Category Archives: Writing Life

Writing.ie

Awesome authors, links and stuff, Writing Craft, Writing Life

I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know about the new writing site – Writing.ie

I’m really excited about this site which hopes to be a one stop shop for all things writerly in Ireland, and a wonderful resource for writers everywhere. As it grows, there’s going to be so much going on here, but even in its infancy, its a treasure trove of information, interviews and insights. As the founder, Vanessa O’Loughlin says in her introduction, the Irish are reknowned storytellers, so there is plenty to keep everyone interested.

Authors from all sorts of genres talk about their work, their lives and their methods in the Meet the Authors section, there are all sorts of goodies in the Writer’s Toolbox (including a glimpse into one of my infamous notebooks, if you dare!) and the fantastic 100 Tips from Top Authors.

Add to this Guest Blogs, a For Readers section, details on Courses and the Events Guide, I’m going to end up spending a lot of time here!

Lots to do

WIP, Writing Craft, Writing Life, , ,

So, I’ve been slacking off a lot of late and I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things from now on.

The plan is to get some new words every day. What I usually do is aim to write 500 a day and more if I can and track it. I’ve recenly started a new project involving magicians (untitled as yet) so I’m going to focus on that. I also have edits to do on 2 projects but no deadlines for them as such. So if I get stuck I’ll probably switch to rewriting. Or if a deadline emerges of course. But I really want to write something new at the moment.

So, here we go.

Oh, and I just spotted the actor Andrew Lee Potts from Primeval and Alice – just as I imagined Jack in May Queen. Like the living image! Uncanny.

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.

New Release – help spread the word & win a copy

competition, Writing Craft, Writing Life, , ,

Out Today: Songs of the Wolf (Tales of the Holtlands)

The Wolf’s Sister and The Wolf’s Mate in a single print volume.

ISBN: 978-1605049205

It can be ordered from MBaM, BookDepository, Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

A love transcending race and culture…a love worth a fight to the death.

The Wolf’s Sister
Elite Fey’na warrior Shan is driven by hatred for the Lord of River Holt, the human who killed his sister. Vengeance is his only goal. Then he meets a woman on the run.

Jeren is desperate to escape her brother before his misuse of magic consumes his sanity. She finds safety and protection with Shan…but only so long as she hides her kinship with the Lord of River Holt…

The Wolf’s Mate
Jeren doesn’t expect Shan’s people to readily accept her, but she’s determined to prove herself worthy. Then the eyes of the beautiful sect mother fall on Shan, turning Jeren’s new world upside down.

Shan wants nothing more than to be with Jeren, but the sect mother has cleverly bound him to her service—full time. Yet he vows the suicide mission he’s been assigned won’t stop him from returning to claim Jeren.

Left alone to make a place for herself, Jeren’s own people seek her out—and force her into a terrible choice. She can set them free …but only if she forsakes Shan.

  • 4.5 Stars — “I haven’t read such a beautifully written tale in a very long time!” — Natalie, The Library
  • 5 Angels & a Recommended Read – “The fascination that I first felt when I had the chance to read the blurb for this book was well justified…I love to read books that make me feel the emotions that the players experience, be it fear, pain, anger, happiness, sorrow and frustration. The battles that these two go through make you ask yourself what next and when will it end, but the ending is very rewarding. Overall, I could read this book repeatedly and find something new in it. Thanks to R. F. Long for a very wonderful read.” – Darksnite, Fallen Angel Reviews
  • “It’s well written, fast paced and filled with interesting and unique characters….The best part of the story is Jeren herself. I liked her in The Wolf’s Sister but in this release, she really grows and shines, as she turns into a confident and determined woman, willing to fight for her man. I’m very curious to see what happens to these two mates with the next and last release.” – 4 Nymphs, Mystical Nymph, Literary Nymphs Reviews Only

The Wolf’s Sister Booktrailer

The Wolf’s Mate Booktrailer

Please help spread the word. Tweet, blog, review, link or whatever. (Anything to take my mind off the Budget and the weather here today!)

Competition

Leave a comment below and I’ll enter you into a draw to win a signed copy (or an ebook bundle if you’d prefer).

This competition is open to all (but for our friends across the Atlantic please bear in mind that the print copy might take a while to get to you as the row-boat is busy every other Tuesday! ;))

I’ll be selecting a winner at random (or by small child) on Friday.

Octocon this weekend

Awesome authors, news, Out and About, Writing Life,

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.

Art & Writing: Galleries & Agents

Writing Craft, Writing Life, ,

I’ve been mulling over this one for a little while. (Admittedly I also forgot to write this for a little while, but let’s just go with mulling it over, eh?) A conversation with a friend while on holiday sparked off some interesting comparisons between the publishing world and the art world. (There may have been a glass of wine or two involved. We were in France, after all.)

While writing is an art, it is also a craft. It is also a very hard job that you have to do every day. But then, no artist steps up to a canvas and produces a masterpiece on their first attempt. Practice practice practice, preliminary sketches, balled up bits of paper in the corner… it all sounds terribly familiar, doesn’t it? 😉

But where the analogy really came together as we talked was in terms of finding an agent, of selling a novel, the business end. Continue reading Art & Writing: Galleries & Agents →

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 →

Next stage – the ponders…

WIP, Writing Craft, Writing Life,

I’m at that point.

Today (or at least that’s the plan), after the pre-requisite trips to the green-grocer, butcher and supermarket for anything we can’t source elsewhere, after the cooking of dinners and the referee-ing of small children, I’m going to try to decide what I’ll work on next.

This should be easy (I always tell myself). But it rarely is.

I am blessed/cursed with a lot of ideas, some of them very fully formed and ready to go. New ones spring up all the time and I tend to jot them down and then try to move on with what I’m meant to be working on.

So… I have a series of ideas folders. I have some initial research. In some cases I have a LOT of research. 🙂 (I like research.) At the moment there are at least 5 books calling for attention. Often there are many more. Continue reading Next stage – the ponders… →