Pam Lecky's Blog, page 35
May 8, 2016
Kerry Book Adventure: Day 3
Killarney Train Station & The Railway Hotel
Broody dark clouds hung on the mountain tops this morning but at least it wasn’t raining. On the road early and we headed for Killarney town to investigate a few locations that I will be using in The Carver Affair. Firstly, it was up to The Malton Hotel, which in 1894, was The Railway Hotel. My heroine has an awkward meeting with an old beau here and later comes to stay in the hotel during Regatta weekend.
Killarney House 19th Century
Then over to what was Killarney House, home of the Earl of Kenmare, who used to host a fireworks display the evening of the annual rowing Regatta. The original house is gone but the park is open to the public. It must have been a fabulous sight, and a tiny bit romantic, watching the display over the waters of the lake.
Lough Leane from Ross Castle
The Regatta, which still takes place every summer, is run on the Lower Lake or Lough Leane.
Ross Castle Regatta Day
As luck would have it we stopped at Ross Castle, where there was the usual interpretive centre. It had an old drawing of the row boats and starter’s boat from just the right period.
Killarney will play host to one of the biggest scenes in the book, with fireworks of the explosive and human kind, a distressing meeting for our heroine and a dramatic reveal for the hero.
Muckross House
Muckross Gardens
Having completed our location hunting, we headed into the National Park and Muckross House, for a treat. It is a beautiful old house, in a fabulous location, overlooking the lake. It also has the added attraction, at this time of year, of the most gorgeous display of Azaleas and Rhododendron in flower. I may just have to use the location as the inspiration for Linden House, the fictional home of one of the characters.
Dingle Bay
On the way back to Annascaul, we stopped at Inch beach in the hope of getting some better photos than yesterday. Still a little hazy but I think you can see just how lovely Dingle Bay is.
So Day three draws to a close an
d yes, you guessed, we are back in The South Pole Inn! Well it would be rude not to say goodbye. If the weather holds, we will do our best to find a few more locations tomorrow morning, then, unfortunately, it’s back to Dublin. And writing!!
Bye for now!
May 7, 2016
Kerry Book Adventure: Day 2
It was bound to happen. Today the vagaries of the Irish weather were felt with force. Yes, it rained. All day. We headed for Dingle which, unfortunately, has become even more touristy than I remembered – a pity but I suppose inevitable. We had two options – the Slea Head drive or the Connor Pass. Unluckily, we delayed our decision and set off just as the rain started. The higher we travelled the heavier the rain and by the time we reached the top of the Connor Pass, the cloud was blowing in at speed. Braving the elements, I managed to take a few snaps (forgive the raindrops blurring the pictures) just to prove to you that I was actually there!
Dingle & Dingle Bay from Connor Pass
Northwards from the Connor Pass
Down the other side – not for the faint-hearted but luckily the weather meant there were few cars about on the road, that for a brief section is only wide enough for one car. We headed for Castlegregory in the hopes that the rain would stop but it was in vain. Disappointed, we headed back to Annascaul.
Clouds descending in the Slieve Mish
In a moment of madness I decided to take the cross mountain route (over the Slieve Mish Mountains) from Camp to Aughils. I’m alive to tell the tale but my heart was in my mouth as we climbed higher and the cloud came down around us. On a fine day, this drive would be spectacular – today it was plain scary. The road (for want of a better word) is one car wide, with bog, ditch or scary drop to the side. I was thinking of my husband who would have rallied his way across this route with glee, no matter what the conditions! He is made of sterner stuff than me. We made one stop to take a few photos (but really so that I could unclench my hands from the steering wheel!)
Inch Beach looking a tad damp
Back to civilisation and proper roads (sigh of relief) and we headed to Inch beach. Again, on a fine day it would be glorious but with a misty rain it was hard to appreciate it. The road from Inch to Annascaul is where I have located my fictional house settings for the book so I was keen to see the lay of the land. Some idiot decided to stick a few mountains where I had placed rolling parkland – back to the drawing board on that one!!
Great plans for tomorrow if the weather holds, but for now, happy out in The South Pole Inn (again!) where the food and beer are just the ticket.
Bye for now.
May 6, 2016
Kerry Book Adventure: Day 1
Finally here in Annascaul after months of planning and dreaming. My next book, The Carver Affair, a Victorian crime novel, is partially set in this wonderful location. For the next couple of days, I will be exploring locations with a very good friend of mine.
We left an overcast Dublin early this morning but by the time we had reached Adare, Co. Limerick, the sun was shining on our road trip. A brief pit-stop here and then onwards to Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula.
An hour and a half later we arrived in Annascaul, having braved the twisty road from Tralee. It was worth it though – the views were amazing towards the bays of Tralee and Dingle, to the north and south respectively.
Then the adventure began in earnest. A setting for a romantic scene I had in mind needed to be explored. My dear friend persuaded me that the walk to Annascaul Lake was much longer (and up hill!) than I believed so we wimped out and drove! So glad we did – I’d still be walking back down.
The lake is nestled between some high cliffs and mountain peaks, dark and mysterious and reflecting an impossibly blue sky. It is perfect for what I need, though I think I’ll allow my characters to get there on horseback as opposed to shank’s mare.
On the way back to Annascaul village we decided 
to investigate Tom Crean’s burial site. For anyone who doesn’t know, he was part of the Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, on the ship Endurance (1914-16). He was born in Annascaul and ran away from home at age 15 to join the British Navy. Little did we know that we were about to enter one of the strangest Irish cemeteries I have ever seen. Due to the rocky ground, all the graves are above ground, almost like miniature thatched houses!
Tom’s Final Resting Place
Then it was back to the village for some refreshment. And there could not be a more fitting place than The South Pole Inn, named in Tom’s honour! Looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures, whatever they may be.
Bye for now!
April 30, 2016
A Conversation with Author Barbara Lorna Hudson
This evening in the Library we have Barbara Lorna Hudson who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
You are very welcome, Barbara, please introduce yourself:
I grew up on a farm in Cornwall, studied languages at Cambridge, became a social worker and have somehow ended up as an Oxford don. I have reinvented myself as a fiction writer in my 70s.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
Yes, as a child I read whatever I could lay hands on – the half-dozen books on my grandfather’s shelf, all by Dickens, the sparse contents of the school library, and the occasional gift – I can remember them still. As well as set books for exams. our English teacher forced us to read Sir Walter Scott and Jane Austen, and I hated them both equally. And I used to devour my mother’s women’s magazines. As an adult I continued to enjoy the classics (with a little more discrimination), and modern literary fiction such as Julian Barnes, Adam Foulds, Colm Toibin, John Williams, Elizabeth Strout.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
My academic and text book stuff was traditionally published – very traditionally indeed. I can actually remember being given posh lunches by my publisher and being asked to write a book for them. Hard to believe!
As a new fiction writer, I self-published one edited collection of short stories, and sorted out another for ebook publication. I found the techie stuff hard and the marketing equally so.
Now my first novel is being traditionally published (ebook and paperbook print on demand) and it is such a help to have the publisher doing the publishing as well a lot of the marketing. – though with their support I am finding it easier to do my share.
Which genre do you write in and why?
I’ve written quite a range of short stories – romance, ghost, memoirish, spoof crime, dark humour. I love writing jokey flash fiction. My forthcoming novel is being marketed as literary/women’s and I think ‘literary’ covers most of my reading. I hadn’t even thought about genre till very recently, when I saw that it was important to classify books. I try to write what I’d want to read.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
The modern writers mentioned above. I think all of them write lovely, rich but economical prose and tell of believable, complicated characters.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing ?
No, I don’t think so, or not that I’m aware of. But I do like to bring my characters to places that have meant a great deal to me.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
Plotting. I go round for days asking myself ‘What if?’ and ‘How come?’ and ‘How can we get from A to B?’
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
Whenever I’m not hungry.
What is the best thing about being an author?
I love it when people say they’ve enjoyed my work.
And the flipside – what is the worst?
Promotion and selling. I suppose most writers feel the same? And I must say it is less painful than I first thought, because instead of getting the expected sneers and brush-offs, I find people do understand that self-promotion is necessary these days and they are kind and polite.
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy?
I began reluctantly, because I knew it was important. Now I love it
Which forum do you prefer?
I like Facebook best, not so much for promotion purposes or platform-building, but because I love finding out about other people’s lives and linking up with so many interesting people.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
I’m retired, and I had planned be more active in the various societies I belong to. I’d do a lot more of that if it wasn’t for the writing.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
I’d like to go out re-reading poems I loved as a student – Goethe or Pushkin. Or maybe something a little lighter and more recent, such as Wendy Cope.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
My first novel is Timed Out (Driven Press, published 4th April 2016.) It is about a sixtyish woman who seeks a meaningful way to spend her retirement years. it is set in Cambridge. She decides to look for a partner via Internet dating. It is part humorous and part deeply serious.
If you would like to know more about Barbara, check out the links below:
April 27, 2016
Drum Roll & Fanfare – Dognapped! is Launched
Say hello again to David Robertson, who would like to tell you about something special – it’s DOGNAPPED! publication day! I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy and have to say I was very impressed, both by the story and the beautiful illustrations. So if you know a child between 7 and 10 who loves to read, why not invest in a copy. You won’t be disappointed.
Hi, I’m David J Robertson a — year old, (sorry the number lock seems to be broken!), bloke from the Black Country. My children’s book – DOGNAPPED! is completed and published today! The second in the series, ‘IN THE DOGHOUSE!’, is written and the third book is already in the pipeline.
I have appeared on Pam’s page before but you may well be wondering, ‘Why on earth is a children’s writer appearing on the blog pages of a historical fiction author?’ Well, good people of this genre, it is my belief that you – being discerning readers – would like nothing better than to pass on your love of literature to your sons and daughters, to your grandchildren, to your nephews and nieces, indeed to any child who shows the slightest interest in taking their nose out of a mobile phone for even a second. [Hear, hear, says Pam]
Also, I have a book to promote and although slightly biased, I do happen to believe that it is quite good. In fact the illustrations by Ian R Ward are wonderful and I am very grateful for his input. Most people on picking it up do comment, ‘Oh this looks lovely!’ Sadly they’re all looking at the pictures and no one has read the story. I urge you to do so – you might like it!
So what are my writing credentials? I began writing seriously following a heart attack. Being cracked open like a lobster for a quadruple bypass seriously focuses the mind. Heed my advice – this is not the way to get into writing!
I’ve done quite a bit flash fiction and short stories. One day I’ll try to put them all together. You can see samples of these along with a blog on my website which is updated around once a week depending upon my inspiration, chagrin or whatever has plain got my goat during the past seven days.
And of course there’s the novel. Haven’t we all got one somewhere? It unfortunately needs attacking drastically with the red editing pen! A humorous (allegedly) science fiction/fantasy adventure. I only started it in 2006 so it must be nearly finished by now.
Below are a few links to my website and blog, Facebook page and my Twitter account. Please feel free to pop over and say, ‘Hi,’ it would be nice to see you. Just a word of warning, however – my dog, Misty, does administer the website, take whatever she tells you with a pinch of salt! Here is a link to my publisher, www.troubador.co.uk – it would be great if you fancied a copy of, ‘DOGNAPPED!’ You can read it yourself first before you donate it to your little darlings – I won’t tell, honest!
So – that’s taken care of me, what about the book? Well here’s a quick description:
DOGNAPPED! is an adventure book aimed at middle grade children (7-10) involving four canine friends. The quartet investigate strange sounds coming from the chimney of a canal boat which turns out to be feisty puppy, Ashley, stuck inside the narrow tube. They manage to release him but accidentally cast themselves adrift. On the boat’s radio they hear, ‘… news is coming in of a dognapping. Ashley has been taken along with a narrow boat. In a statement his people said, “whoever has taken our poor puppy is very naughty indeed!”’ The situation rapidly deteriorates until they eventually find themselves lost at sea.
Will they make it back to shore? Can any of them swim? How silly does Rascal look in welly boots?
The book has eight chapters, each with a single colour illustration beautifully drawn by artist, Ian R Ward, and is published today by Matador Books.
And an excerpt to whet your appetite:
One-Eyed Rose peered once more into the chimney. ‘Wow! It’s gone – whatever it was!’ she exclaimed, standing back. Now her one good eye had a black sooty ring around it.
I leant my paws against the window and put my nose to the glass. Inside were two black lumps. One was vaguely Bertie shaped. The other was a lot smaller.
The l
argest lump shook violently. Soot billowed through the air. It was Bertie! He blinked at me through the glass and pointed toward the back of the boat as he shouted, ‘The door was open all the time.’
I scurried along the bank and sprang onto the tiny deck. Clouds of black dust hung around the open door. Carefully, I made my way down three narrow steps and peered into the gloomy cabin. Bertie stroked his long black
whiskers which were slowly becoming grey again. In front of him the small black lump trembled. Two vivid white circles appeared.
The lump had eyes!
I took a step back. This was getting scarier. Even Bertie, who knows a lot of things about a lot of things looked worried.
Looking round I spotted a carving knife lying on a table. I picked it up in my jaws – just in case! ‘Ahh…!’ went the tiny black lump.
It trembled harder than before.
…AAh!’
And even harder.
‘Is everything all right?’ One-Eyed Rose yelled down the chimney.
‘…Tishoooo!’ sneezed the tiny black lump, showering more soot into the air.
‘Wow! What was that?’ boomed from the chimney. ‘Hold on I’m coming down.’
The tiny lump puffed out its cheeks. ‘Tshoo,’ it sniffed. It was now mostly white with brown patches and a brown tipped stubby tail.
Scamper!
Clatter!
Bang!
Thump!
One-Eyed Rose fell down the steps, ‘Wow! A puppy dog!’
The pup looked at Bertie with his bone-patterned scarf. He stared at me armed with a knife. Finally he gaped at One-Eyed Rose with the black ring around her one good eye like an eye- patch. ‘Arggh! Pirates!’
‘Wow! Where?’ shouted One-Eyed Rose, looking around anxiously.
I dropped the knife. ‘He means us, Rose,’ I told her, ‘we’ve frightened him.’
The pup bounced up and down
on all four paws. ‘I’m not frightened! Come on! I’ll fight you all. Yippity yap!’ he barked in a squeaky voice.
Bertie sighed. With a sharp clip of his paw he tapped the puppy across the tail making him somersault backwards.
‘Ow! I surrender!’
‘What sort of dog is that?’ One-Eyed Rose sniffed at the defeated baby.
‘I won’t tell you anything! We Jack Russells are very brave!’
I looked at the brown marks on his fur, ‘I bet his name is Patch.’
The little dog grinned at me defiantly, ‘You’ll get nothing out of me, you nasty pirate. From now on Ashley says nothing! Yappity yip!’
‘So, Ashley, what was a Jack Russell puppy doing up the chimney?’ Bertie asked.
Ashley pouted,‘I was exploring.’
‘It’s a good job I poked you out with that brush. If someone had lit the fire you might have singed your tail,’ One-Eyed Rose said helpfully.
Watch this space for news of the sequel – IN THE DOGHOUSE! due out at the end of October.
You can find our more about David and his work by following these links:
April 22, 2016
A Conversation with Author Miriam Drori
Today in the Library we have Miriam Drori, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
You are very welcome, Miriam, please introduce yourself:
Hello Pam and thank you for hosting me in the Library. I was born and brought up in London, UK and now live in Jerusalem, Israel. We have three grown-up children, two of whom still live at home. In the past, I worked with computers, first as a programmer and later as a technical writer. Now I write more interesting pieces. I also edit novels by other authors and have been lucky enough to have encountered some very talented authors through this work. My hobbies include folk dancing, walking, touring and of course reading.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
I didn’t read much as a child. As a late developer, always the youngest in the class, I was made to read books I wasn’t ready for, and that made me think reading, and hence writing, wasn’t for me. Now I enjoy reading, but I never learned to read quickly. This might be one of the factors that have made me a good editor, as slow reading is required to notice errors, but it also takes me longer to get through a book.
Since joining Crooked Cat Publishing, I have explored new genres. I’ve discovered, for instance, that ancient history can provide a much more interesting backdrop to a novel than I had thought possible.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
I was fortunate enough to have my novel, Neither Here Nor There, published by Crooked Cat Publishing.
Which genre do you write in and why?
Neither Here Nor There is a romance. The novels I’ve been working on since it was published are not all romances. The last one, which might be the first to see light of day, is historical and follows the fictional life of a real model in a painting.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
That’s so hard to answer. It could be the mentor of my writing group. I joined his group when I was just starting out as a writer, and he taught me a lot. It could be the friend who told me about social anxiety disorder, because the ambition to raise awareness of it was the reason why I began writing. It could be the two friends who encouraged me and helped to polish the novel that was eventually published. It could be people I’ve never met – authors such as Ian McEwan, Naomi Ragen, Khaled Hosseini, Kazuo Ishiguro and many others.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Definitely. Being English, being Jewish – both have had a huge influence on my writing, as has my current country of residence. While I don’t think it’s essential to write what you know, these are the areas where I find I have the most to say.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
Possibly writing descriptions. I’m no artist and don’t always look closely enough to see the details, but I’ve been working on doing just that.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I’m more wide awake in the morning, but if I have something important to say, it doesn’t matter what time it is.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
Online and offline, I get to meet interesting people who like books, whether other authors or people who love to read. The worst thing has to be that it doesn’t pay well unless you’re famous, which I’m not… yet.
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
I enjoy social media. To be honest, I enjoy it particularly because it gives me a chance to chat to people on a level, whereas face to face I’m always at a disadvantage. I suppose I like Facebook the best because of its immediacy and the ease of attracting others who want to chat, but I also like blogging.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
I would probably still be doing technical writing and looking forward to retirement. I would particularly be hoping for time to make some of the wonderful trips I’ve been on recently.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
Something humorous so that I can die laughing. P.G. Wodehouse would fit the bill.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
Neither Here Nor There is a romance with a difference. Set mostly in Jerusalem and partly in London, it follows Esty, who has just escaped from the ultra-orthodox community that has been hers up to now. The escape itself takes minutes, her arrival at a new home on the outside, hours. But the process of fitting into that other world is much longer and involves several traumatic scenes. Meeting and falling in love with a young man while all this is going on makes the process easier in some ways and harder in others.
Neither Here Nor There is available from Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes and elsewhere.
Miriam Drori can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Wattpad and on her website/blog.
April 16, 2016
A Conversation with Author June Moonbridge
Today in the Library we have June Moonbridge, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
You are very welcome, June, please introduce yourself:
June Moonbridge is my pen name. I come from Slovenia, a little country in the middle of Europe. So I apologise for all the grammar mistakes I’ll definitely make, as English is my second language.
I’m a full time working mother with two children and a husband. My biggest wish is to have a black cat (yes, my daughter still thinks I’m a witch!) and an Irish wolfhound, but I choose not to until I will have enough time for both.
My writing started over two decades ago, when my teacher criticised everything I wrote. Being stubborn, I started to publish short and not so short stories in magazines just to get back honest reviews – and they were encouraging.
I have three books published in my language and one in English, my second novel in English is with my editor and I’m waiting in anticipation for her feed-back.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
When it was time for me to learn how to read, I didn’t want to. But when I learned what books can give me, I was able to read 7 books in a week. As years passed so did the number of books.
I like to read different genres and I read almost everything. I usually read every book I take in my hands, but there is one little thing. If it isn’t interesting enough after 20 pages, or if the way the book is written is not something I like, I don’t read it. This doesn’t happen a lot.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
I’m traditionally published with an independent fiction publisher – Safkhet Publishing.
Which genre do you write in and why?
My novel Racing Heart is listed under Romance > Mystery & Suspense > Suspense. Why? I love a good romance and I love a good Mystery & Suspense, so I combined them.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
I think every single author I have read.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Probably. Living in a small country of a population of only 2m, the way I see the world is probably different.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
To write the end. Last two/three scenes I find the most difficult to write. It’s probably because I don’t want my characters to let go. I overcome it when new characters start to be louder in my head than the old ones.
The next writing process is editing. I dread the day when I hear from my editor… I know I’m not perfect and I know she wants to get the best out of me… but working on the edits… (sigh)… but what must be done, must be done…
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I write when my family falls asleep. That means I write at night. But I always did, even before I had my family.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
The best thing about being an author for me is – learning and meeting new friends.
The worst part – well, it looks like everybody thinks that they have the right to ask you how many books you have sold and how much have you earned. So annoying… my polite answer is: “When you show me your pay-check, I’ll show you mine.”
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
In this digital world social media is an essential chore. I do enjoy it but it’s time consuming. Being a full time working mother, I’m not as present as I wish to be, but I’m trying my best.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
Being an author is (for the time being) only part of what I do. As I said, I’m full time working mother and I work as a Senior Buyer for a steel slewing rings production company. It’s interesting work, but I’m more skilled when it comes to buying steel than a lipstick.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
Oh gosh… Hmmm… I don’t know… I have so many books and e-books, I would probably choose one from my TBR list… but which… I really haven’t got a clue.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
My debut novel Racing Heart was published in July 2015, by Safkhet Publishing.
Race your heart around the bend with Racing Heart!
At twenty-five, Desire Hart has experienced almost too much. Changing everything in her life – her identity, her hometown and her country of residence, Desire is determined that nothing will prevent her achieving from finding her missing son. Not even love.
One spring evening, she meets the golden boy of F1 racing, Lorcan Shore, and finds herself falling for him. Struggling to suppress her feelings, she realises he could help her get closer to the child she believes is her long lost son.
But nothing goes according to plan. Her identity is revealed by the press, Lorcan has a terrifying accident, and the trail to her son finishes in another dead end. So Desire does what she does best – she runs away.
Set against the glamorous backdrops of Monaco, Paris and Nice, Racing Heart mixes romance and mystery as Desire struggles to come to terms with her past. Will she learn to accept love into her life again?
If you would like to know more about June, please click on the links below:
April 11, 2016
Celebrating Irish Women Authors: Katharine Tynan Hickson
This blog post is dedicated to Marcella & Keith Flanagan, Katharine’s relatives and my life-long friends
***
It was a song I learnt in school and one, I’m sure, most of you know. All in the April Evening has a beautiful melody and the words touched something in my childish heart, something most of the songs that were inflicted on us at the time most certainly didn’t do. It was only many years later that I discovered that the writer of the poem that forms the lyrics of the song, was Katharine Tynan, and that she was related to my next door neighbour and life-long friend!
So who was she?
Katharine was born in Clondalkin, Dublin, on 23rd January, 1859. She was one of twelve children and grow up on her father’s dairy farm. From age 6 to 14, she attended the Dominican Convent of St Catherine of Siena, Drogheda, and even considered life in a religious order.
In 1878, The Graphic, which was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, published her first poem. The influence of The Graphic within the art world was immense and she went on to contribute poems to Irish Monthly, Hibernia and Dublin University Review from 1880 to 1885.
Then in 1885, she met W.B. Yeats through the C. H. Oldham’s Dublin Universit
y Review. They became life-long friends and greatly influenced each other’s work. He advised her to instill her Irish Catholicism in her work. Her first book, Louise de la Valliere and Other Poems, was heavily influenced by Christina Rossetti and called by Yeats ‘too full of English influence to be quite Irish’. Her second volume, Shamrocks, contained exclusively Irish subject-matter. Her suggestion to Yeats that he should try an Irish subject resulted in Wanderings of Oisin.
In 1893 Katharine married Henry Albert Hinkson, a novelist and 
barrister, and a mutual friend of Yeats. The couple moved to London but when he became a Mayo magistrate in 1914, they moved back to Ireland to live in Claremorris. They had 3 children, one of whom became a writer as well – Pamela Hinkson (1900–1982). Henry died in 1919. Katharine died on 2 April 1931 in Wimbledon, London, aged 72.
During her lifetime, she wrote 100 novels, 12 collections of short stories, 3 plays, and anthologies, as well as innumerable articles on social questions such as poor children and women’s working conditions.
Jack B. Yeats painted her portrait in oil and this picture hangs in the Municipal Gallery, Dublin.
“The Wind that Shakes the Barley” is a well known song encompassing her poem as lyrics.
A prolific writer and unfortunately now almost forgotten. I will leave you with the poem/lyrics of the song that, more than anything else, engendered my love of poetry.
Sheep And Lambs
by Katharine Tynan
All in the April morning,
April airs were abroad;
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass’d me by on the road.
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass’d me by on the road;
All in an April evening
I thought on the Lamb of God.
The lambs were weary, and crying
With a weak human cry,
I thought on the Lamb of God
Going meekly to die.
Up in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy pastures are sweet:
Rest for the little bodies,
Rest for the little feet.
But for the Lamb of God
Up on the hill-top green,
Only a cross of shame
Two stark crosses between.
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.
Katharine’s rather impressive catalogue of work includes:
Louise de la Vallière (1885) poems
Shamrocks (1887)
Ballads & Lyrics (1891)
Irish Love-Songs (1892)
A Cluster of Nuts, Being Sketches Among My Own People (1894)
Cuckoo Songs (1894)
Miracle Plays 1895)
The Land of Mist and Mountain (1895)
The Way of a Maid (1895)
Three Fair Maids, or the Burkes of Derrymore(c.1895) later Illustrated by G. Demain Hammond
An Isle in the Water (1896)
The Golden Lily (1899)
The Dear Irish Girl (1899)
Oh, What a plague is Love! (1900)
Her Father’s Daughter (1900)
Poems (1901)
A Daughter of the Fields (1901)
A King’s Woman (1902)
Love of Sisters (1902)
The Great Captain: A Story of the Days of Sir Walter Raleigh (1902)
The Handsome Quaker, and other Stories (1902)
The Adventures of Carlo(1903) illustrated by E. A. Cubitt
The Luck of the Fairfaxes (1904)
A Daughter of Kings (1905)
Innocencies (1905) poems
For the White Rose (1905)
A Little Book for Mary Gill’s Friends (1905)
The Story of Bawn (1906)
The Yellow Domino (1906)
Book of Memory (1906)
Dick Pentreath (1906)
The Cabinet of Irish Literature. (4 volumes) (1906) editor, expansion of work by Charles Read
The Rhymed Life of St Patrick (1907) Illustrated by Lyndsay Symington
Twenty-One poems, selected by B. Yeats (Dun Emer Press, 1907)
A Little Book of XXIV Carols (1907)
Father Mathew(1908) biography of Theobald Mathew
Experiences (1908)
A Union of Hearts (1908)
The House of the Crickets (1908)
Ireland 1909)
A Little Book for John O’Mahony’s Friends (1909)
The Book of Flowers(1909) with Frances Maitland
Mary Gray (1909)
A Girl of Galway
The Rich Man
A Red, Red Rose (c.1910)
Heart O’ Gold or the Little Princess
The Story of Cecelia (1911)
New Poems (1911)
Princess Katharine(1911)
Twenty-five Years: Reminiscences (1913)
Irish Poems (1913)
The Wild Harp (1913) poetry anthology, editor, illustrated by C. M. Watts
A Mesalliance (1913)
The Daughter of the Manor (1914) illustrated by John Campbell
A Shameful Inheritance (1914)
The Flower of Peace (1914) poems
Mary Beaudesert, V. S. (1915)
Flower of Youth(1915) poems
The Curse of Castle Eagle (1915)
The House of the Foxes (1915) novel
Joining the colours (1916)
Lord Edward: A Study in Romance (1916)
The Holy War (Great War Poems) 1916.
The Middle Years (1916)
Margery Dawe (1916) illustrated by Frank E. Wiles
Late Songs (1917)
Herb O’Grace (1918) poems
The sad years (1918) tribute to Dora Sigerson
The Years of the Shadow (1919)
The Honourable Molly (1919)
Denys the Dreamer (1920)
The Handsome Brandons (1921) Illustrated by G. D. Hammond
Bitha’s Wonderful Year (1922)
The Wandering Years (1922)
Evensong (1922)
White Ladies (1922)
A Mad Marriage (1922) novel
Memories (1924)
Life in the Occupied Area (1925)
The Man from Australia (1925)
The Wild Adventure (1927)
Twilight Songs (1927)
The Face in the Picture (1927)
Haroun of London (1927)
Pat, the Adventurer (1928)
The Respectable Lady (1928)
The River (1929)
Castle Perilous (1929)
The Squire’s Sweetheart (1930)
Denise the Daughter (1930)
Collected Poems (1930)
The Admirable Simmons (1930)
The Forbidden Way (1931)
Philippa’s Lover (1931)
A Lonely Maid (1931)
The Story of Our Lord (1932)
The Other Man (1932)
An International Marriage (1933)
Londonderry Air (1935)
The Briar Bush Maid
A little radiant girl, illustrated by John Campbell
A Passionate Pilgrim
Maxims
The Poems of Katharine Tynan (1963) edited by Monk Gibbon
A Girls Song
April 8, 2016
A Conversation with Maggie Cammiss
This evening in the Library we have Maggie Cammiss, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
You are very welcome, Maggie, please introduce yourself:
It’s taken a while but I think I’ve arrived. This summer I put ‘novelist’ in the ‘profession’ column of my brand new marriage certificate. I worked in 24-hour rolling news for a long time which gave me a lot of inspiration for my writing. When I left I decided to jump straight in with a novel based on that environment.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
My mum took me to the public library as soon as I could read and I’ve been a keen reader ever since. My first real job was in public libraries and it introduced me to lots of genres I wouldn’t have otherwise read: biographies, poetry, social history; true crime. I still read widely: historical and literary fiction; romance; lots of crime – from the UK and America – as well as the recent Scandinavia offerings.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
I didn’t have an agent, so I submitted my first novel directly to Accent Press. I was absolutely delighted when it was published in December 2014.
Which genre do you write in and why?
I suppose it would fit into the chic-lit and women’s commercial fiction categories. This is where I’m most comfortable. It’s a bit of a cliché, but the old advice to write about what you know certainly worked for me.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
No particular author, but the good stuff spurs me on to better things, and the bad helps me think I’m improving all the time.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Only insofar as my novels are set in familiar parts of the UK and feature characters who live in this country.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
The editing is definitely the worst part. I’m a member of a writing group and they are very helpful at this stage – pointing out all the bits that don’t work; the plot points that need joining up; the adverbs that need deleting, and generally being very supportive. And giving me cake.
My biggest challenge these days is applying backside to chair and actually getting the writing done. I live in a beautiful part of the country and the temptation to down tools and go for a walk on the beach, whatever the weather, is always there. Self–control has never been my strong point.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I don’t stick to a rigid timetable these days but usually I catch up on social media in the morning, leaving the afternoons for serious writing. And I make an awful lot of notes in the dead of night.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
The best bit is being your own boss, being able to decide how to allocate your time, and spending it with an ever-changing cast of interesting characters who are doing your bidding. Well, most of the time! The worst is the isolation. Writing’s a pretty solitary business, and it’s good to get away from the screen and talk to other people. Oh, and those people who tell me they would write a novel if they only had the time….
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
I know I need to do the promotion and I’m getting to enjoy it more than I used to, but it is so time consuming! I have to ration myself or I could while away hours. I use Facebook and Twitter, but I prefer Twitter because it’s more immediate and it doesn’t take too long.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
I’d like to say something dynamic, like concert pianist, or championship golfer, but sadly I haven’t got the talent, or the patience for all the practice, so I’d have to stick to writing, and reading, of course.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
Definitely not something I’ve already read. It would probably be something I’ve been looking forward to and stored on my Kindle.
P
lease tell us about your latest published work.My first novel ‘No News is Good News’ is published by Accent Press. My second novel is nearing completion.
If you would like to know more about Maggie and her work please see the links below:
April 1, 2016
A Conversation with Patricia Hopper Patteson
I have a special guest in the Library today, fellow Dubliner, Patricia Hopper Patteson, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into her life as an author.
You are very welcome, Patricia, please introduce yourself:
Hello, I’m Patricia Hopper Patteson. I’m a native of Dublin, Ireland, now living in West Virginia. For anyone who is not familiar with West Virginia, it’s south of New York and west of Washington, D.C. John Denver wrote the song “Country Roads” for West Virginia. I came here as a young bride and have lived in Morgantown, home to West Virginia University (WVU), ever since. I hold a B.A. and an M.A. from there. I’ve received numerous awards from the West Virginia Writers’ competition and my fiction and non-fiction have been published in magazines, reviews, and anthologies. When I’m not writing or working, I enjoy spending time with my two grown married children Brian and Tara and my grandson Jackson.
Did you read much as a child? Are you an avid reader now? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
I read a lot as a child. I became absorbed in the books of Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene. I also liked the classics like Little Women and Ann of Green Gables. When I ran out of books in my age group I began reading adult mystery books. I didn’t read much for years because I was raising a family and working on my degrees, but now I manage to read a bit more. I like most genres except horror and love a good original story.
Are you self-published or traditionally published?
I am traditionally published through Bygone Era Books, which is a small publisher located in Colorado
Which genre do you write in and why?
I am currently writing historical fiction. I am happy I live in the technology age, but I like to imagine what it was like to live during times where people existed without all the modern conveniences and how restrictive the rules of society were in earlier centuries.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
I would have to say my creative writing professors at West Virginia University. It wasn’t until I began taking creative writing classes that I learned the tools to write a novel. Until then I never dreamed of attempting to write a novel. As my interest in creative writing grew, so did my ability to write a novel.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Absolutely. But I’m a person of two countries and two cultures. I blended these in my novel Kilpara. However, sometimes my Irishness creeps into my American characters’ voices and vice versa. My sisters in Ireland are great at pointing this out to me on the Irish side of my writing, and my American author friends do the same for the American side of my novel.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
Probably letting go after the final edit. After finishing the first draft of the novel there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction. But then comes the part where the story must be moulded into the finished product and that means adding and cutting information from scenes. It takes several editorial passes to get that right and then comes the polishing. Accepting that the novel is as close to perfect as I can get it is the tough part.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I am most productive in the morning, but it isn’t always possible to work then. So I write when I can.
What is the best thing about being an author? And the flipside – what is the worst?
I enjoy being out among the public, hearing people’s stories and talking to them about what they like to read. I also enjoy those times when the words just flow and a story takes on a life of its own. The worst part of being an author for me is when a story that I thought had so much potential gets bogged down and doesn’t pan out the way I imagined it.
Is social media an essential chore or something you enjoy? Which forum do you prefer?
Social media helps an author interact with other authors and readers in a way that wasn’t possible even ten years ago. So I like being able to have that immediate connection. The flip side is if I get caught up in social media, it can eat away at my time. I most often use Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
Probably what I do now, which is grant management. WVU is a land grant institution and faculties are required to do research to become tenured. The office I work in assists professors throughout the University to process their research proposals. The work I do requires focus, patience and perseverance. Some of the same skills sets that are required to be a writer.
It’s the last day and the earth is facing oblivion – what book would you read?
A prayer book for comforting words to face the end.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
My novel Kilpara was published by Bygone Era Book in May 2015. It is an historical novel set in 1866 soon after the American Civil War. It is the first book in a 3 book family saga series about the O’Donovan family. In Kilpara, Ellis O’Donovan and his family have made it through the darkest days of the Civil War, but not unscathed. With the country healing in the aftermath of the war, opportunities abound for someone of Ellis’ business initiative. His future looks bright—until he receives an urgent telegram that his mother is seriously ill. His life takes a different turn when Ann O’Donovan, an Irish immigrant, pleads with him to take her to see Kilpara and her Irish homeland one last time. However, the estate has passed into the hands of a British aristocrat who will never allow an O’Donovan on his property. Ellis’ future begins to slip away as family responsibility pulls him into its grip.
Kilpara can be found at:
It is available by order through Barnes and Noble bookstores, Bradley’s Books, and any independent book store
If you would like to know more about Patricia and her work please click on the links below:
