Interview with Laura Cassidy
Writing requires dedication, passion, skill and sheer hard work. Laura Cassidy, a young Irish author who recently secured a book deal with Puffin Ireland, radiates all these qualities. An inspiring and talented individual, Laura generously made time for an interview between rewrites and meetings with her editor…
Tell us about your journey to becoming a published [...]
A space to write and the difficult task of letting go!
Every writer needs the perfect space to write; a place where it’s easy for the words to flow and the mind to relax. Every workspace is different, cultivated by the writer to match their way of working. I’ve seen it all, from cluttered dining tables and pristine desks to a fold-up table in a garden [...]
Building a Writing Profile Part 3 – Social Networking
Social networking is all about marketing yourself properly. If it’s done well, it can bring you through unexpected channels to some amazing opportunities. For instance, an agent for a top publishing house contacted me (on Twitter), offering to read my novel when it’s completed. Now, this is mind-blowing stuff, but it’s not uncommon in the [...]
Building a Writing profile – Part 2: Your literary blog
Writers, use your blog in various ways to gain extra coverage, show off individual writing styles and increase your online persona. A blog is an easily accessible tool which helps you to connect with people while demonstrating your writing abilities and interests. Blogs also help publishers and agents to see how marketable you are and [...]
Review of Cathi Unsworth´s Bad Penny Blues
Noir-fiction is difficult to find and good noir-fiction even trickier still. Thankfully, Cathi Unsworth´s latest novel Bad Penny Blues sent an amalgam of violent murders, the occult and bent coppers my way, carefully constructed around London’s vibrant 60´s art scene. Read my review of Bad Penny Blues on Bookmunch.
Building a writing profile – Part 1: An introduction
I’ve noticed a trend in all the writing courses/workshops/events I’ve attended. All aspiring writers want to know how to get their work published. It’s often a shock to new/emerging writers to find that building a profile is as important as creating beautifully crafted and exciting literary works.
The internet makes the world much smaller and more [...]
Aesthetica announces competition winners
Aesthetica magazine announces the winners of the 2009 Creative Works competition. Congratulations to the finalists and winners of each category. I was extremely happy with my commendation.
Poem commended in Aesthetica Creative Works competition
As everyone knows, poetry competitions are a hard slog. The competition is tough, the entries are high and the rejection can be daunting. The Aesthetica Creative Works competition is the first major comp that I’ve entered and I was amazed to find out this morning that I reached the commended list. I may not have [...]
NanoWrimo – so everyone is a writer?
Essentially, everyone can write. But that doesn’t make everyone a writer.
Yet undeterred, every November, NaNoWrimo (the National Novel Writing Month) arrives and encourages good and bad writers around the world to try and produce 50,000 words in 30 days. I’ve heard lots of readers and writers complain that the internet has opened up a vast [...]
Ulster Bank Theatre festival blogging continues…
I’ve seen some amazing shows at the Ulster Bank Theatre Festival, and the first week’s not even over. KAMP and SLAT are particularly inspiring and innovative productions, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of the performers and have had some interesting oportunities come my way as a result. In other words, watch this [...]