R. F. Long

LIBRARY NERD SWOON

x2

(with mini blurb)

*squee*

At Pcon I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Cheryl Morgan for Salon Futura, and that interview went live today.

It’s very funny to listen to myself, let alone watch myself talk. I use my hands. Let me rephrase that… I use my hands A LOT.

We covered a wide range of subjects in my 20 minutes – my library day job, old books, paranormal romance, erotica (err… yes… *blush* I think you can actually see the blushing in the video), Soul Fire, The Scroll Thief, my Holtlands stories, Young Adult fiction and May Queen. Wiiiiiiiiiiiide range of subjects.

So a huge thank you to Cheryl. May we meet again very soon.

Here’s the video.

*BLUSH*

I’m starting a monthly newletter (or author mailing list). If you’d like to subscibe, you can sign up here on my website (Bottom of the page). One email, once a month (or at least that’s all I plan for the moment) with a roundup of news, events and things I find down the back of the sofa interesting.

In other news, I am editing. that’s why I’ve been so very very quiet. I am not up to anything else. Promise.

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! Read more…

Octocon – 16^th – 17^th October, Camden Court Hotel, Dublin

Ok, this was all very action packed so these are highlights otherwise it will go on forever!

Read more…

I’m going to be at Octocon this weekend, Ireland’s Science Fiction Convention, where we’ll be up to all kinds of shenanigans. And I’ll be on a couple of panels

Saturday 12pm Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance

Sunday 1pm Where’s My Money Honey?! ( New Funding Models) – Err… Yes, me and money. Anyway…

And I’ll be helping out (and hopefully eating some of the sweets) at Claire Hennessy’s Writing YA workshop on Sunday afternoon along with Sarah Rees Brennan. (If they haven’t polished them all off before I get in there.)

Oh and I almost forgot E_W_H himself will be on a panel on Sunday at 2pm – Managing The Writers in Your Life. Yeessss…

All this and George R. R. Martin as guest of honour, C.E. Murphy, Maura McHugh, Derek Gunn, Fabulous Lorraine, Michael Carroll, Peadar Ó Guilín and many more.(So many in fact I can’t link to them all! I have to make biscuits for a cake sale. No really. :S )

If you’re around Dublin this weekend, come and play! We don’t bite. Much.

Better late than never in so many ways. First of all it has taken me all week to get around to posting this. Secondly WHY have I not been going to this coference for years???

I am, as with most writers, not the most extroverted of individuals. Never really had been, although I can do a good impression when I need to. I was determined to make it to my first RNA conference this year and I am so glad that I did. Had a bit of a stressy trip out to the airport between a late bus and heavy traffic, and a bit of a stressy time at the drop-off-your-bags points when I found a large group of Japanese tourists had arrived just before me and proceeded to re-pack their luggage in the queue! But Air France/City Jet were wonderful and the flight itself was a dream. When the air hostess asked if I wanted a drink I had a budget airline flashback and just asked for water, only to realise too late they were giving out wine as well. And sandwiches. And boiled sweets for take off (a trip back to childhood). And chocolates just before landing.

I should warn you, food will probably be a theme of this post.

The DLR was also wonderful and in no time at all I arrived at our accomodation in Greenwich. Yes, it was like being a student again. There was a party going on as I arrived and my lovely flatmates were drinking wine out of plastic cups. That didn’t stop the hugs and warm greetings.

Another theme of this post will be the friendliness and fun-filled nature of everyone I met at the conference. I couldn’t have asked for a better gang to hang around with than the ladies of flat 20, but everywhere we went people chatted, exchanged ideas, joked and generally had a wonderful time.

Read more…

A while ago (I think) I mentioned that The Wolf’s Sister and The Wolf’s Mate would be brought out as a single print volume. The good news is that I have the cover and here it is. It will be called…

Songs of the Wolf

will be out on the 7th December 2010

and is up for pre-order on Amazon.com (Amazon.co.uk).

Irish writer Ruth F. Long’s contemporary YA fantasy MAY QUEEN, a darkly engaging mix of romance, adventure, fairytale, and folklore, about a teenage girl thrust into a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, trust is a variable commodity, love can be used against her, and where the veil slowly lifts until she finds herself faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own, to Jessica Garrison at Dial Books for Young Readers, in a preempt, by Colleen Lindsay at FinePrint Literary Management (World).

– from The Swivet (and Publishers Marketplace)

So exciting. Unfortunately I’ve been a bit ill this week but working away on rewrites and doing some family history research as well – sick librarian cannot leave well enough alone… ever… Relax? What does that mean?

Back to work tomorrow. The headache is still lurking, but mostly gone. Planning to have a bath later on and try to soak some stress away.

As the news broke last night, I can finally share!

My wonderful agent Colleen Lindsay has sold my YA fantasy MAY QUEEN to Jessica Garrison at Dial Books for Young Readers. I am naturally calloo-callaying all over the place and have been DYING to share the news.

So this is me shouting it from the rooftops now!

And celebrating with the awesome Sir Christopher Lee reading one of my favourite poems – Jabberwocky.