All Votes Count!!!

Robert "Bobby" McDonald would be preparing to take his hard-earned seat on Walton City Council had last Tuesday's ballot not ended in a tie after his wife forgot to cast her vote!!!

I'M JUST LETTING YOU KNOW in case some of you might like to Vote in the IRISH BOOK AWARDS HERE

Voting closes this weekend!!!! There are plenty of lovely titles, including RED RIBBONS in the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award, and it is sooooooooo easy to do, and FREE!

A Night Not to be Missed!!!

Book now guys for this fabulous night as part of the 

RED LINE festival!!!

IRELAND AM Television Interview!

TV3 Ireland AM Interview RED RIBBONS & Nomination for 

Best Crime Novel of the Year 2012 

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW AIDAN COONEY INTERVIEW

You can Vote for Red Ribbons in the Irish Book Awards HERE

Does Anyone Remember Who I am??

Yes, this is little old me, the person responsible for not blogging as much as she should, for not visiting your blog and websites as much as she should, and in her effort to create a website linked to this blog, lost her entire blog list down some mysterious IT monster's throat!!

Well I am still here, and I am still writing away. 2012 has been a massive year for me so far, not only because it is the year that my debut novel RED RIBBONS, was published by Hachette Ireland, and perhaps even more surprising, has been shortlisted as the Best Irish Crime Novel of the Year 2012 in the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards, but it is also the year, I became a grandmother for the first time.

I find myself in the position of having two of my dreams coming true at the same time, but with what seems like very little time to actually sit back and enjoy them fully. 

I don't think I'm the first person, and I certainly won't be the last, to be somewhat overwhelmed by huge changes in my life. It seems that there are constantly things I should be doing, that I am not, like blogging for example, or walking the dog, or doing a Christmas list, or doing NOTHING, every now and then.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining, because I'm not. I feel like the luckier person in the world right now, and every time I see my granddaughter, I'm amazed all over again, because darn blast it, she is AMAZING!

For all 2 or 3 of you who might be interested in what's happening book wise, I am halfway through writing my new novel, The Doll's House. Writing, in some ways feels very different this time around, to when I wrote Red Ribbons. When I was writing Red Ribbons, I was all full of hopes and anxieties - Would it be any good? Would it get published? Would it get finished? This time at least, I have the knowledge, that yes, it will be published, but the same hopes and fears exist.

I've been asked a number of times over the last few weeks, is it more difficult to write your second novel, especially when the first novel has been received so well. My answer it seems is a rather simple one. All I can do is write the best novel I can possibly write, and in the same way as thinking too much can get you into a whole load of trouble, (at least it does me!), I'm going to adopt the same attitude as I had while writing Red Ribbons. It will have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and it will be a story I want to write, and one which I hope others will want to read. At the end of the day, in the words of Stephen King, it is all about STORY.

So apologies again for being a little quiet. Today is my first tentative step back to the blogger I used to be!!!

The Voting is OPEN !!!!

You can now vote for Red Ribbons in the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award category at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2012 

Click  here to cast your vote

**STOP PRESS**

Red Ribbons has been nominated in the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award category at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2012

Watch this space!!!! Will fill you in on all the details tomorrow!!

Simply over the Moon to be nominated in the Irish Book Awards - 

What an amazing Birthday Pressie!!!!

Silence is Golden BUT!!!

So what's the news on the RED RIBBONS front?????

Firstly, sorry for being so quiet lately. I've had my head down writing The Doll's House, and today is the first time I'm coming up for air after 3 weeks in hibernation - not a bad thing I hear you saying!!!!

Firstly, because I know many of you love pics - Susan Condon has sent in this great pic of RED RIBBONS while holidaying in Venice (which I love:-) thanks Susan

Other NEWS is as follows:

Another fantastic review on RED RIBBONS from the Senior Times - You can read it HERE

I'm also delighted to say that Hughes and Hughes booksellers have chosen RED RIBBONS as their Parent's Choice for the months of October/November of The Irish Parent Magazine.

Keep an eye out also over the next couple of weeks for a' true life' short story of mine which will appear in the Daily Mail 'You' Magazine published on Saturdays.

Wednesday 14th November, I'll be reading as part of the RED LINE Literary Festival  in Three Voices/Three Forms, at The Loose End Civic Theatre, Tallaght : An Evening with writers Eileen Casey, Colm Keegan & Louise Phillips You can book HERE

You can read 'The Road to Publication' written for South Dublin County Library HERE

RED RIBBONS has also been chosen as the Pavilion Shopping Centre  Virtual Book Club choice for October 2012 

And if you're out and about in Tallaght over the next while, pick up the free issue magazine INTALLAGHT, who have been brilliant support for RED RIBBONS.

I'm also delighted to announce that South Dublin Libraries will be including yours truly on their wall of Library Champions, alongside Colum McCann, John Boyne, President Michael D Higgins, and Claire Hennessy.

And just to prove to you that I have been doing some work - here are a couple of the storyboards for The Doll's House!!!!

All Good Things Must Come To An End!!!

I know they're not RED, but you get the point!!

It's the last leg of the RED RIBBONS Blog tour, and what a totally brilliant way to bring the tour to an final ending, by visiting the wonderful Joe McCoubrey.

Joe is a former Irish newspaper editor, who is now a full-time action thriller writer. In the early seventies, he worked in the Civil Service based in Stormont, the seat of the Northern Ireland Government, and was watching behind the scenes as some of the country's most momentous events unfolded. You can find out more about Joe below.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Joe's site HERE, with an exclusive interview and first audio recording of the opening Chapter in RED RIBBONS, by Lee Middleton, Head Presenter, at Stafford FM! It's a cracker of an interview and post!!!!

About Joe Mc Coubrey

Former Irish newspaper editior, now full-time action thriller writer, Joe Mc Coubrey,is a man who has witnessed some of the country's most momentus events.

In the early days of the 'troubles', events that reverberated around the world, somehow served to push him towards his real passion of writing. He became a newspaperman, started his own media business, and took a front row seat as history was played out in Ireland.

His short action story Death By Licence, was published by Master Koda Select Publishing. His debut full-length thriller Someone Has To Pay was released September 3rd 2012. A second full-length actioner is at the editing stages, and work has started on an Irish crime thriller.

 

You can visit Joe @ http://joemccoubrey.com/

Parents' Choice!

Delighted to announce that Hughes & Hughes Booksellers have picked RED RIBBONS as their Parents’ Choice for the October/November edition of Irish Parent Magazine.

 

Christina Mills of Hughes & Hughes, said  "We will be featuring Louise Phillips’ debut crime thriller Red Ribbons as our Parents’ Choice....We can highly recommend this tense psychological crime drama, ..... there will be mums and dads fighting over who will be first to read it!"

 

READ MORE ABOUT RED RIBBONS HERE

Hughes & Hughes Website Bestsellers Top 10

1. The Mystery Of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

2. Fifty Shades Of Grey by E. L. James

3. My Journey by Jim Stynes

4. Moranthology by Caitlin Moran

5. Thinking Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman

6. Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell

7. A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks

8. A Wanted Man by Lee Child

9. Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips (Still holding it's own!)

10. Ma, I've Reached For The Moon... by Martha Long

 

 

 

Chicken House Children's Fictions Competition

This looks like an interesting competition, but first a little about Chicken House from their website.

'Chicken House Publishing Ltd was founded in 2000 by Barry Cunningham, Publisher and Managing Director, with Deputy Managing Director, Rachel Hickman.

Over the last decade, Chicken House has demonstrated that a small, creative publishing team based in Somerset can make an impact on an international scale. Chicken House has sold more than six million copies of Cornelia Funke’s books, including five New York Times children’s bestsellers.

The TUNNELS series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams has been an international hit in over 40 countries, while other writers who have achieved worldwide acclaim include Kevin Brooks, Lucy Christopher and Rachel Ward.
I
n 2007, in association with The Times newspaper, the company proudly launched The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition for undiscovered talent. This has since grown into a well-established annual event, recognised for having produced a clutch of successful new authors.'

Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition

FOR THE CHANCE TO SEE YOUR CHILDREN’S NOVEL PUBLISHED, ENTER THE TIMES/CHICKEN HOUSE CHILDREN’S FICTION COMPETITION.

All entries will be read and the shortlist will be judged by a panel of leading industry experts. The competition is open to all unpublished, unagented writers and one lucky winner will see their manuscript published by Chicken House with the backing of a leading literary agent.

We are looking for original ideas, a fresh voice and a story that children will love. If you have written a novel for children aged 7–18, have a read of the full terms and conditions to see if you are eligible for entry and for details on how to submit your manuscript.
Closing date for entries is last mail delivery Oct 26, 2012.