Category Archives: Out and About

Getting ready for #RNAConf15

Life Happens, Out and About, RNA, ,

It’s that time of year again when I get ready to go to the Romantic Novelists Association Conference. It’s on this coming weekend, in London and I really can’t wait.

I will be giving a talk on Saturday at 1.45pm –

Finding the Fantastic in your Fiction

Using folklore fairytale and supernatural elements in your fiction, from fantasy to contemporary – exploring different ways of using myths and folktales to flesh out your writing and inject some magic.

All being well it will be more than handwaving and me rambling on but you never know.  Although the talk is written I am continually editing it which led me to print it out today, mainly in the hopes that I will stop changing it again. As if!

And I’ve also been obsessing over my travel, as I always do. I’ve an early flight, so an earlier coach to the airport. And hopefully (hopefully!) the Tube strike will be finished when I get there. If not I have two bus routes and a DLR route worked out too.

But once there, the fun actually does really begin. Good friends, great conversations, sparkly shoes, fancy frocks and wine. And writerly talk, all day and all evening. It’s a really special time.

I can’t wait.

Writing is a largely solitary job. The conference is a time to meet other writers, celebrate what we do,  share our thoughts and experiences and above all, learn so much from each other.

I should have wifi so I’ll try to post little updates and pictures via Instagram, which crosssposts to my Facebook and Twitter. The hashtag for the conference itself is #RNAConf15. Finally if you’re at the conference, come and say hello!

Worlds Beyond!

Interviews, Octocon, Out and About, Young Adult, , ,

So, a little while ago, I was part of the Worlds Beyond on PhoenixFM 92.5FM, sponsored by Octocon, and I ramble quite a lot about all sorts of things writing and fandom. It’s an hourlong show, hosted by the wonderful Janet O’Sullivan and I’m there from about the 30min mark. You’ll also hear Janet and John Vaughan discussing the Golden Blasters.

You can listen here in all its glorious rambliness*.

PhoenixFM
Unexpected photo of me at the radio station, taken by Janet. Was not expecting that!

 

*rambliness just applies to me, naturally. Everyone else is very to the point and fascinating. 😀

World Book Day Week!

Out and About, ,

As World Book Day (5th March) spreads out we kind of have a World Book week now!

I have a number of events lined up for the week including a number of school visits and author events at bookshops to which anyone came come. Please do!

2nd March

10am – Dubray Bookshop, Main Street, Bray (my local bookshop. Very exciting!)

2.30pm – Dubray Books, Swan Centre Rathmines

5th March

Time tbc – Waterstones Drogheda

I’ll be reading from A Crack in Everything and signing and talking to groups from local schools.

In addition to the bookshops I’ll be visiting a number of schools, doing a workshop and generally squeeing about writing and books. As you do. I’m going to be, as they say, mad busy.

Have a great week everyone.

Paranormal Roadtrip – Spooky Dublin

Guestblogging, Out and About, , ,

Recently I was asked to write blog post on the spookiest places in Dublin, as part of From the Shadows Paranormal Roadtrip. Because A Crack in Everything is set in Dublin I already had a number of ideas lined up. Ghost stories are an intrinsic part of folklore and probably the stories we are all most familiar with. Dublin has more than its fair share, but I was only allowed to pick five.

FIVE!

So difficult.

So here they are:

Paranormal Roadtrip: Destination Dublin with Ruth Frances Long

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Dublin, Ireland with Ruth Frances Long author of fantasy A Crack in Everything

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

Awesome authors, links and stuff, Out and About, Twitter, YAIE, Young Adult,

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 quick thank you

New releases, Out and About,

We had a fantastic night in the Gutter bookshop on Thursday. So good. So many people. So much fun.

Of course I forgot to take photos. I was a little bit busy. But there are some lovely photos. I just don’t have them myself. (If anyone wants to send me some…)

Thanks so much to everyone involved. Unfortunately C. E. Murphy couldn’t be with us due to a family emergency but thankfully all are well now. Sending all the healthy vibes.

I’m going to have a bit of a flump for a few days. Um… and I probably ought to be writing. 😉

In the meantime, there’s a goodreads giveaway of A Crack in Everything up. It’s open to UK and Ireland, so start clicking.

Book birthday – A Crack in Everything

New releases, Out and About, ,

Yes, it’s out today and I am so ridiculously excited!

I’m going to be putting up some images and quotes around the place (Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter etc) so come and read, comment and share.

A Crack in Everything

And if you’re around the Gutter Bookshop on Thursday, come to the launch at 6.30pm and say hello to me and to the marvelous C. E. Murphy

And if you can’t make you can still check out all the details about the book on the O’Brien page.

What I did on my Summer Holidays (Worldcon and Eurocon post)

Eurocon, Life Happens, New Books, New releases, Out and About, Worldcon

So here I am running late again. Still recovering from our trip to London for the Worldcon event (Loncon3) and then back to Dublin for Eurocon (Shamrokon).

A brilliant time was had by all.

In Loncon we particularly liked the Fan Village, with its village green for playing, vegging and socialising. We did a lot of socialising. There were two tardis (tarises? tardisi?) which may have caused a rupture in the space time continuum but we were in the right sort of company to deal with that. The games tent was another big hit, especially with the small people who had to be removed with a crowbar (almost literally). I was on a few panels which was enormous fun. My fave was probably the one on “What does Ireland have to offer?” but mainly for the random course Liz Bourke, Susan Connolly, K. A. Laity and myself took it on. And Susan’s storytelling.

Then we came back to Dublin for Shamrokon which was also a brilliant brilliant convention. A little more sociable perhaps as it was a lot smaller. Still massive for an Irish convention. We had a preview launch for my new book A Crack in Everything (out on Monday 1st), and I got to hang out with Laura Anne Gilman, C. E. Murphy, Susan Connolly, Kate Sheehy, Mikaela Lind and many more. And puppets. It’s a long story.

But I don’t think I advise taking a puppet on a late night bus. Or giving one to Laura Anne in a crowded area. 😉

I miss everyone. Although I’m seriously exhausted and over stimulated. But it was so much fun.

 

Book launch proper this day next week – 4th September, 6.30pm in the Gutter bookshop, Cow’s Lane. Please come! All welcome.

Inordinate Excitement

Eurocon, Out and About, RNA, Worldcon,

As the summer rolls around I’m starting to prepare for conferences and conventions. Here’s where I’ll be:

The Romantic Novelists Conference, Harper Adams University, Telford, UK – 10th-13th July

I’m here mainly for the giggles, I fully admit, but I plan to be steampunked out with the best of them at the Love of the Past Book Fair at Blists Hill on 11th July and I will have some books on sale for anyone interested.

 

Loncon3 (ie WORLDCON!!!), Excel Arena, London – 14th-18th August

I’m heading over to London for a combined holiday and Worldcon visit. I’ll be at Worldcon itself from Thursday to Monday and I’m on three panels. The draft schedule is as follows –

Writing 101: Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction

Saturday 18:00 – 19:00

Young adult and middle grade genres are booming. Still, there’s confusion around these genre categories. Moreover, how are these genres related to children’s and juvenile fiction? Panelists discuss the ins and outs of young adult and middle grade fiction from reading age to diversity, content, characters, and more. How far can you go with language, violence, and sex without crossing the line? What about series, such as Harry Potter, that jump categories mid-stream? How do all of these element affect what we write and publish for middle grade and young adult readers?

Reluctant, or Just Not Interested?

Sunday 11:00 – 12:00

Are reluctant readers being failed by the education system, or is the publishing industry just not giving them what they want?

Tumblr: Dispensing with the Myths

Sunday 19:00 – 20:00

Tumblr is used by companies, politicians, television networks, fans, justice groups, pornographers and pretty much every other type of community found online. Yet to those who don’t use Tumblr it is often a mystery wrapped in an enigma, while those who do use it often keep to their own communities. In this session we discuss Tumblr as a form of social media, its benefits and limitations,  how it is used in general, how it is used within fan cultures and how it is encouraging the evolution of fandom.

 

Shamrokon (Eurocon!!!), Doubletree Hilton, Dublin – 22nd-24th August

Will let you know what I’m up to there when I do, but it’s going to be awesome!

 

So there we go. All the excitement and we haven’t even got to the launch of A Crack in Everything yet…