What is it like to chair a panel discussion at a book festival and why be involved in panel discussion for writers?  While driving to Belfast, I did wonder would my stomach settle and let me figure out the above questions. The Cube in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast is a lovely venue and I was brought into the GREEN ROOM beforehand. This was a first for me and I was surprised that how...

  Echoes 2019 Will Celebrate Community in Contemporary Writing in Ireland!   Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre is delighted to announce that ECHOES will return from the 4th –  6th October 2019.  ECHOES proudly celebrates the life and work of Maeve Binchy and Irish writers, and will feature thought provoking talks, walks, debates, interviews and theatrical events.   The announcement of the third edition of ECHOES has been made to coincide with what would have been Maeve...

  They say writers need to market themselves. ‘Right,’ says I, ‘I’ll think outside the box and find new ways to help myself and others. Why not scare the living crap out of myself by doing a live radio show online then? Yeah, sure why not?’ I shake for a full hour before, during and after my new online radio show on Mondays 4pm GMT and 9am MT (The Trans-atlantic Radio station is based in...

If you write - you are a writer. Don’t apologise for loving what you do. Here are 15 simple ways to help build your writing confidence.

Through the process of writing we shy away from discussing our novels, and the ideas which slouch around in our solitary noggins. Then suddenly, our work is catapulted into the world and we're left paddling alone (it can feel like drowning) and we wonder.... 'What the heck do I do now?'

Ennis Book Club Festival 2019 Announces its Full Programme Festival dates: Friday 1 – Sunday 3 March 2019. Today, the full programme for the 13th Ennis Book Club Festival was announced. Readers travel from all over the country and further afield to gather at this, the only book club festival in the country. But whether you are a member of a book club or not, all lovers of books are invited to gather in Ennis...

Coming up to the publication of my second novel there’s 8 things I’d like to rant about. Rant 1 ‘The Healer’ will launch on 22nd January and I can’t wait – but then I am dreading it too. When I was doing promotion for my debut ‘The Abandoned’ I thought maybe it would be my one and only novel. I threw my heart, soul and kitchen sink into the promotion for it. Other than offering...

Being a young girl in 1940’s Ireland isn’t easy for Molly McCarthy, especially since she isn’t like the other children. Her family and community are wary of her beauty and nature. As Molly becomes a teenager life gets harder and she loses faith in everything. Molly is surrounded in danger. She must make choices. But will she chose the right path or is she doomed to a life of misery? Will she survive in a...

  Writers, we wait ALL the time and some of us may wait quietly. I don’t do waiting well, hence the blog post. 🙂 With writing, one of the worst parts is the waiting for stuff to happen. Anyone else agree? To be a writer, we need to wait. It is the kind of waiting that involves, heavy chocolate eating, cursing and candle lighting. While waiting I thought I’d place a few times points together....

The Writing Cure by Sharon Dempsey.  “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. News flash – life’s hard. We all experience difficult times, relationship break ups, the loss of a loved one or periods of stress relating to work. Take your pick, there will be some catastrophic episode which leaves you reeling, unsure of how you will survive. Throughout my...