Number One Best Selling Book of 2015!

How lovely is this?? THE GAME CHANGER is the Number 1 Best Selling Book of 2015 at the fantastic Gutter Bookshop and in some great company!! Does Happy Dance smile emoticon

THE GUTTER BOOKSHOP

Our bestselling books of 2015:

1) The Game Changer by Louise Phillips (Book Launch Sept)
2) A Song of Shadows by John Connolly (Signed 1st Editions)
3) A Dublin Fairytale by Nicola Colton (Xmas Windows)
4) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
5) The Green Road by Anne Enright
6) Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer & Oliver Jeffers (Event Oct)
7) Miss Emily by Nuala O'Connor (Book Launch Sept)
8) What Becomes of Us by Henrietta McKervey (Book Launch April)
9) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Staff Pick)
10) Spill, Simmer, Falter, Whither by Sara Baume
11) Irelandopedia by John & Fatti Burke
12) You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt (Staff Pick)
13) There Are Little Kingdoms by Kevin Barry (Staff Pick)
14) Once Upon a Place ed. Eoin Colfer
15) Giving Out Yards by Tara Flynn (Book Launch Oct)
16) Winter Pages ed. Olivia Smith & Kevin Barry (Event Nov)
17) Beatlebone by Kevin Barry
18) Dubliners by James Joyce
19) The Butterfly Shell by Maureen White (Book Launch Sept)
20) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Number 2 in Kobo Thrillers!!

If you use Kobo Books, all help would be appreciated to get THE GAME CHANGER from Number 2 to Number 1!

Staccato.....

Last gig before going into writing hibernation, and if last month's Staccato event in Toner's was anything to go by, this should be a cracker of an event. Hope you see many of you there on the 30th - Toner's Baggot Street, 7.30 p.m. Admission FREE

Hanging on the Christmas Tree!

Great to be sharing the Woman's Way Christmas Tree with such great books and writers!

Signed Copies......

I signed a zillion copies (well not quite that many, but a lot) of THE GAME CHANGER in Easons in the Square yesterday, so if you fancy it to read or to give as a gift, it's also in the 3 for 2 promo!! 

🎉🌟💜

Irish Country Magazine Pick THE GAME CHANGER in Top Ten Books of 2015!

THANK YOU IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE for picking THE GAME CHANGER as one of your TOP TEN BOOKS for 2015....

"Another breath-taking thriller from a great writer.." 

Read Full Review HERE

A night not to be missed!!!

A date for the diary folks....and even better it's FREE.....DECEMBER 30th....see times and location below!

Best Books of 2015 - Sunday Business Post!

Thank you SUNDAY BUSINESS POST for naming THE GAME CHANGER as the BEST IRISH CRIME NOVEL of 2015......

"Thrilling from the opening pages,The Game Changer examines the suspect nature of contemporary self-help culture and the poisonous potential of personal repression. The best Irish Crime Book this year."  

This Much I Know - Irish Exminer

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Fast-paced, at times shocking book - Novelicious on THE GAME CHANGER!

"The story of THE GAME CHANGER kept me guessing right until the end and I did enjoy this fast-paced, at times shocking book very much!" Novelicious.....Read full review HERE

Thank you BBC Radio Ulster....

THANK YOU BBC RADIO ULSTER FOR PICKING THE GAME CHANGER AS ONE OF YOUR RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

"First choice for Christmas reads is The Game Changer by Louise Phillips, an up and coming star in the world of crime writing.."

Listen to link here, it's about 39 minutes in! 

Taking Risks is a Crime....

So here's me talking about money and risks and other things in the Sunday Times....

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/ireland/Business/article1638540.ece

Irish Book Awards 2015!

Thanks to everyone who voted for THE GAME CHANGER in the Irish Book Awards. 

It was a terrific night last Wednesday, and the fabulous Jane Casey who has been nominated 5 times, is a very worthy winner of the category. 

And I got a photo with this fall gentleman! 

You can watch ‪#‎BGEIBA‬ highlights on RTÉ One Saturday night from 11.15p.m. 

http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/irishbookawards.html

Make Readers Care About Characters....

Great overview of Dublin Book Festival in the Examiner,including my few words of wisdom on crime fiction writing....

'Speaking at the Irish Writers Centre, crime writer Louise Phillips urged her audience to “make readers care about characters by developing strong emotional bios thus creating intimate relationships,” adding “make villains human by giving an interesting backstory.' She also discussed using time factors to help build suspense, “short, sharp punchy sentences to create rhythm,” “bite-size chapters” and even “have characters do something to surprise readers.'

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Spring Programme......

There are loads of terrific writing courses as part of the Irish Writers' Centre Spring Programme, but if Crime fiction is your thing....then visit here.... (Limited places)

Praise for Louise Phillips' Crime Fiction course:

'I really loved the course with Louise. She is a great teacher. We covered a huge amount in eight weeks.'

'Louise was an excellent facilitator, full of practical advice and tips. Her track record as a crime writer lent authority to her advice.'

'Can't praise Louise enough!' 

Irish Times - Cill Rialaig Residency 2015

A great piece by fellow crime writer Andrea Carter​ covering our residency in the remote artist retreat at Cill Rialaig on the Wild Atlantic Way. 

Thanks to the Irish Writers Centre​ for the residency, to the beautiful, stark and wilds of the Atlantic, but mostly thanks to fellow artists who became great friends during the residency, Lia Mills​, Catherine Dunne​ Anthony Glavin, Maria McManus, Sean Hardie, and last but not least, Andrea Carter.
The memories will stay with me too! 

You can read the piece HERE 

Ordinary Decent Criminal Writers!

It seems you have to be quite tall to be an Irish Crime Writer these days smile emoticon..At 5 ft 6 inches, I'm the shortest....but I couldn't ask for a greater gang to be hanging out with.....‪#‎SundayIndependent‬

Authors Christmas Reading - Irish Times Christmas Magazine...

"Louise Phillips has been hailed as 'equal to James Patterson, Sara Paretsky and Patricia Cornwell'. Her novel, The Game Changer, sees Dr Kate Pearson struggling with her own childhood traumas..."

Apart from the fact that the IT mixed up my pic with the fab Hazel Gaynor, this is a lovely piece from the authors who contributed to the short story relay..

.And as the pic is a bit blurred...my Christmas recommended reads are 4 of my favourites....

The Talented Mr Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith, Before I Go to Sleep, by S J Watson, In the Woods, by Tana French and Mystic River by Dennis Lehane....

"God rest ye merry gentlemen.." Short Story Relay - The Irish Times

It's getting to feel a lot like Christmas...and if I may say so - there's a terrific short story in today's Irish Times written by myself, Martina Devlin, E R Murray, Jax Miller,Hazel Gaynor and Claudia Carroll! 

It was great fun to be part of this short story relay, and I think all six of us kept a smooth narrative with lots of surprises. I'll leave the final judgment up to you! 

If you can't guess the order of the author, I'll give you a clue....the names are upside down at the end....

Launch of Deadlight by Desmond J Doherty!

Ireland AM - Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards....

In case you missed it and fancy watching.... here's the Ireland AM interview about The Game Changer and the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards

Click HERE to view...

And thanks everyone for your good wishes...

Louise

Ireland AM - TV3

Yay, I'll be on Ireland AM​ a little after 9 a.m. on Tuesday to chat about all things....THE GAME CHANGER....:-)

Shelf Life...Irish Times.....

Thank you Irish Times for this Shelf Life piece today...read it HERE

Signing on the dotted line....

Signing on the dotted line today.....I am so looking forward to working with Polis Books ...Roll on 2016 & 2017 and Red Ribbons & The Doll's House publication in the US!! 

It's that time of year!!!

It's that time of year again...Eason's Christmas Catalogue...Irish crime fiction selection with Joanne Spain and Jax Miller and The Game Changer is there too....with so many others....

Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards 2015!!

THE GAME CHANGER has been shortlisted in the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year category in the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards 2015.

I am absolutely thrilled, and it is really terrific that all four novels have been nominated since the publication of Red Ribbons in 2012. 

If you'd like to give The Game Changer, or any of the other books a vote, you can do so at this link here.... http://www.irishbookawards.ie/vote2015 

Masterclass with Louise Phillips & Ian Sansom..DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL

TO READ MORE & TO BOOK - VISIT HERE

Man Booker Prize and so much more......

This is not a picture of Bob Johnson!

A frighteningly good new episode of Bookish podcast, featuring Bob Johnston​,Shane Breslin and myself.....

Put on the kettle and have a listen folks...I promise you, if you're a book lover, you won't regret it....LISTEN IN HERE 

On This Month's Bookish Podcast...

Reflections on the biggest literary award of the year, the Man Booker Prize, which went to Marlon James for A Brief History of Seven Killings; literary innovation in the form of short story vending machines; and a nearly middle aged white man complaining about middle aged white men complaining.

Book club discussion is on four-decade 720-page epic A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – a book which invariably elicits strong opinions from anyone who reads it.

Psychological crime writer Louise Phillips, whose fourth thriller “The Game Changer” is published by Hachette Books Ireland, joins us for our guest slot Trilogy, picking three books that mean a lot to her – including a 20th century classic, a little known book by Virginia Andrews and a relatively recent book from an Irish author.

‘Second Look’ this month is Julius Winsome by Irish writer Gerard Donovan, and new books to catch our eye include The Boy Who Fell Off The Mayflower and Irelandopedia and the November events roundup looks at the Dublin Books Festival, the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards and two public interviews by Banter.

Trilogy - Top 3 Books...chatting with Bookish!

I'm so looking forward to chatting with Bob Johnston​ of The Gutter Bookshop and Shane Breslin of Blackbird Books tomorrow, as part of their monthly podcasts under the 'BOOKISH' series. 

Trilogy is the slot where a guest talks about three books that played a big part in their life, and this month, I’ll be chatting about my top three books….it made for a lot of soul searching……and of course, The Game Changer...

Anyhow, I’ll keep you posted as to when the podcast is available, but if you want to check out previous podcasts, visit here  http://castaway.media/bookish/category/episodes/

The Book Club - DUBLIN CITY FM......

My interview with the lovely Grainne Brookfield of Dublin City FM will be broadcast this Friday at 11 a.m....tune into 103.2 FM if you can....

I'll post pics from the Cill Rialaig Residency shortly....

The Wild Atlantic Way!!

I will be gone from any internet activity for the next 10 days, but the even better news is that I will be writing in Cill Rialaig on the Wild Atlantic Way!! 

Looking forward to sharing some time with fellow writers Catherine Dunne, Lia Mills, Sean Hardie, Andrea Carter, Anthony Glavin and Maria Mc Manus...

See you all on the other side!

Meeting friends, old and new!

A really lovely evening last night in RUA RED Arts Centre. It was terrific to catch up with so many old and new friends for a night of Circle & Square (Fiery Arrow Press) edited by Eileen Casey.

A packed house with fantastic readings from Kevin and Joan Power...(Photos by ROCSHOT)

Music & Me......

Talking all about Music & Me with musician and writer Derek Flynn of writing.ie - Visit HERE 

Soon to be revealed...

So what have these women writers with varying styles and drawn from different genres have in common??? Soon to be revealed, but I can tell you it was great fun working with them.....

From left, Martina Devlin, E R Murray, Hazel Gaynor, Jax Miller, Claudia Carroll and Louise Phillips

Alison Wells of Writing.ie on 'Circle & Square' Edited by Eileen Casey

When is a shopping centre not like a shopping centre? Easy! When it’s the site for fiction, prose, poetry, drama and art photography. But not as frequently as you might think, surprisingly enough. Ewan Morrison (writing in The Guardian) makes the point that there are few works of fiction set in shopping malls. This state of affairs Morrison regards as ‘a disturbing omission in literary history, given we live in a world that is rapidly homogenized by these structures.

Circle & Square, a new publication hot off the press, can now be added to the canon of shopping centre literature. Brim filled with prose, fiction, drama, poetry and photography...

"Louise Phillips, one of Circle & Square’s guest writers, uses flash fiction to bring her main character (‘Layla’) into the car park of a shopping centre, having fled from an abusive husband. It’s early morning and the vast empty space further heightens that sense of isolation and alienation. Phillips uses the setting eerily well, as one would expect from a best-selling crime novelist..."

Dermot Bolger says of Circle & Square... “To open Circle & Square is like entering the sort of fascinating café which every shopping centre should ideally possess: a cornucopia of engaging voices and fascinating stories that any reader would happily eavesdrop on. This is an anthology where a shopping expedition or a Luas journey can also bring you on a succession of intriguing and inventive voyages into the past and future. Prepare to be entertained.”

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

NEWS FLASH....

Drum roll, here is the NEWS....and I am over the moon......

Exciting News....

Some EXCITING NEWS will break over the next couple of days....so watch THIS SPACE!!!

Unputdownable...

I'll eventually do the raffle for The Game Changer Mug (I'm going with sickness as my defense), but in the interim, 'UNPUTDOWNABLE' seems to be the flavour of the day. 

Here's a lovely review from Amazon...

"Louise Phillips's third book Last Kiss was so impressive I wondered if she would be able to match it with her fourth. I needn't have worried! The Game Changer presents a carefully woven, intricate storyline that is chilling in its realism. Phillips does an excellent job of progressing the personal story of her recurring main character, Kate Pearson, without compromising the detail of the crimes being solved, and while interlinking them in a way that is not contrived, but adds to the mystery. This book tells the story from the points of view of many different characters - so many, in fact, that it would be easy to loose track if Phillips had not done such a masterful job of writing individual voices and linking all the characters together in an explosive climax. I definitely recommend this book but not just for fans of crime. Anyone interested in psychology, cults and a good mystery (I thought I'd solved it many times throughout the book, but was mistaken every time) will find The Game Changer unputdownable."

The Writing Heart.....

Thanks to everyone who has sent messages about THE GAME CHANGER......it really does the writing heart good, and I have to say, this one from a member of a book club this morning really made me smile....