Happy Travels!!

I wish I could go to all the lovely places my novels travel to.....

Calling all Book Clubs!!!

Calling all book clubs....I've so enjoyed my visits to book clubs over the last few years, that I've been working on a very special prize for one lucky book club.....(it involves lots of books). All will be revealed in a couple of weeks, but if you would like to be part of this competition....leave a comment, or message me via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Prized Treasure!

Imagine a future version of the Antique Roadshow....someone in your family has brought along this irresistible, sexy and highly functional mug....well, yes, it could happen.....

TO WIN this once in a lifetime treasure, post a review of THE GAME CHANGER pretty well anywhere you like, but Amazon and Goodreads etc are a good start.

All previously posted reviews are eligible, and the more places you post, the higher your chances are of winning....#thegamechanger

And the winners are.....

Apologies for the delay in posting this, but with all the sharing of love over the last few days, I'm down with a flu virus.....but, on the great news front, the winners of THE GAME CHANGER photo competition (which was a lot of fun, so thanks to everyone) are Sue Kenna​ for really making me smile with her coordinated Mrs Brown/cover jacket outfit, and the lucky name picked out of the hat, is the wonderful Shirley Benton-Bailey​ for her melt your heart pic of her daughter with the novel!!! 

Love This!!!

Photo Competition Ends TODAY, but I absolutely love this one....Thanks Sue Kenna....

My Life in Books

I've spent most of the day writing a piece on 'My Life in Books. Honestly, it was like choosing between your closest friends. I eventually got the list down from 20 to the required 6.....but I'm happy, even if I would be much happier if I could put the other 14 back in!!!

How Much of an Narcissist are YOU?

You case you haven't heard....THE GAME CHANGER has a murderous cult leader as one of the principle players. In the novel, this character displays many traits of narcissism, which makes this quiz a little interesting by way of finding out how narcissistic you are.....

EVALUATE YOURSELF.....using numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, based on 'does not apply at all' = 1 to 'applies strongly' = 5

1. I can be completely absorbed in thinking about my personal affairs, my health and my relationship with others.

2. My feelings are easily hurt by the slighting remarks of others.

3. When I enter a room I often become self-conscious and feel like everyone is looking at me.

4. I don't like sharing the credit of achievement with others.

5. I feel like I have enough on my hands without worrying about other people's problems.

6. I feel that I am different from most people.

7. I often interpret the critical remarks of others in a personal way.

8. I easily become wrapped up in my own interests and forget the existence of others.

9. I dislike being with a group unless I know that I am appreciated by at least one of those present.

10. I am secretly annoyed when other people come to me with their troubles and ask for sympathy.

11.I am jealous of good looking people.

12. I tend to feel humiliated when criticised.

13. I wonder why other people aren't more appreciative of my talents and good qualities.

14. I see other people as being great or terrible.

15. I sometimes have fantasies about being violent without knowing why.

16. I am especially sensitive to success and failure.

17. Other people don't seem to understand my problems.

18. I try to avoid rejection at all costs.

19. I think my secret thoughts, feelings and actions would horrify some of my friends.

20. I tend to become involved in relationships in which I alternately adore and despise the other person.

21. Even when I am in a group of friends, I often feel alone and uneasy.

22.I resent others who have what I lack.

23. Defeat or disappointment usually shame or anger me, but I try not to show it.

REMEMBER, THIS IS FOR FUN......IF YOU GET A HIGH SCORE, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU WILL TURN INTO A MURDEROUS CULT LEADER!!

NOW, ADD UP YOUR POINTS...

<50 = low level of covert narcissism

50 - 80 = medium level of covert narcissism

>80 = high level of covert narcissism

ABOUT THE TEST (from The Test Book below)

The Narcissism questionnaire by Henry Murray from 1938 was updated in 2013 by a team of psychologists lead by Jonathan Cheek, to make it easier to identify covert narcissists.

The Test Book by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschappeler

"Don't be shocked if you get a high score in this test. Many studies suggest that we are living in a narcissistic age "

The Twins Have Arrived....

The twins, better known as (ARCs - Advanced review copies) have arrived....I am dizzy with excitement!

You never think when you are arguing with yourself during first draft stage, that it will ever come to this!!

xx

Louise

One Way Ticket to Budapest!

This day next week our last child will fly the nest on a One Way Ticket to Budapest. I think I know how I'm going to feel, but I'm wary all the same. Life can throw you curve balls....

Neuropsychology.....

I don't normally post the reviews I get via email but as this one came from a specialist in neuropsychology in relation to LAST KISS...I'm making an exception!

"I finished your book, Last Kiss, yesterday.  I could not put it down! What a fascinating story you created. I enjoyed the intricate plot, the development of the characters, the multiple layers of the story, and the development of the relationships between the protagonists. I also enjoyed having Dublin and Paris as relevant contexts, playing a role as well as you read; the different narrator voices between chapters (and characters), and particularly the "I" talking to the reader ("would you warn her if you could?"). As a psychologist I can tell you I enjoyed very much the way you presented the forensic role of Kate, her constant question of ethical boundaries, her psychopathology knowledge and empathic ability to connect to the vulnerable. She is displayed as having a virtuous listening skill, and great questioning/interviewing skills which are primary ones in psychologists. The references to Freud's id - super ego - ego dynamics and the examples Kate gives to Adam during the flight to Paris were excellent! Not only accurate but very cleverly illustrated. As a specialist in neuropsychology, I generally tend to have more reservations, as the brain is my territory. The references to the frontal lobes were great, and I got excited as this is the precise part of the brain I study the most, as I am interested in self-regulation of behaviour. I enjoyed very much the sensibility of your writing. Despite the gruesome topics that this type of literature treats, I noted the many places you were poetic, or very aware of human feelings and thoughts. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this great thriller (and thrilling) novel. I will dance in the woods thinking of the children's laughter, even those who did not have the loving and cared for opportunities many of us had."

Winners!!!

The 3 WINNERS of the LAST KISS Paperback/Lipstick Competition are Dawn O'Brien from Facebook and Sharon Benidorm Byrne from Twitter and Facebook and Joanna Ryde Twitter....Well done Ladies and HUGE THANKS to everyone who shared!!! smile emoticon 

LAYLA...

I'm working on a short story today. It's a flash fiction piece for an anthology, and it feels like forever since I've worked within this format, but thankfully it felt strangely new, challenging, and refreshingly good...

It's called LAYLA btw...

Let's talk about Irish Crime Fiction!!!

Hi All,

I'll be doing a Twitter online chat with 3 other Irish Crime Writers this evening as part of the Killer Reads Festival. Myself, William Ryan, Sheena Lambert​ and Ava McCarthy. 

It would be great to have some of you chip in if you can. Time and hashtag etc below...

Time: 5.30pm-6pm Friday 13th March
Theme: Irish Crime Fiction
Host: @KillerReads
Hashtag@ #KillerFest15

Good and Bad...or Bad and Good??

The good news - Today I had a very impressive word count.....

The bad news - I wrote a paragraph that really upset me (this rarely happens, so it probably won't stay)...

The good news - I think I've figured out how it is all going to end.....

The bad news - It will require more words than I bargained for....(deadlines are scary things!)

Not Your Week???

In the words of a good friend of mine, who happened to reflect on my week that has just past,  she said....'Oh Jesus Wept, not your week.'

It certainly has had it's lows, but thankfully the most troubling, worrying part  is not so bad. Other incidentals are that book number 4 is moving along, slow, steady, not always altogether sure-footed, but moving forward.

Added to the trials and tribulations of the last few days, I had another visit to the orthodontist, a man who happily told me that on the next visit, he will be putting a metal retainer on the inside of my lower teeth - that makes 3 lengths of metal inside my mouth, and not exactly what I signed up for, but he did say, I was making progress.  24 months later, I suppose that's something????  #painkillers

Winter Island Bliss!!

Today was a good day! It's part of my New Year Resolutions, to celebrate the positives. 

I got up early, getting some of the day job out of the way, and managed to squeeze in over 2,000 words, and I actually have an idea as to what I plan to write about tomorrow (so feeling a little less pressured). 

And even though I have only finished the day job now, and only managed to get part of the Christmas decorations down, I got a lovely review from a new reader, and two sets of 5 stars from Goodreads.

To top it all off, because most writers are mad, I've just booked a weekend away on an island off the coast of Ireland in the middle of winter for research purposes!!

Life is good.....

10 Questions??????????

This is an old post, but seems to be a popular one of late!!


Never mind the 12 days of Christmas, here's 10 Questions to get you thinking. 

(originally from a French series,'Bouillon de Culture' hosted by Bernard Pivot)

1. What is your favourite word?  Creativity.

2. What is your least favourite word? Rat.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? The woods.

4. What turns you off? Loud Arguments.

5. What is your favourite curse word? Crap.

6. What sound or noise do you love? The wind across the valley while snuggled up in bed.

7. What sound or noise do you hate? The phone ringing while I'm writing.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Oil painting.

9. What profession would you not like to do? Bin man/woman.

10.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  Your Mam and Dad are here.

Happy New Year!!!

The New Year is nearly here and I've never been one for mad partying on this night, preferring to spend it quietly at home. Tonight we will share it with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

I know many people have a lot of difficulties at this time of year and life isn't always easy, which is why I am so utterly grateful for having so many wonderful elements to my life.

I feel blessed having a wonderful family and lots of dear friends, and even though I manage to find things to complain about, my life is enriched not only by them, but by the lovely and happy home I live in, by the joy of looking out every single day on a beautiful part of Ireland, by being able to have enough food on the table, and a warm house to live, by only being afraid of self doubt, but still striving forward despite the prospect of failing, by making stuff up in stories, and other people reading them, by being able to make mistakes and start over.

Now, as the kettle is on, having done my word count for today, I wish everyone a wonderful, happy and healthy 2015. 

Thank you for making 2014 so special, and I look forward to many adventures together over the next 12 months.

xxx

Louise  

“A new heart for a New Year, always!” ― Charles Dickens

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back!

A day of two steps forward and one step back novel wise, but at least it has moved on.. I think! Head exhausted now and a sleep on couch is looking very tempting....Does anyone else feel more tired when they're making stuff up??? 

The secret of becoming a writer....

"The secret of becoming a writer..., write, write and keep on writing," or in the words of Ernest Hemingway..."There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

It was the final session of the Write That Novel course in Carousel Creates last night, and it was a mighty session. Once again, there was a great group of writers coming together to explore areas of the craft. I may be biased, but I think writing brings out the best in people. It was certainly a pleasure for me to facilitate this lovely group.

Thank you all for being so enthusiastic, and for your lovely present and handmade card. I was really touched.

x

Louise