HER.ie picks THE HIDING GAME as one of their brilliant books for September!

Yay, absolutely thrilled THE HIDING GAME has been picked by HER.ie as one of their 15 brilliant books worth checking out this September!!

Read full article HERE

The Voice of THE HIDING GAME will be the fantastic Jennifer Woodward!

NEWS ALERT!!!

I’ve just heard the fantastic Jennifer Woodward, actress and narrator, will be the voice of THE HIDING GAME Audio book, and I am absolutely thrilled!

Jennifer has worked on books by Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Jeffrey Deaver, Jodi Picoult and Laura Lippman to name but a few!

I am quite a big audio fan, and I can’t wait to hear Jennifer bring the story come to life!

Sprinkled with Fairy Dust!!

What a lovely sight... 

Beautiful early copies for booksellers...

All signed and sprinkled with fairy dust!!...

#Magic

Why writing life doesn't have to be lonely!

I am delighted to have a special visitor to the Crime Scene blog today. Debut crime fiction author, Sharon Dempsey!
Her novel, Little Bird is published this week, and I know Sharon and her novel very well at this point.

I started mentoring Sharon last year, and it was a pleasure every step of the way. Little Bird is a terrific novel, and with a description from the great Brian Mc Gilloway of 'a dark and compelling tale from a thrilling new voice in Irish crime fiction...' you are sure to enjoy!

So without further ado, I'll hand you over to Sharon!!!

They say writing is a lonely occupation. All those endless hours in front of the computer, with only your cat for company. Well, my experience has been slightly different. From the start, I was fortunate to have best-selling crime writer Louise Phillips by my side.

When I began writing Little Bird, I knew I wanted to commit to the story, to see it through to the end. I also knew that the best way for me to do this was to be given a deadline. Once a journalist, always a journalist. I also needed to feel that my writing was worth investing in; that I wouldn’t be wasting my time. It was with this in mind that I approached the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and applied for the Support for the Individual Arts Programme.

Anyone who has ever applied for Arts Council funding will know that the process isn’t easy. I had to prove my commitment to artistic practice, to explain how the funding would be used, and to submit the beginning of my book.
When I was successful in being awarded the grant, it felt like a validation and that has been important in helping me to keep going. Plus, there was a deadline involved so I knew that I had something to work towards. 

I have always loved Louise’s books and I knew that she worked with the Irish Writers Centre, delivering creative writing workshops. My plan was to use the Arts Council funding to engage in a mentoring programme with Louise.
I sent Louise the first 10, 000 words of my manuscript to see if she wanted to work with me. Thankfully, she liked what I had written, and we began the process of developing our mentoring relationship over emails. This meant that I had an insightful reader early on; at every 15,000-word instalment, Louise read what I had written and offered her advice. She has been fantastically supportive, from giving me advice on character development, to picking up over-used words. I don’t think I would have completed the book without her encouragement. The final version of the book is quite different from that first draft but Louise’s editorial advice was so important.

By actually saying, I want to write and this is what I have done, I have been amazed at the community of support on offer. There are great book events to get involved in, from the Belfast Book Festival at the Crescent to the regular launches at No Alibis. Seek out your local writers’ groups; mine is Witches with Wolves. Tell people about your book and you will be more likely to finish it.
Engaging in mentoring with Louise offered me so much more than editorial feedback. It was about giving myself permission to say I am writing, and to encourage me be serious about my writing. To have a brilliant writer like Louise by side also means that my writing life has never been lonely.

ABOUT THE BOOK - LITTLE BIRD

An unmissable serial killer thriller

Forensic psychologist, Declan Wells, is dealing with the aftermath of a car bomb during the Troubles in Belfast, which has left him in a wheelchair. But that is only the start of his problems.

Welsh Detective, Anna Cole is running away from a dead-end relationship and the guilt of her mother's death. She hopes secondment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland will provide a distraction.  
There is a killer on the streets targeting young women and leaving behind macabre mementoes to taunt the police.
Can Declan and Anna work together to catch the deranged killer before he strikes again?

And is it ever possible to leave the past behind you?

Little Bird will be launched at the Crescent Arts Centre on 3^rd August at 7pm.

Links below

Twitter @svjdempz

https://1stchapterdempsey.wordpress.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=little+bird+sharon+dempsey

http://www.irishnews.com/arts/2017/07/27/news/-women-know-fear-and-menace-says-new-belfast-crime-writer-sharon-dempsey-1092493/

THANK YOU x 45,000 Library Readers!!!

It took me a while to register my novels with the UK Public Library System, but to readers in UK libraries, and here, a MASSIVE THANK YOU to the 45,000 library readers who borrowed books since registration - YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!!! :-)

A time to remember....

As the seeds of my current work in progress began in Cill Rialaig Artist Retreat over a year ago, being in the final stages of the script, it's a good time to remember.

Image with fellow artists, Andrea Carter, Catherine Dunne,Lia Mills, Maria McManus Valerie Bistany, Sean Hardie, and Anthony Glavin

(Day 8 of remaining 40 to finish novel :-))

Daily word count complete...Time for cuppa and a walk!!!

#writing #books #wordcount

Reading Material this month!!

So here are the books I'll be reading over the next few weeks!! :-)

Recommended for Collectors - First Mysteries, first editions.....

I am totally charmed to see RED RIBBONS included in The Mysterious Bookshop's recommended first Mysteries for collectors.....Visit here  for full list of titles.

I've got that Friday feeling!!

Yippie, and yippee again...Word count complete for today, so target for the week achieved!! Yay! (Day 5 of 40) #writing #target #books #wordcount 

Calling Dublin Book Clubs...

Calling Dublin Book Clubs... Would you like me to come & talk about my crime thrillers The Doll's House or Red Ribbons? Just tweet @LouiseMPhillips or comment/message me!

Smoke Alley Radio Pilot!

I had the most fantastic evening at Smock Alley last night for the radio pilot with Sinead Moriarty and company! 

The audience were also fab, including Sue Leonard, Linda Bennet, Sandra Reid, Sarah Mulhall, Cassidy Murphy, Niamh Brennan, Yvonne Desmond, Theresa Schmuck, Cliona Ni Shuilleabhaine and Anne O'Leary!!! 

What a beautiful building it was! Pic without the crew and audience

What Books Do While People Are Asleep!

I've been meaning to share this link from thejournal.ie about the joy of books.  Put on the kettle and enjoy it   HERE

Thought for the Weekend - Any Dream Will Do!

Normally, I use famous quotes for these blog posts - words of wisdom from writers, philosophers, artists, and those wise folk called anonymous, but today is slightly different.  Today, I'm going to go with 'Any Dream Will Do', which some of you might connect to the musical 'Joseph' or 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat', which I knew it by.  It just so happens though, that it is also the title of a new book, one which is in the shops NOW, written by one of the many great people I have come to know in Twitter Land -Maria Duffy.

So I got to thinking how important these four words actually are.  We all need dreams, we all need something to strive for, and these dreams are as individual as we are.  My hubby has been more into the dream idea over the years than me.  And for the most part, most of his dreams have come true.  I tended to things that dreams were things you did in your sleep, and probably should be left there.  But over the last while, I've been thinking that perhaps I'm wrong.  You have to dream, to have to believe that wishes will come true, because even if they don't, it's a whole lot better dreaming about them than not!

Here's a pic of Maria's book, which I plan to pick up very soon myself - and Maria, I warn you in advance, your signature will be required.

Ethel Rohan - Cut Through The Bone

There are lots of great things about Twitter, not least of which is that you connect with some really good, interesting, and darn nice folk.  You all know who you are, so I don't have to list you here (even though I love lists).

Anyhow (favourite blog/email crutch word), one of these said wonderful folk, is Ethel Rohan.  Ethel is originally from Dublin, but now lives in San Francisco, California.  She is an extremely talented, and successful writer, and someone, who had it not been for Twitter, I might have missed.

I ordered a copy of her short story collection, 'Cut Through The Bone' via Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and the first thing I thought when it arrived was if the contents were as good as the cover, then I was in for a great read.  I was not disappointed.

The first story in the collection, 'More than gone', had the effect on me, that great writing sometimes does.  It inspired me to grab a piece of paper and start writing immediately - which turned out to be the beginning of 'Monkey and the Brain Eater', a story many of you were particularly moved by.  When you read wonderful words, something happens in the brain, at least it does to me, as emotions are connected through the written word - it sends you to a place, a kind of sanctuary, that is pure, deep - a place away from all the complicated busy patterns that often eat away at our lives.

Anyhow (told you my fav blog/email crutch word), back to the matter in hand.  The collection, in my opinion is a triumph, and I haven't even finished it yet.  Why, you might ask - well, I'll tell you.  The second night I was reading 'Cut Through the Bone', I realised that I started to eat up the stories, finishing one, then quickly moving on to another, before I had to shout 'stop', an imaginary 'stop' mind, because I didn't want to wake hubby.  I realised that this is a collection which needs to be savoured.  Each short story deserves its own place, and no matter how wonderful, and tempting it might be to read a number of them every evening, it would be the wrong way to approach them. 

So now, I have the book by my bed, and before I retire for the night, having said goodbye to all the daily madness that is life, I know I am in for a treat, as I get to savour the joy of reading another gem from this collection.  For sure, a book that will be on my favourite book shelf.

Brief Intro to Collection:
In this stripped-raw collection, Ethel Rohan's thirty stories swell with broken, incomplete people yearning to be whole.  Through tight language and searching scenarios, Rohan brings to life a plethora of characters -exposed, vulnerable, and achingly human.

You can visit Ethel's blog HERE, or else via MY BLOG LIST in the sidebar.

'Cut Through The Bone', is available to order as a paperback, or kindle ebook via Amazon here @ http://tinyurl.com/6kvg2p5

Go order it, you won't be disappointed!

Thought for the Weekend - Reading

I'm all charged up about the joy of reading after attending the monthly book club last night, so my 'Thought for the Weekend', is all about books and more books and even more books.  They are all out there, you just have to find them.

'These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.'

-   Gilbert Highet -

And just for fun click HERE