I’m going to plug A Crack in Everything as a prezzie one last time. Angels, demons and scary fairies in Dublin

I say one last time because I’ll be going dark for Xmas after today. So I might plug it again tonight. But after that I’ll shut up. Maybe.

Of course if you haven’t read The Treachery of Beautiful things you should totally get that too. Or any of my books really. #Buymybooks

That gratuitous self promotion was brought to you by commercialism and the need to pay for my Xmas shopping. No really.

So happy Winter Solstice , Christmas and New Year to everyone. See you all in 2015 for another exciting year and A Hollow in the Hills, where Izzy, Jinx, Dylan and friends (?) will be back to cause mayhem in Dublin again.

Photo from Newgrange.com

Thanks to the wonderful people at O’Brien Press, here are some photos from the launch of A Crack in Everything on the 4th.

A wonderful time was had by all.

Anyone in Ireland and UK, there’s just a few days left to enter to win A Crack in Everything on Goodreads

Just popping in for a few moments over a cup of tea.

Mmmm tea. Irish tea.

I haven’t had time to do a write up of Worldcon as yet, or our trip to London, but it was all amazing and wonderful. A great time was had by all.

I’m about to run out the door and go to Shamrokon where, this evening we’re having a special preview launch of A Crack in Everything, followed by all the cake. No really. C. E. Murphy is having a cake party. She’s also launching my book. So, if you want cake, come to the book launch first in case we’ve eaten it all by the time you ramble in. You’ve been warned! 😀

Also, thanks to a conversation on twitter last night with Kate Johnson (@k8johnson), when I said I would be at Shamrokon today “with Bells ON” I now have bells on. Well, a bell.

No really.

Photos and chaos and stuff to come.

I promised book launch news and here it is. We will be officially launching A CRACK IN EVERYTHING, the first in my new YA trilogy on the 4th of September in the Gutter Bookshop, Cow’s Lane, Dublin 2. There’s a facebook page here, if you’re on facebook. Or comment below if you’re able to come.

But that’s not all!

There’s a special preview book launch for the same book on the 22nd August at Shamrokon. You have to be a Shamrokon member to come along, but if you are, please do.

Fab author C. E. Murphy will be doing the launching.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to the Romantic Novelists Conference due to personal circumstances. Ah well, next year…

In other news my Loncon3 schedule has changed slightly and is now as follows:

Autographing 6 – Ruth Long

Saturday 12:00 – 13:30, Autographing Space (ExCeL)

Better make sure I have some books! If you’re there, please come or I will feel all alone!!!

Writing 101: Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction

Saturday 18:00 – 19:00, Capital Suite 5 (ExCeL)

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?

What does Ireland have to offer?

Sunday 11:00 – 12:00, Capital Suite 2 (ExCeL)

Ireland is disticntly different as a nation and it’s people posses a unique identity. How does this work through the craetive fiction of modern times? Has the mighty weight of Irish Mythology that have permeated fantasy had an impact on modern writers in Ireland? Where is the new fiction coming from, and what issues of interest are explored?

Shamrokon is still on target and I will have news about the launch of A CRACK IN EVERYTHING soon. It’s only 45 days to go. And it’s now up on Goodreads so please go and say you’re going to read it!

It’s St Patrick’s Day, which generally means a weekend of rain. Luckily we didn’t get that (though there was a bit of drizzle through which we persevered). Instead there’s something of a feeling of spring out and about.

Yesterday we took ourselves off on a scavenger hunt with the Native Woodland Trust to Blessington, spotting wild primroses, frogspawn and learning about various native tree species, along with some which we thought were native but aren’t (looking at you Sycamore, Horse Chestnut and Beech). I’d never heard of the Wych Elm, for example, but now fully intend to put it in a book. And I was never sure which flowered first, the Hawthorn or the Blackthorn, but now I do — the Blackthorn flowers before its leaves come out, the Hawthorn the other way around. The Hawthorn waits for May. The Blackthorns are out now — pretty splashes of white against the bare branches. Who knows why they have such a dark reputation?

The first round of edits for A Crack in Everything have gone back so I took a week off and now can start looking at the next book until the next round come in. I think the Blackthorn is going to make an appearance now.

Perhaps you’ll see the first stirrings of Spring around you as well. It’s so heartening.

In the meantime, happy St. Patrick’s Day to one and all.

Fancy getting any of my Samhain paperbacks half price? That’s epic fantasy in the form of The Scroll Thief, fantasy romance 2 novellas in one book with Songs of The Wolf, or some sensual paranormal romance with Soul Fire!

Samhain is having a half price sale on all paperbacks with the code to be found here.

So, suitably armed, head over to their website.

There is an interview with me up today on Lin Treadgold’s website. I talk about all kinds of things. It might even be interesting! 😀

(Back to edits I go)

Happy Imbolc or St Brigid’s Day. As Brigid (or a form of her called Brí) appears in my forthcoming YA fantasy A Crack in Everything, I thought a little post on the day marking the first day of Spring was in order.

In mythology Brigid (there are a variety of spellings so I’m going with this one for simplicity) was the daughter of the Dagda and the wife of Bres. She was the goddess of poets, invented keening (thanks for that Brí!), was a healer and is associated with all things fiery.

When Christianity came to Ireland Brigid became St. Brigid of Kildare. Or the historic Brigid took on the attributes of her pagan goddess namesake. Or something. It’s rather complicated and the source of great controversy.

The Brigid’s Cross is made for the 1st of February, St. Brigid’s day, and is said to protect against fire and to keep evil from the house. It’s made from rushes. It links the image of a cross with a pagan sunwheel, and neatly combines both aspects of Brigid, the Goddess and the Saint.