blogs
JUST BROWSING…
I have a sister, eight years older than me. When I was eleven or twelve she introduced me to the writers Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood and Paul Theroux; to singers and musicians including Bessie Smith ........
SOUNDTRACK TO A STORY
A little while ago I became aware that some writers are including in their books a playlist of songs and music which inspired, influenced, enhanced and/or reflected their work. My knee-jerk reacti ........
FACT OR FICTION
Recently I published my first book, a work of fiction entitled The Sum of all Parts. Since its publication last March I've done a couple radio interviews, a few newspaper articles, and I've even chatt ........
PUZZLING THROUGH MY WRITER'S BLOCK
I am currently sitting at my desk in my study, gazing out at a rainy street and slowly losing the will to live. What I am meant to be doing is working on my latest book, but I appear to have hit y ........
LOCAL AUTHOR
Some time ago I was invited to participate in a local author event here in Carlow, Ireland. It has yet to happen and I have been mulling over - agonising and over-thinking to be more precise - as to w ........
DEFINING HAPPINESS
Five or six years ago while I was on my afternoon break at work, a colleague and friend came into the staffroom and out of the blue asked me “are you happy?” I replied without hesitation “define ........
LET THE PROCRASTINATION BEGIN
I promised that the New Year would see a more productive me, allocating my time sensibly to both work (by which I mean writing), family and me time. Over a week in and so far that has not been the ........
ADAPTING AND MOVING ON: GOODBYE 2023
Christmas is over and the new year is fast approaching. I’ve never celebrated the new year, it’s not something my family did when I was a child and I’ve never done anything as an adult to mark the new ........
BAH HUMBUG
Christmas is upon us, and all I can say is thank goodness it only comes once a year. As for it being the most wonderful time of the year – well I beg to differ. I don’t know why or when I started to d ........
A WORK IN PROGRESS - OR THE NEVERENDING STORY
Today, whilst tidying my study, I came across a file containing some of my notes for my book The Sum of all Parts. I say some because, unfortunately, last year in a fit of rare spring-cleaning, I made ........
SAMHAIN, ALL HALLOWS DAY OR HALLOWEEN?
Today is the 31st of October, which for most of the Western world means Halloween: a time to dress up (or forget most of your clothing and just go out in your undies if you're a certain age and gender ........
A WRITING DILEMMA
When I started writing The Sum of all Parts, I initially didn’t want to use my own name. I fancied reinventing myself, choosing an exotic name perhaps, an androgynous name or just initials to keep my ........
EMPTY NESTS
It's September, which means children are back at school and some of us have had to bid adieu to our children as they head off to university or college. A trying time for parents and offspring alike, e ........
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
Today, 10th September, is, as it has been since 2003, World Suicide Prevention Day. A day to create hope through action and to remind ourselves that suicide can be prevented. As my book The Sum of all ........
ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
I am a self-confessed selenophile, I am mesmerised by the moon, so this week is a good one for me because not only do we have a full moon it is also super and blue. It was visible last night and ........
A Moor With a View
I recently went on holiday, or rather I went home to visit my parents in Sidmouth, East Devon. On a rather gloomy, summer afternoon we - myself, my parents and my youngest child - made our way to Mutt ........
Memory Matters
'What is this obsession with our past, living in our memories, and constantly going over prior events? Why do we chose the "what ifs" and "if only" when we can have the here and now? Is it because our ........
MAIDEN, MOTHER, CRONE
Klimt's The Three Stages of Women is a beautiful painting. I currently have it propped up on my desk to provide a little inspiration for my work in progress – The Way Through the Woods. I shan’t bore ........
YOU CAN'T READ THIS!
I have recently published my debut novel The Sum of all Parts, and I have been lucky enough to have done a few interviews and to have spoken with a handful of people who have read my book. What surpri ........
Interview on East Coast Radio
Interview on East Coast Radio, The Heart of Wicklow (95/96/100 & 103fm) 10/05/23This morning I did my first live interview on East Coast Radio's Morning Show with Declan Murphy. If you missed it, head ........
Publish and be Damned
So. On the 31st March 2023 my debut work of fiction, The Sum of all Parts was published and it is now available to buy worldwide. I should be ecstatic, and I am to a certain extent, but you see what I ........
Another day, another interview
Check out this week's Carlow Nationalist for an interview about The Sum of all Parts I did a few weeks ago. You can find the article at carlow-nationalist.ie or visit their Facebook page.
Interview on The Sunday Grill Show at Beat Radio 102/103
Hi Readers!I will be having an interview tomorrow with lovely Orla Rapple for a slot on her show The Sunday Grill. Watch this space for details of when the interview will be aired.
Spoiler Alert!
I read my first Goodreads review today for The Sum of Parts. It was written by the usual suspect Mr. Soze (I'm guessing a nom de plume here). All in all I was extremely pleased with the enthusiasm and ........
The Shady Side of Fifty
So I turned the big 5-0 recently. I’d like to say that this milestone didn’t phase me – I am after all the one often caught saying that age is irrelevant, a man-made concept that should be paid no hee ........
What's the Story?
The Sum of all Parts is a fragmented story with traditional themes - love, betrayal, childhood, mental health, to name a few. The backbone of the story being a woman (The Wife) facing a life crisis: ........
Cacoethes Scribendi: An Itch for Authorship
My book, The Sum of all Parts, is available to buy. It's real. There are pages, a cover, an ISBN. It's available online, in shops. How did that happen? How did these tattered pages, covered in my a ........
CACOETHES SCRIBENDI: AN ITCH FOR AUTHORSHIP
The Sum of all Parts, is available to buy. It's real. There are pages, a cover. How did my tattered pages, covered in illegible scrawl, become that magical thing we call a book? I have always dream ........
what's the story?
Many years ago an idea for a book began to take root in the corner of my mind. I occasionally made a few notes, scribbled down a few ideas on scraps of paper and in notebooks, but all in all, I paid ........