Hitting the shops in the next couple of days!

The 6th March will see the publication of the smaller paperback version of The Doll's House. It is also my wedding anniversary, so I'm taking it as a good sign!!!

Thanks to Tracie Newell of Easons O'Connell Street for sending me this lovely pic!!

The Eagle has landed.....

Writers can be a bit dramatic at times. I suppose it helps with getting the odd dash of drama and tension into your stories. Having submitted the first draft of LAST KISS to the publishers today, it feels like I've delivered a third child. Having had three children, I recognise that it is not quite the same thing, but call it being overly dramatic, or just plain exhausted, I do feel in some a way like I've given birth, only without the obvious pain....

This last novel has been a tricky one, and for a number of reasons, but then again, I like tricky, mainly because it is challenging.

I guess each story will present its own challenges. With RED RIBBONS, I wanted to portray the fear of the bad man in society through a series of voices, including that of the killer. With THE DOLL'S HOUSE, I found the area of hypnosis, fascinating, and hopefully within the telling of the tale, the past and present were realised in a way that had a level of uniqueness.

With LAST KISS, as a writer, I was brought somewhere else entirely. I'm probably still too close to it right now, but to say it tested me would seem reasonable. Within all three novels, the killer's voice featured predominately, but within LAST KISS, this element went up a level.

It will be interesting to see how it is received, but good or bad, I couldn't have written it any other way.

Now, off to pick up my life, get some food into the house, find a floor under the mess, say hello to my family, and any friends that are still around after me ignoring them for a considerable about of time, take care of the work backlog, and remember to do a bit of living!

Something Wicked

I'm really looking forward to this! If you're interested in Crime Fiction Writing, then this might be for you - the workshop is FREE, but reservation via the email (info@somethingwicked.eu) is essential.

The End!!

Well, I've reached the end of the 1st draft of LAST KISS (working title) all 116,000 words!

Time for a short break and then a couple of weeks of editing before submission!

Going into hiding!

I'll be in hiding for the next week getting to the end game of LAST KISS Draft One - See you all on the other side!

New Look Cover of THE DOLL'S HOUSE

The mass paperback version of THE DOLL'S HOUSE will be published on the 6th of March, and here is the new look cover!!

What A Year!

Interview with EMUZINE Writers' Magazine

"The past year has been the most exciting and successful yet for author Louise Phillips...."

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE or click image below!

A milestone, but how far away is the end game?

I passed the 100,000 words today in my first draft!! (Working Title - Last Kiss)

Mind you - I still don't know what the whole plot will involve. I guess I'll have to trust the process.

Yesterday was a bit of a marathon run for me, getting over 3,000 words done, and I think I'm paying the price for it today, but still, I'm reasonably happy.

Apart from the finer details of the plot, and how it will all end, I can't put an estimate on how far away the finish line is. 

It's close, but how close is the question??

CWA Debut Dagger Competition - What happens next!

The CWA Debut Dagger Competition for 2014 is closed. They are now busy ensuring all of the entries are logged, referenced and sent to their teams of readers whose job it is to consider all submissions and to draw up the shortlist which is then sent to their judges.

This year their judging panel includes Alison Joseph, Robert Peett, Leigh Russell, Sarah Hodgson and David Headley.

Shortlisted authors will be announced at a CWA reception at CrimeFest in May 2014 and the winner will be announced at the CWA Dagger Awards Dinner on the 30th June in London.

They will contact ALL entrants to let them know whether they have been shortlisted (although not before this is announced at the reception) but please be aware the judge's decision is final and they will not enter into any correspondence about the results.

Best of luck to all involved!

READ last year's winning entry 'Call Time' by Finn Clarke on the Crime Readers' Association website on Monday.

www.thecra.co.uk

Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair - Winners Announced!

THE IRISH WRITERS’ CENTRE has announced its shortlist of 12 winners for this year’s Novel Fair. Now in its third year, the Novel Fair aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents, giving novelists the opportunity to bypass the slush pile, pitch their ideas and place their synopsis and sample chapters directly into the hands of publishers and agents.

Novel Fair 2014 Competition Winners!

The winners of the Novel Fair Competition 2014 have been announced! The twelve finalists, selected from more than 300 applicants, are as follows:

Colm by Evan Cody
Wolf by Simon Fay
Botox For Dancers by David Flitton
Out of Nowhere by Alan Gorevan
Stolen Sister by Geraldine Hogan
The Edge of Heaven by Rachael Kelly
Eggshells by Caitriona Lally
The Shadow of Darcy Anne by Blathnaid Nolan
Letters to Lucy by Nathan O'Donnell
Dawn in Temper by Lisa Parker
North to Midnight by Grey Phelan
The Silver Girl by Aine Tierney

The judging panel, whose identity was kept under wraps while the shortlisting process was taking place, can also now be revealed as Rachel Pierce, owner/editor owner of Verba Editing House; Anthony Glavin, editor and writer; and Sarah Davis-Goff, publisher and founder of Tramp Press. Since the October 16th deadline, the judges have read through every page of the 306 synopses and opening chapters received and have had the unenviable task of whittling it down to a winning twelve.

Judge Anthony Glavin described their final selection as “A rich cornucopia of hugely promising premises, plots, characters, insights and outcomes for a dozen novels across all genres, all underpinned by original, engaging, well-executed writing.  Not to be missed!” The work chosen includes literary fiction, children's fiction, historical fiction, SciFi, thriller and crime. One of the winners will travel home to Kilkenny all the way from New Zealand to take part. For another, it’s her first win after making the long list in two previous years, with a different novel submitted each time!

In addition to the twelve finalists, the following novels were all placed on the judges' longlist and have been Highly Commended:

Summer of Stan by Anthony Brophy
Railway Park by Erica Coughlan
Child of the Slums by Aisling Cronin
Rising by Brian Kirk
Essex Road by Guy Le Jeune
Jesus of the Lavatory by Donall Mac Lochlainn
Loyalties by Niall McCann
Happy-Cry with my Brilliant Life by Paul McCarrick
Tider by Sinead O'Hart
Statistical Anomalies in the Probability of Love by Tara Sparling

Novel Fair 2014 will take place on February 22nd in the Irish Writers’ Centre. Now in its third year, the event aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents, giving novelists the opportunity to bypass the slush pile, pitch their ideas and place their synopsis and sample chapters directly into the hands of publishers and agents. It presents a unique opportunity to gain face time with some of the most influential people in Irish publishing, and could truly kick-start a literary career for this year’s winners.

Last year’s Fair was attended by representatives from Penguin Ireland, Hachette Ireland, Transworld Ireland, Picador, New Island, O’Brien Press, Lilliput Press, Liberties Press, Curtis Brown, The Book Bureau, Marianne Gunne O’Connor Literary Agency, Jonathan Williams Literary Agency and Lisa Richards Agency.