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Review – Pelt & Other Stories

 It becomes clear fairly early in reading Catherine McNamara’s recently published collection of short fiction that the subtitle ‘Tales of Lust and Dirt’ could just as well have been upgraded to full title status. These are stories populated by all too real characters from all parts of the globe with all too palpable desires.  The opening and…

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A-Z Book Survey

 I don’t usually go in for a lot of these meme things, but I came across this post at The Book & Biscuit and thought this one might be interesting. So, for anyone who might care, here’s my A-Z of books. Author you’ve read the most books from: Probably a close call between John Irving…

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Review – Of Dublin and Other Fictions

 Nuala Ní Chonchúir’s Of Dublin and Other Fictions is a slim collection of short short stories whose format reflects its content. At 28 pages, and presented in a size roughly 3 quarters the dimension of a standard paperback it is a book that values brevity in both its content and design. But do not make…

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My Book & One Book

 Last Sunday was a big day for me. Sometime in the late afternoon I typed the final words of the first draft of my novel. This is the novel that, all being well, will be submitted as the final portfolio assignment of my MA.  I approached the writing of the novel in a mixed mindset,…

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My Life in Short Fiction – Catherine McNamara

 Catherine McNamara’s debut collection of short fiction was published this month by Indigo Press. A truly international writer, she grew up in Sydney and studied visual communication and African and Asian Modern History, lived in Paris, worked in an embassy in pre-war Mogadishu, and co-managed a bar and art gallery in Accra, Ghana, before moving…

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Ethel Rohan’s ‘Brilliance of Brevity’

 This upcoming course, led by the brilliant Ethel Rohan, looks ace. Dynamic Writers Workshop in Magnificent Lismore Castle, Waterford San Francisco-based Irish writer, Ethel Rohan, will teach a “Brilliance of Brevity” workshop in Lismore Castle, Waterford, as part of Abroad Writers Conference. This two day master class will focus on the crafting of electric and concise narratives. The workshop…

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The benefits of a library card

 The benefits of a library card are limitless. I spent a good part of my childhood inside my local library, encouraged by my parents at first and then driven by the love of reading they and the library helped instill in me. It is safe to say that my ambition and drive to write fiction…

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If I owned a bookshop…

 …it would so look like this: There’s loads more  of this kind of thing over on Book Riot’s post all about Lego Libraries and Bookshops. Click on the image or the link to go see more. (found via Books and Bowel Movement’s Newsday Tuesday)

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Cover story & other stories

 Lots of exciting stuff to report. Last week Salt revealed, via Facebook and Twitter and the like, the cover of my book. Looking Out of Broken Windows is due for release in February next year and the cover will look something very like this: The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the ever lovely Caroline…

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The Salt Anthology of New Writing 2013

 The Salt Anthology of New Writing features short stories, flash fiction and poetry from the winners and runners-up of this year’s International Salt Prizes. The deliciously tactile covers of the print edition contain a host of great up and coming writers as well as some more familiar names. What I love about this book (in addition…

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Christmas comes early

 The paperback edition of Deck The Halls, the Christmas themed Literary Mix-tape anthology, was released a week or two back. My contributor copy arrived today and a lovely thing it is too. It features 32 festive tales, all based on lyrics from the classic carol and you can buy it here and direct from the…

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Back in the U.K.

 If you were wondering why the blog has been a bit quiet this last week or three, I’ve been busy moving house. In fact the Powells have been busy moving from Germany back to the U.K. It feels great to be back home after seven years abroad. Highlights so far have been, visiting the local…

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My Life In Short Fiction – Calum Kerr

 It’s been a while since the last My Life in Short Fiction post, but I am pleased to welcome Calum Kerr to the blog today. If I was to find out that Flash Fiction was Calum’s middle name it would not surprise me. He has written and published 31 pieces of flash fiction in 31…

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Lazarus is Dead – Review

 Richard Beard’s latest novel (released last year) is a retelling of the Lazarus story and simultaneously an examination of the story behind the story which peels back the layers of meaning that have massed around this key bible story. A massive amount of academic research is present within the text, and the book shifts between…

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Scraps

 Following on the success of last year’s National Flash Fiction Day anthology Jawbreakers, the 2013 celebration of the short short story sees the release of Scraps, an anthology of flash fiction inspired by other creative works. The book includes commissioned pieces from well-known writers including Tania Hershman, Jonathan Pinnock, Sarah Hilary and Vanessa Gebbie, pieces…

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Steinbeck’s Six

 Recently found these 6 writing rules according to Steinbeck via The Atlantic. The first two are particularly relevant to where I am with my MA novel at present:  Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then…

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It’s Father’s Day…

 …and I’m busy spending the day with my kids, so here’s a Lego Star Wars video to celebrate: – …and A Father’s Day song from those good folks over at Awkward Family Photos: – …and the fine fellows over at Flavourwire compiled a video of The Worst Movie Dads Ever. I plan to show this…

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Editing: Stranging the Text

 If you’ve been watching the steady crawl of the MA novel progress bar in my sidebar you’ll have noticed that I have entered the final stretch of my first draft. As of right now, I have approximately five and a half chapters, shortish ones in comparison to the novels larger non-submersible units. The plan is…

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