I fully support the work of the Greyhound Rescue Association Ireland. Amelia and I hope to meet many pointy dogs and their owners at the 2016 Walk for Greyhounds taking place in Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin, on Sunday, June 19th.

#Grá4Greyhounds

Amelia3

#YAieDay and Octocon

So, #YAieDay is on Twitter tomorrow, a day when we celebrate all things YA in Ireland, and I’m going to be on from 1.10-1.50 swearing… sorry “talking” about swearing with Kim Hood and Sally Nicholls. Follow the #YAieDay hashtag on Twitter and the full (amazing) lineup and programme is here. Thanks to the marvellous Michelle Moloney King for putting this together.

And then, next week it’s Octocon. And the programme is now up online too. Another brilliant line up of people and lots of YA here.

So this is what I’ll be up to.

Busy busy busy…

  • Friday, October 9
    7pm
    Ireland as a location
    A. Tivoli/Yeats, 7pm – 8pm
  • Saturday, October 10
    1pm
    As the creator Intended?
    C. Gaiety, 1pm – 2pm
  • 3pm
    Historical Inaccuracies.
    B. Abbey, 3pm – 4pm
  • 7pm
    Late Night Panel: Sex In Fiction/Erotica
    B. Abbey, 7pm – 8pm
  • Sunday, October 11
    2pm
    A Fantasy of My Own
    A. Tivoli/Yeats, 2pm – 3pm
  • 3pm
    Irish Mythology And Its International Spread
    A. Tivoli/Yeats, 3pm – 4pm
  • 4pm
    Readings from our Authors featuring Planetfall by Emma Newman
    B. Abbey, 4pm – 5pm
  • 5pm
    Practical Magic: Perspectives of Pagans, Gamers, and Fantasy Authors
    B. Abbey, 5pm – 6pm

The whole programme can be found here. Come along and say hello! I will probably be the person rushing between panels but say hello anyway! 😀

Magical Places of Dubh Linn: The Dubh Linn Gardens & Chester Beatty Library

DubhLinnGarden

In the grounds of Dublin Castle, the Dubh Linn gardens sit on the site of the original black pool. They are decorated with intertwined brick pathways representing eels. The central lawn double jobs as a helicopter landing pad, while small gardens, such as the Garda Memorial Garden, occupy the corners. It is also the site of the Chester Beatty Library, one of my favorite places to visit in Dublin.

#amwritingchallenge and other madness (with photos)

So, as I’ve started putting down words (ie writing!) relating to the final book in the Dubh Linn series which began with A Crack in Everything, known as The Darkness at the End, and this all coincided with the Twitter/Instagram fun of the #amwritingchallenge, there will be intermittent photos. Mostly they’re going on my Instagram (and from there to Tumblr, and Twitter).

So this is it:-

amwritingchallenge

And here are some pictures

1. Where I writeDay1WhereIWrite

2. A Page from Your ManuscriptDay2Manuscript

3. What you drink when you writeDay3Drink

 

I’ll try to keep posting here as well but it’ll probably be intermittent, so you may want to follow me on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter if you’re interested. 😀

Two awesome things – A Crack in Everything recommended read & #YAIE

I was in the Gutter Bookshop in Dalkey today and found A Crack in Everything in a proud position as part of their Christmas recommendations for teens. So now they have signed copies. And I have a lovely photo.

GutterDalkeyXmasRecs

In some rather smashing company too.

And on Twitter there is now a hashtag for all things YA in Ireland – #YAIE and an account @booksyaie – thanks to Michelle Moloney King,   and 

Can’t wait for it.

Join us for the inaugural Twitter chat – next Wed (Dec 17), 7.30-8.30pm. Topic: ‘Irish books I wish were written when I was a YA’. #YAIE

yaie

 

A Crack in Everything Playlist

Obviously music is important in A Crack in Everything so I thought I would share some of the songs that inspired various aspects of the story and the characters. There are actually a lot more than on this list (it changes as the mood takes me), and some versions I personally prefer to others. I tried to restrict this list to one song by an artist, but… yeah, I’m not very good at that in real life. There’s a lot of Florence + the Machine and Camille O’Sullivan going on at the best of times. And two Camille covers just had to be the ones.

Playlist

I could go on for ages about the different songs and why I picked them. If you’ve any questions, just ask.

There’s also a YouTube playlist but not all of the versions I chose are up there, so we’ve Elkie Brook’s version of Lilac Wine instead of Camille O’Sullivan for example. Why not Jeff Buckley? Well… there’s a debate for another day. Why The Fratelli’s version of All Along the Watchtower?

I am a big fan of covers and reinterpretation, especially in music. I like new versions of old things. I like seeing things afresh. And sometimes they say something a little bit closer to what I was aiming for in the book.

Hope you enjoy.