The Christmas present

In the run up to Christmas I'm delighted one of my stories has been selected to be published by CafeLit in their Christmas selection. You can read 'The Christmas present' here http://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-christmas-present.html?m=1

Still a longlisted travel writer

So I didn't make it off the longlist to the Bradt New travel writer 2020 shortlist today, but my story 'Return to Sorrento' was commended. I'm still thrilled to have been commended and longlisted in this international travel writing competition for the second year running. You can read the shortlisted stories here
https://www.bradtguides.com/articles/travel-writing-competition-shortlist/

Christmas at Coney

It's hard to believe we're in December already - it only seems a blink since summer and before we know it the man with the bag will have been and gone for another year.
Yesterday  we held our Christmas celebrations in Coney, commencing with coffee and cranberry and orange muffins.

Before we got tucked into our sumptious Christmas dinner (a veritable feast -as always) we reviewed our writing year -highpoints and successes. Within our small group we have all progressed well on our separate writing journeys during the year and collectively achieved a great deal including publication, competition wins and public performances of our stories.

Our review of the year was followed by an intimate book signing by Maddie who this week is publishing her book on the San Damiano cross. This has been a real labour of love for her. It was very special for all of us to celebrate this achievement with her.

As our writing year at Coney draws to a close, we're looking forward to more enjoyable meet-ups and writing in 2020!

longlisted travel writer

I found out today my story 'Return to Sorrento' has been longlisted in the Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year 2020 competition.

https://www.bradtguides.com/articles/travel-writing-competition-longlist/

It's exciting to be longlisted in this for a second year and especially as one of my writing pals, Mairi, also has a story longlisted in this. Fingers crossed for both of us and may the best story win!

You can read my story here

https://www.bradtguides.com/media/wysiwyg/pdfs/travel_writing_entries/Return_to_Sorrento.pdf

Coming soon....

I loved it when I looked on Sainted Media's website today  https://www.saintedmedia.com/children-s
it says my St David book will be coming soon...

Watch this space for more information!

We're going on a bear hunt...

Yesterday a few Coney writers were allowed out for the day. Instead of meeting up in our usual location we ventured into the big smoke, rendezvousing in the Ulster Museum for a very sociable lunch and some giggles before going to listen to former children's laureate Michael Rosen speak.

He entertained us (a packed audience ranging from toddlers to pensioners) for over an hour with stories from his childhood, taught us a couple of poems in a very short time and demonstrated throughout the session the key elements of good storytelling. He held everyone's attention (including the youngest members) throughout the session. 

Without mentioning the phrase, he demonstrated the importance of 'showing' and 'not telling'. His poems speak for themselves in terms of what works - rhythm, repetition and simplicity. We were all feeling the rhythm of the train in the room as he taught us 'Hand on the Bridge'. His presence and big personality was evident as he spoke. I was delighted to meet him after the talk and have a quick chat.

Book Week

Last week was BookWeekNI - the challenge was to read for at least 15 minutes every day, encouraging those who don't have a reading habit to develop one, and those who already have, to continue to enjoy reading.

I've a well developed reading ritual. I usually read for at least 15 minutes in bed every night before going to sleep. The love of a bedtime story as a child has stayed with me. Reading creates a sense of calm, transports you to another world and helps you forget the worries of your busy day, and it also helps me sleep.

So last week I rose to the challenge, achieving at least 15 minutes reading time every day resulting in finishing Brian Moore's 'The Temptation of Eileen Hughes' and beginning (and I'm now more than half way through - and loving!) Jojo Moyes' short story collection 'Paris for One'.

I also managed to read some critique work for a couple of my writing pals, join a new online critique group, listen to one of my writing pals, Kelly McCaughrain speaking on BBC Radio Ulster about children's books and also do a little bit of writing! In my view it should be book week every week!

writer reviews and chewy shoes

Many writers rely on reviews to promote their work and increase book sales. Word of mouth online can be important for taking books to a new audience. Writers also like to hear what their readers think of their work. It reassures them that someone is reading their work and enjoying it (or not!).

I heard the other day that one of my stories had been reviewed by a reader, so I was excited to see what they thought about it. Last week one of my children's stories was published online. Later that afternoon one of my nieces (aged 8) read it to the family. Later on that day she decided to review the story for her 'book review' homework and wrote this:

"This book is written by my aunt. The goat's name is Gloria. Gloria is always hungry. First she eats grass, then leaves. She eats all silly stuff. I would recommend this to a friend."

Her teacher marked the homework with a red smiley face sticker and wrote:

"Wow. Amazing. It sounds great. Would you eat a chewy shoe?"

And while writers are told not to listen to the opinions of their family and friends about their work, to me this review will always be a very special one and it proves that book reviews really do increase your readership!

Storytime Sunday

I'm absolutely delighted to see one of my children's stories published online today. You can read my story 'Who's A Silly Goat?' here.

 https://smartypantsmagazineforkids.com/2019/10/06/storytime-sunday-whos-a-silly-goat/

Happy reading!

Back to the winter routine

Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable morning with some of my writing pals. It was a gloomy, wet and windy morning, more like a November day than one in early October but the salty sea air greeted us, blowing the cobwebs away with the fresh breeze. We were back in Coney Island for the first time since our summer writing retreat and it's good to get back into the winter routine. Along with sharing our writing news which included within the group, spoken word performances and publication we took time to listen to and review pieces a few of us have been working on, as well as flexing our writing muscles by doing some exercises.

And of course, there was time for coffee and chocanana muffins!

Yesterday

Yesterday I enjoyed

The last of this summer's sunshine

A final chance to wear flipflops,

Showing off sparkly turquoise toenails

Wearing cropped jeans and linen.

 

Yesterday I enjoyed

The beginning of autumn

Crinkly lime seeds scattered

On the railway platform

Belfast on Culture day

 

 

Yesterday I enjoyed

Eating warm toasted teabrack

Drinking a comforting latte

Browsing shelves of books

In a busy bookshop

 

Yesterday I enjoyed

Meeting up with fellow SCBWIs

Hearing their news

Encouraging each other

Talking about writing

 

 

It's turning out to be a good writing week...

It may only be Tuesday, but so far, this week has been a good writing week. Today I heard I've won a writing critique for one of my picture books from Soaring '20s - High Flying Picture Book Debuts  https://www.soaring20spb.com/ Looking forward to receiving feedback in due course to help my writing develop further

Being interviewed

Interviews can often be daunting. I was delighted to be asked recently to be the featured member by SCBWI Ireland. You can read the interview here. Thanks to Colleen for organising this. It was a very enjoyable and insightful experience for me.

https://ireland.scbwi.org/2019/09/15/featured-member-m-sullivan/

If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad...

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad"  Jane Austen.

 

With this thought in mind and with almost as many items of luggage as depicted in my Jane Austen mindfulness colouring in page, we set off to Coney Island for our annual writing retreat.

 

Stunning sea views, good food, good company and good weather provided the backdrop for a few days away from everything and space to write. Every year it seems to get even better. During the day it was invigorating to take a walk on the beach and enjoy the beauty on the doorstep.

I had the fortune this year to stay in the perfect writer's spot - check it out on Air b n b here  https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/18648844?source_impression_id=p3_1566248036_KTPb9cl16ZYAIWoL

There's always something new to discover at Coney - whether it be a shell on the beach, seasnail patterns in the sand or stalking giants...

 

There's always something new to learn on our writing journeys. We had the pleasure of welcoming local award winning crime writer, Anthony J Quinn https://www.anthonyjquinnwriter.com/

 to share some of his writing tips with us.

Not surprisingly Anthony was enthralled by the landscape and seascape Coney offers, ever changing but ever constant.

 

We were left in no doubt that writing is not an easy journey and tough decisions have to be made. If it's not tough and we're not frustrated with our writing there's something not right.

 

 

So, to ease the difficult journey ahead, cake was needed - and Fionnuala's carrot cake did not disappoint - it was delicious.

 

One of the tough decisions to be made is about making time to write when we have busy schedules. It's easy to come up with excuses as to why we can't find time. Anthony suggested getting up a bit earlier each day and writing before we do anything else. On the final day at Coney I woke, naturally, around 6am. The thought of getting up and starting writing came into my head, but instead I turned over and fell asleep. I woke up again 45 minutes later. And I knew I couldn't fight it this time. I tried to come up with excuses not to get up and write - I'd left my notebook in the writing room (locked away) the previous night and I wouldn't be able to get it until later. But I carry a large handbag around, which usually will have at least one piece of paper and a pen in it. The early morning sun was streaming in below the curtains, urging me to get up. There was no excuse, a second time. Writing was calling and I couldn't ignore it. So I got up and dressed, rummaged in my bag and found paper and a pen, went outside and began to write....

 

catching up over coffee

I have to admit I am a coffee addict. It's an addiction that runs in our family.

I can't function without starting the day with a coffee and I need a few more cups during the day, every day. If I don't have coffee I develop headaches. And during this hot spell of weather we've been having I've still needed the coffee. Thank goodness for iced coffee - I've enjoyed several this week.

 

All of these coffees are good on their own, but when accompanied by something sweet the experience is enriched - be that cake, a banana, chocolate, a biscuit... This morning at the Belfast SCBWI meet up a piece of fruity tea brack was the sweet accompaniment.

 

 

But the best accompaniment to a good coffee is good company. And in our group we look forward to meeting up with each other, catching up on our writing and other news, sharing our writing plans, successes, hurdles and the writing journeys we're each travelling. Writing can be an isolating pastime, when a cup of coffee is an encouragement and comfort, stimulant and nourishment. That's why it's so important to spend time with other writers. It was lovely to see everyone this morning and to meet new people. Here's to our next catch up over coffee. Now, I'm off to have a coffee in the garden.

 

 

Return to Cranford

I first read Cranford many years ago as an undergrad arts student. It was the first of Elizabeth Gaskell's novels I'd read and immediately I was hooked by her writing - her characterisation, the gritty north of England and her witty humour.

I soon read some of her other work - Mary Barton, Wives and Daughters, North and South, enjoying each one more and realising how underrated she is compared to the Brontes and Dickens.  When I completed my undergrad studies I vowed to re-read all the classic novels I'd had to study, but somehow I never got round to it.  Roll forward a few years and Cranford was dramatised on our TV screens featuring Dame Judi et al and I enjoyed it once again.

And last night I returned to Cranford for a third time. This time it was another dramatisation, when Chapterhouse Theatre Company performed Cranford at the Theatre at the Mill.

It was time for our annual open air theatre outing. Grey skies and heavy rain showers all day must have impacted on the size of the audience. And while it was a smaller audience than usual, the theatre company received a very warm reception

Along with Gaskell's sparkling wit, they thrilled us with the humour of Betty Barker's cow falling down the well, Mrs Jamison's dog, Carlo's disappearance in Signor Brunoni's conjuring trick and Mrs Forrester's cat eating Mrs Jamison's lace collar and the subsequent retrieval of the lace.

I've seen Chapterhouse productions at this venue many times over the last few years and this has to be one of their best productions.  While the threatening rain meant we didn't indulge in our usual pre-theatre picnic, it was still one of the most enjoyable outdoor theatre events I've been to. And maybe that had something to do with winning tickets to one of next year's open-air garden productions anywhere in the UK in the raffle. Roll on next summer....

Writing by the Sea

What writer doesn't want to live in a house by the sea? It's the perfect place to dream and write, the perfect place for a writing retreat. Have you ever seen an old house and wondered who lived in it years ago? What was their story and how it fell into disrepair? Sixteen summers ago I sat in the sunshine and gazed at a dilapidated house with trees growing out of its roof on the outskirts of Sorrento and imagined who might have lived there. Sixteen years ago we didn't have smartphones and tablets to instantly research the history so it remained a mystery. But I always wondered what the history was. Friends I met on holiday that year gave me a photograph of the mystery house. It is framed and hangs in the hall in my house and I've often thought about the house and imagined the summer parties that took place on the terrace, as the sun set over Vesuvius. This summer when I returned to Sorrento I was in for a surprise.

En route from Naples airport we were advised by the holiday company there was a problem with the hotel booking but that alternative accommodation had been found. They were also going to throw in dinner and wine. Then they dropped the bombshell - the alternative accommodation was to be in a convent. But this was no ordinary convent. It was Villa Crawford, the former home of the American writer, Francis Marion Crawford https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion_Crawford Can you imagine my excitement? We were going to stay in the former home of a famous writer!

On his death, the home passed down through his family to the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. In recent years there has been a major renovation and refurbishment programme and while still a functioning convent, Villa Crawford is now also a guest house with spectacular sea views.

 The sunsets over the bay of Naples were breath-taking

Vesuvius

 I didn't expect sea views quite like these! Just perfect.

Villa Crawford houses many of the original features, with old winding stone stairs at the back for servants and bright marble staircases at the front for guests. It also features a fabulous restaurant and beautiful gardens and stunning sea views.

It was a house built at the time of the European grand tour, a house from a former time, when writers were wealthy people who could afford to build and live in houses by the sea. It's a house to dream about, which is what I had done sixteen years ago. It was the perfect place to start a fantastic holiday....and in case you haven't guessed, it's also the mystery house in my picture, taken sixteen summers ago.

ginger cake reflections

Over the weekend I met up with SCBWI pals for coffee, cake and chat in Belfast, sharing our writing (and other) struggles and successes. It was lovely to see everyone an hear their news. And I always come away from these meet-ups having learnt something new. Apart from learning the ginger cake in Waterstones café is delicious, I picked up a few tips for writing a good synopsis. Now I need to apply the learning....

This gorgeous anthology arrived in the post the other day. It includes one of my stories 'A breath of fresh air' - which was runner up in the Lagan Navigation Trust's Storymaking 2018 festival.

 

 

I've taken a welcome break from editing my current project to dip into it and read the beautiful range of poems and stories submitted as part of the Lagan Waterways Storymaking festival. You can get copies from the Lagan Navigation Trust (priced £5) http://www.lagannavigationtrust.org/

Now where was that ginger cake...

 

Return to Coney

Yesterday morning I returned to Coney Island, to writing, sunshine, muffins and friends - in no particular order! The chocanana muffins basked in the morning sunshine as they cooled from the oven. Warm spring rays lit up the room, awakened our winter slumbers and sparked us to write.

 

At times our heads almost hurt as we recapped on punctuation rules (always a useful recap). Just proving the need for writing fuel...

Snippets

Delighted to see one of my stories included in the Café Lit page. You can read 'An Emerald Excursion' here https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/2019/04/an-emerald-excursion.html#comment-form

And while the Waterways Storymaking Festival may have finished its tour today, earlier I caught a glimpse of the cover of the anthology which will include my story 'A Breath of Fresh Air'. Looking forward to reading this soon

Every day's a school day

Last month I signed up to a writing workshop I saw advertised, called 'rewriting the future'. I went along one cold Saturday morning in February to a former Presbyterian church in an area of Belfast that has seen considerable conflict over the years.

It was led by two larger than life facilitators, sisters Autumn and Adrienne, who brought the topic to life with their enthusiasm and joie de vivre. Not being a sci-fi fan, I knew I would find it challenging, but in the writing visionary fiction in the workshop, I soon found that while I was learning new concepts, there was also common ground and tips that could be applied across other writing genres.


For the last few weeks I've been attending a writing class held in a local museum

(this is a fantastic venue for such a class) facilitated by one of our local writers (who happens to be a sci-fi writer!). I initially signed up to the class because of the convenient location and I'm always keen to learn something new. And from the start of this year I've been learning something new every week, discussing ideas with new writing friends and writing new material.

So while both venues hark back to former days and different times, I've been challenged in my writing in both experiences, in learning new concepts and ideas, and in learning from others but most importantly enjoying the experiences.

Happy St David's day

It's the start of a new month, meteorological spring, the sun is shining and it's St David's day!

I've had a lovely start to the day - the first email I opened this morning contained a beautiful image for my children's ebook about St David. I can't reveal the image, but below is the book's cover. https://www.saintedmedia.com/  

 

Looking forward to this launching soon.

Tributes to Trees

I've just heard tonight that I've had one of my poems 'Winter's Trees' included in Forestry England's 100 years of forestry celebration. You can read the poem here https://tributestotreesgallery.shortstack.com/tx0c6j/p1BLd?w=73829318&e=211329674

There are some beautiful pieces included in this year long celebration. You can read them and pay your own tree tribute here....https://www.forestryengland.uk/100

“Come with me to the vintage fair,” she said

I was thrilled to hear today that I've had my poem 'The Vintage Fair' selected for inclusion in the Community Arts Partnership's 2018/19 Poetry in Motion anthology. All entries in the anthology are considered for the 2019 Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing.

Judges for this are Damian Smyth, Maria McManus, Stephen Sexton and Conor Shields.
I'm looking forward to the launch next month at the Seamus Heaney centre.