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Thursday 19 February 2015

Monday 16 February 2015

Ladies Who Launch

L to R: Henri, Andy, Paula
This time last year the three of us were sweating our second drafts for our MFA in UCD; now we're looking forward to a season of launches: 

April 2nd marks the launch of Henrietta McKervey's debut, What Becomes of Us (Hachette Ireland). Later this month, she'll be mingling with the glamouratti at the Hennessy Awards.

October 1st sees Andrea Carter's new Donegal- based crime series kicking off with Death at Whitewater Church (Constable & Robinson).

Along the way there will be launches for the new John Murray imprint, JM Originals, and for my own debut, Generation, details tba.

And I'll be getting my kit off for Gorse No. 3, which looks gorgeous, as you can see, and which you can pre-order here. 




Monday 9 February 2015

Mid-term Artist's Dates

Who here knows what artist's dates are? Go on, raise your hands, all you children of the nineties. For the rest of you, these were part of a programme designed to kick start your artistic side, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I didn't do it myself; I was busy with other programmes from other books: how to type (Typing with Mavis, of course), how to write (Dorothea Brande's Becoming a Writer), how to swim...

(making me possibly the only person on the planet who learned to swim out of a book). But, taking advantage of  my job - I worked in the Upstart Crow Coffee Shop/Book Shop in Long Beach, California - I did leaf through The Artist's Way in idle moments, and took from what I fancied from it.

I fancied artist's dates. I still do.

Experience has taught me that the kids' mid-term means that I will get no work done. It is pointless to even try. When the Arts Council decides to endow me with plenty, I'll book camps or pay a minder, but until then I've decided to 'accept the things I cannot change'. No work will get done next week, but there's nothing stopping us going on artist's dates (they're supposed to be solo expeditions, but oh well...). Ideas so far:

Any suggestions?