Category Archives: Photo Moments

Off with the Mummers

So… on Sunday, the last day of our Christmas Holidays, which was also Nollaig na mBan, as a treat primarily for me I think, we went to Collin’s Barracks, part of the National Museum of Ireland to see The Armagh Rhymers perform a Mummer’s Play.
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Mumming is a traditional part of the winter holidays which, it is believed, dates back thousands of years in Ireland. There’s music and story telling, and people in masks. Amazing basketwork masks in this case.

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Happy Halloween

Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, or Samhain marks the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Traditionally its the time when the veil between worlds weakens, allowing spirits and creatures of the otherworld to creep through into our own. It is a time when demons, imps and faeries prowl the earth, when the dead whisper in our ears. Such visitors have always needed to be appeased with gifts. Bonfires are traditionally lit to drive back the dark. To light our way, and frighten off troublesome spirits Jack o’ lanterns were carved, originally from turnips or swedes, but nowadays, carving a pumpkin is much easier. Turnip ones are so much scarier though. They look like mumified heads!

Whether you believe in the Supernatural or not, it doesn’t seem to matter. There is something about Halloween that has the ability to spook us all. Maybe it’s possible that even if we don’t believe in it, Halloween believes in us.

Spooky stories are a time-honored tradition. We love to be scared in safety, to send a chill down the spine, to glance over our shoulders just in case. On Saturday I was in Marsh’s Library for the Bram Stoker festival, hearing their stories of ghosts searching through the books for a lost letter, or the mummy which was found and then mysteriously disappeared. We even saw the death mask of Jonathan Swift! (I was there for the prize giving of the short story competition – congratulations to the wonderful winners). Next week, by the way, I’ll be chairing a discussion of YA fantasy for Irish Pen, with Celine Kiernan, Oisín McGann and Conor Kostick. Who knows what tales of horror we’ll come up with?! Come and find out.

I have my fair share of scary tales. I put a lot of them into my novels — the Redcaps swarming in The Treachery of Beautiful Things, the Sluagh attacking in Soul Fire, and in my WIP a girl walking down a corridor in a deserted library, certain that she is hearing voices from somewhere just around the corner. Some I just keep to myself.

What’s your scary tale? Come and share a ghost story in the comments in celebration of the scariest night of the year.

 

 

 

 

Titancon & the Giant’s Causeway

I’m a little late writing this one up for a number of reasons, but they basically boil down to lots to do and no energy to do it with. Plus finishing my WiP, the Space Opera. Well, now that has gone off to my wonderful critters, I can’t put blogging off any more, can I?

Titancon was fantastic fun. So well run and entertaining for all of us. We had a ball. One of the really awesome thing was that Leigh Bardugo (author of SHADOW AND BONE) and Joanna Volpe from New Leaf Literary were there and we got to hang out. I have photos, which are all slightly wobbly as my camera decided to play up.

So first, on Friday night, we had readings in McHughs as part of Culture Night Belfast
Ruth reading from The Treachery of Beautiful ThingsLeigh reading from Shadow and Bone

Titancon was Saturday. We had panels on Romance in SFF, on becoming a professional author, on working in the Internet age. We met people from the TV show, A Game of Thrones. We had lots of fun and a lovely lunch.

Ruth and LeighPeadar Ó Guilín, Ruth and Leigh

Some of the encounters were pretty action packed. (that’s why its blurry, honest!)
Water dancing with Syrio Forel (Miltos Yerolemou)

Many thanks to Miltos and Johannah!

A great day was had by all. And here is a wobbly picture of Joanna, Leigh and myself with the Game of Thrones banners.
Joanna, Leigh, Ruth

We stayed for the Masquerade, which was fab and then the next day we decided to go to the Giant’s Causeway, little knowing we would be stalked by the Game of Thrones bus tour!

The Causeway was fantastic. I’ve never been before and always wanted to. Here’s a slideshow of some of my photos (my camera suspiciously decided to cooperate once the con was over!)

 

The Treachery of Beautiful Things booklaunch

What a wonderful night. With photos to prove it…

Look at my pretty book! Look at all the pretty books!

Having spent the two previous days getting apologies from those who couldn’t make it (with perfectly valid reasons of course), with a major concert on in Dublin, the Junior Cert exam results out that day, and traffic chaos, I was expecting no one to make it but we had a great turnout in the end. Yay! I didn’t get to talk to everyone, nor as much as I would have liked to but it was fantastic to see so many people, new friends and old. (Yes, I got into trouble for mentioning my “oldest” friends — I think I am forgiven now, barely. “The people with whom I have been friends the longest” isn’t quite so snappy though.)

Bob from The Gutter Bookshop introduced us,and Celine Kiernan spoke so kindly about The Treachery of Beautiful Things.

The wonderful Celine Kiernan

And I thanked … well everyone in the world really, virtual, imaginary, and real.

Speechifying

But eventually I shut up again and we had cake.

Did I mention the cake? 😀

Oh yes, there was cake

I didn’t actually get any cake because I was signing books

Signing books

but I’m told people enjoyed it and the hoard of small children surrounding the table earned themselves the nickname “The Cookie Monsters”.

And then it was time to go home. Thanks so much to everyone who was able to make it, who sent good wishes and celebrated online. I had a fabulous evening. I hope you did too!

Ruth and Celine – see how much fun I’m having?

Next up, it’s Titancon, from the 21st of September, in Belfast. I’ll be on the literary panels, and signing books. Check out those guests! Can’t wait!

The Treachery of Beautiful Things is now available, from Dial Books at

Indiebound Book Depository | Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk | Barnes & Noble | Powells

and at your local bookshop.

eta: I forgot to add – The Treachery of Beautiful Things got a STARRED REVIEW in the ALA Booklist – their review is here.

The Loire Valley post

So for the last two weeks we’ve been in the sunny Loire Valley in France, visiting Chateaux (only slightly for research purposes), a zoo, a Templar Commanderie (only slightly for research purposes). And stairs. So many stairs!!!

So here is the by now photo heavy “what I did on my summer holidays” post. I’m splitting them up into sections with short slideshows so its easier to skip if you want to. Please forgive my typos. I’m tired, it’s been a long post. Skip what you need to.

Continue reading The Loire Valley post

Booktrailers, blog tour & competitions – 10 days to go!

So much going on today in all areas of life. We woke up to watch the Mars Curiosity landing, we’re watching Katie Taylor in the Olympics as I type (so I may be distracted) and its 9 days until The Treachery of Beautiful Things comes out.

Everything kicks off today, it seems. And it’s so exciting. So here we go…

The Booktrailer is up on The Story Siren so go and have a look at the awesomeness that @Ickle_tayto made, staring Laura Jane Cassidy as Jenny. We has such fun filming it before we went off for our writers’ weekend and it turned out wonderful. Most of the photos are mine, with a few from Dreamstime.com. The music is from Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech.com. The full credits are visible on the Youtube page. I’ll be putting it up on the site tomorrow. Also on The Story Siren, you can enter to win one of two copies of the finished version of the book. So check it out, comment and enter.

Also kicking off today is the Blog Tour with Itching for Books. I’m so excited about this one as I’ve never done anything on this scale before. First up is a review from Nothing Better Than Books and another chance to win a copy. And another from Auntie Spinelli Reads. So many ways to win!

And finally… we’ve been putting together a short series of author videos to introduce the world of The Treachery of Beautiful Things.  The first of is coming up tomorrow. So stay tuned…

Prague, Churches & Libraries

Back home again after my library conference in Prague which went very well. Although I do appear to be the one person to visit Prague and come away without seeing the Charles Bridge or the Astronomical clock. But hey, there are at least two reasons to go back. Actually I have LOTS of reasons to go back. And being that we were there as a group of specialist librarians on tour (as it were – herding cats), we got to see some rather special stuff at a lot closer range than many people would. Things like this:

Continue reading Prague, Churches & Libraries

The Patchwork Cat presents…

Camouflage 101

The catflap arrived yesterday. It took a while to persuade the Patchwork cat to use it and not to (a) ignore it or (b) attack it. We may have succeeded. No one has seen the evidence as yet. However, he is getting into and out of the house without other doors and windows being opened for him so I think it’s clear.

He has discovered the art of teleportation.

Since he was determined not to be put into the conservatory and face the catflap last night (there are scratches on me–the type from scrabbling for escape rather than malevolence… I think) and to escape it this morning, he indulged in some expert camouflage I thought I might share with you.

1. Choose your hiding place…

Clearly he is just another soft toy. Nothing to see here. Certainly no cats. Just cuddly teddies and a single baleful eye of DOOM…

2. If you can’t see them…

Nothing to see here. Kindly move along.

Teh Hoominz. How STOOPID dey iz.