Louise Phillips's Blog, page 50

The Killer Synopsis!

There are very few words in the English language that can scare a writer quite like the word SYNOPSIS!

You've spent months, maybe years, writing a fictional story and then someone asks you to explain it in 'x' amount of words, not another novel, but a sort of overview, which includes, genre, place, characters, premise, beginning, middle and end, along with all the significant reveals/dramas that happen whilst bringing the said story to a conclusion.

Easy, isn't a word that comes especially to mind!

So having delivered the manuscript of THE GAME CHANGER to my editor, when she asked me yesterday if I happened to have a synopsis, the answer was 'No', but, no problem, I said, I'll whip one up tomorrow!

I started at 6 a.m, It only took me 8 hours to put together 2,500 words, all of which, when I read them back proved to me that I definitively nuts, or at the very least, marginally insane to come up with plots like this.....

Will keep you posted!!

E U Prize for Literature - Irish Jury Announce 2015 Shortlist

There are very few things in life as pleasurable as reading great writing. One of the highlights of this year for me will certainly be my role as part of the Irish Judging Panel of the E U Prize for Literature. 

I recently reviewed an anthology of Irish contributors (more about that later) and below is a quote from my review. The words reflect well my feelings regarding the material I had the joy to read as part of this European Award.

"Good writing will seduce you. It will suck you into the world it creates, so that for the purest of moments in time, you dance within the life of another, aligned like a silent ghost beside them."

Congrats to Mary Costello, Donal Ryan and Deidre Sullivan.

For full Press Release - see below 


The following titles have been shortlisted for the EU Prize for Literature 2015, a Prize for emerging talents in the field of contemporary fiction (alphabetical order):
Mary Costello, Academy Street (Cannongate Books, 2014)
Donal Ryan, The Spinning Heart (Doubleday Ireland, 2012)
Deirdre Sullivan, Primperfect (Little Island, 2014)

Ireland is one of twelve countries who will provide a national winner of the EU Prize for Literature in 2015. See: http://www.euprizeliterature.eu/
The aim of the European Prize for Literature is to put the spotlight on the creativity and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourage greater interest in non-national literary works.
The €5,000 prize is financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union whose objective is to achieve three main goals: to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector; to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output; and to foster intercultural dialogue.
The twelve winners will be announced 14 April 2015 at the London Book Fair.

A ceremony will follow in Brussels on 23 June 2015.

The Irish Jury

STEPHEN BOYLAN is Books Category Manager for Eason's, the largest suppliers of books in Ireland. He also reviews books for RTE, the national state television and radio broadcaster.

CONOR KOSTICK Former Chairperson of the Irish Writers' Union and board member of the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency, Conor is the author of fourteen books of fiction and history, including the award-winning Epic

NESSA O'MAHONY has published four volumes of poetry, including a verse novel.

LOUISE PHILLIPS is bestselling author of the psychological crime thrillers, Red Ribbons, The Doll’s House and Last Kiss. All three novels were nominated for the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Book of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. Her second novel, The Doll’s House, won the award in 2013. 

FERGAL TOBIN was publishing director of Ireland’s largest publishing house for more than twenty years and was president of the Federation of European Publishers from 2010 to 2012.

THE GAME CHANGER!

So here it is at long last!!  Even though it will go through a number of revisions/edits before publication...THE GAME CHANGER (aka Novel 4) now exists with a beginning, middle and end...

I will be spending the next week doing a final read through with edits and then life might get back to normal for a little while!!

See you on the other side....

Getting there!!!

I'm working away on novel 4 (I know, I know -still??), but the end is close...plus my agent has given the 'work in progress' a very positive thumbs up, which is a mighty relief!

You spend months writing about a fictional world that nobody else knows about and it's always good to allow someone, other than the fictional characters that is, to have a look around inside!! 

(Fight Club gets a mention, in case you're wondering about the pic!)

A few Dates for the Diary!!

SOME DATES FOR THE DIARY!!!
24th FEBRUARY Lisburn City Library 6.45 Louise Phillips in Conversation with Eoin McNamee - FREE EVENT6th MARCH ENNIS BOOK Festival - 4.45 Temple Gate Hotel - Launch by LOUISE PHILLIPS of THE NIGHT GAME by Frank Golden (Salmon Fiction)24th APRIL LIBRARY AFTER DARK WRITERS' Cafe - 6.30 Clondalkin Library - LOUISE PHILLIPS Crime Fiction Workshop27th JUNE WEXFORD Literary Festival - 1.00 - 2.00 Author PanelLots of other news and events to follow...but this will do for now!!

A Great Blend of Psychological Suspense...

BOOKLIST (US Library Association Magazine) gives THE DOLL'S HOUSE a terrific review...



"Phillips keeps the reader riveted to the page, though tempted to flip pages to see how and where two story lines will converge. Pearson is developing into a strong series heroine, and her role as DI O’Connor’s conscience demonstrates the trust and growing affection he has for the still-married shrink. A great blend of psychological suspense and cop drama..."

The Night Game

If you're in and around Ennis for the festival, I would love to see you at this terrific event. 

Deeply honoured that the wonderful Frank Golden has asked me to launch his new novel THE NIGHT GAME...If you're familiar with his writing, you will know that you are in for an absolute treat!!  

Date: Friday, March 06, 2015

Time: 4.45pm

Venue: Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare

Arkyne - Story of a Vampire....

'ARKYNE - Story of a Vampire' by the very talented Caroline Farrell is now available on kindle.

It's described as 'A gripping story, combining Celtic magic with horror and adding its own twist to the vampire genre..' and will appeal to fans of Anne Rice and dark fantasy fiction lovers....ONE TO WATCH!

[image error]

Read More on Amazon HERE

Good and Bad...or Bad and Good??

The good news - Today I had a very impressive word count.....

The bad news - I wrote a paragraph that really upset me (this rarely happens, so it probably won't stay)...

The good news - I think I've figured out how it is all going to end.....

The bad news - It will require more words than I bargained for....(deadlines are scary things!)

Lisburn City Library presents....

Anybody in and around Lisburn on the 24th February next - it would be terrific to see you at this event with myself and Eoin McNamee!!