Clare O'Beara's Blog, page 10
February 8, 2018
Footloose February
I am on my way to Mars! Courtesy of NASA and InSight. Read on to find out more!
Highs so far this year include going to see a production of ‘Footloose the Musical’ at St Paul’s College Raheny. The billing promised 130 very talented young people, and indeed so it proved. We had a splendid evening and came away singing. The musical adaptation is slightly less mature than the film and extremely suitable for teenagers to act in and watch.
The low point has to be of course, the loss of Ursula K LeGuin. Followers of fantasy and science fiction and indeed, great women authors, will miss her. Every now and then I get an Earthsea book, The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness down to re-read.
Last night my husband and I went to see ‘The Post’ – a film which I strongly recommend. As much as anything I enjoyed seeing the working compositors, lines of type, and hot metal which were used in printing newspapers. The role of women in Washington at that time was highlighted just as much as the politics. The film ends in such a way that I felt inclined to get out ‘All The President’s Men’ and view or read it again. The film dovetails nicely with my journalism degree and was recommended by one of my lecturers, a working journalist.
For another great dramatic moment, how about the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch! I have been watching that on a loop! The world of my science fiction appears to be growing closer every day. A book I am currently reading is: Almost Heaven: Women On The Frontiers Of Space. Among all the determined cosmonauts and astronauts we see Nichelle Nichols, actress who played Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, who helped to inspire a generation of women to be astronauts and visited NASA bases to find out how women could train for the real-life role. The book contains plenty of other fascinating facts such as: the first journalist in space was a Japanese man, who flew up with the Russians.
While my own contribution is much less awesome, I’m revelling in the fact that NASA has added my name to a chip on InSight, a spacecraft on its way to land on and study the deep interior of Mars. InSight's full name is Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.
As we’re drawing near St. Valentine’s Day a romance book is almost obligatory. I’ll be making Silks and Sins, a romance set around Irish flat-racing, free to download on Kindle from 14 – 17 February. All my books are downloadable on Kindle Unlimited as well.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silks-Sins-C...
https://www.amazon.com/Silks-Sins-Cla...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
Highs so far this year include going to see a production of ‘Footloose the Musical’ at St Paul’s College Raheny. The billing promised 130 very talented young people, and indeed so it proved. We had a splendid evening and came away singing. The musical adaptation is slightly less mature than the film and extremely suitable for teenagers to act in and watch.
The low point has to be of course, the loss of Ursula K LeGuin. Followers of fantasy and science fiction and indeed, great women authors, will miss her. Every now and then I get an Earthsea book, The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness down to re-read.
Last night my husband and I went to see ‘The Post’ – a film which I strongly recommend. As much as anything I enjoyed seeing the working compositors, lines of type, and hot metal which were used in printing newspapers. The role of women in Washington at that time was highlighted just as much as the politics. The film ends in such a way that I felt inclined to get out ‘All The President’s Men’ and view or read it again. The film dovetails nicely with my journalism degree and was recommended by one of my lecturers, a working journalist.
For another great dramatic moment, how about the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch! I have been watching that on a loop! The world of my science fiction appears to be growing closer every day. A book I am currently reading is: Almost Heaven: Women On The Frontiers Of Space. Among all the determined cosmonauts and astronauts we see Nichelle Nichols, actress who played Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, who helped to inspire a generation of women to be astronauts and visited NASA bases to find out how women could train for the real-life role. The book contains plenty of other fascinating facts such as: the first journalist in space was a Japanese man, who flew up with the Russians.While my own contribution is much less awesome, I’m revelling in the fact that NASA has added my name to a chip on InSight, a spacecraft on its way to land on and study the deep interior of Mars. InSight's full name is Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.
As we’re drawing near St. Valentine’s Day a romance book is almost obligatory. I’ll be making Silks and Sins, a romance set around Irish flat-racing, free to download on Kindle from 14 – 17 February. All my books are downloadable on Kindle Unlimited as well. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silks-Sins-C...
https://www.amazon.com/Silks-Sins-Cla...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
January 14, 2018
January at Jamaica Inn, Cornwall
Our winter break was spent among smugglers, pirates and wreckers… also writers. The handsome and historic Jamaica Inn, which we visited on Bodmin Moor on New Year’s Day, boasts a fine carvery restaurant which fed runners and hill walkers galore. A gift shop and farm craft shop are further reasons to visit, but I loved the museum about the inn itself, Daphne duMaurier who immortalised it in literature, and the history of the aforementioned Cornish smugglers, pirates and wreckers. 
Daphne was born in London but fell in love with Cornwall and was inspired to write several books including Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, My Cousin Rachel and The Birds, adapted by Hitchcock, as well as her gothic drama Jamaica Inn. The inn features a scene from the tale, and a plaque on the floor at the spot where a character was murdered. 
After Daphne’s death, her effects were sold and the owners of the inn bought her writing desk and several other objects which are arranged as in her room. One fine painting shows Daphne’s husband, Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Browning. He helped to organise the Allied forces’ attack on Arnhem during WW2, and was among the first troops to parachute in; he was the originator of the prophetic phrase “we may be going a bridge too far.” 
Other writing connections include Alastair MacLean, author of Ice Station Zebra, The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare, who was a former owner of Jamaica Inn; while the landscape and multi-stranded history of Cornwall inspired Winston Graham to write Poldark.
The county now boasts a Poldark trail of sites used to film the series. And the smugglers are those described in Kipling’s poem ‘The Smuggler’s Song’,
bringing “brandy for the parson, baccy for the clerk, laces for a lady, letters for a spy.” Many books and themed gifts to be found in the gift shop!
As it’s winter I am making my SF book set in London over winter free for a few days. Dining Out With The Ice Giants brings people from Neptune and Uranus to Earth, as well as workers from Pluto; all in a day’s work for the intrepid journalists at London’s Eye.Grab it 18 – 21 January!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Giants...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Giants-Aroun...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
December 12, 2017
December at Belfast Christmas Market
Getting in the festive spirit, I visited the Christmas Market at Belfast City Hall.
Our Dublin Business School group had been booked in for a guided tour, so we were taken around City Hall which was nicely decked out for Christmas. We learnt about the 400-year old charter of Belfast as a city; a painting showed that it was established in shipbuilding, linen making and farming at that time. The council chamber with opposing benches, journalists’ seats and Lord Mayor’s seat were all open to us and we saw paintings of Queen Victoria and Edward the Seventh who visited, as well as portraits of past Lord Mayors, and a ballroom which hosts charity and public events.
As we had climbed stairs to reach the upper floor I asked if the building was fully accessible, explaining that I blog about disability access. I had noticed that the upper floor had doors which opened at the push of a button, so I was pleased to learn that a lift is provided and the building is accessible. Because I had asked, I was then shown a very handsome platform lift to help visitors get from the ground outside to the raised ground floor of the building.
The market outside was just as easily accessed and was all contained within the stout railings of the grounds. I bought artisan cheeses from a cheesemaker who had come over from Cheshire, and a simnel cake from a local cake maker. Hot foods and drinks, and many kinds of handmade gifts, were on offer as well as the chance for children to play in a snow globe. Well done to Belfast City Hall for putting on such a friendly event.
We also visited the Ulster Museum in Belfast and as the day was bitter cold we walked through the grounds of the Botanic Gardens to the Museum entrance, and made a beeline for the café to enjoy a hot lunch. The dramatic installation of a sea of poppies was well worth a look; timed to coincide with Poppy Week, this ceramic flow of flowers was by Paul Cummins Ceramics Ltd.
Inside the Museum occupies five floors and has lifts to all, with some displays that sweep up through the whole building and others that are on themed floors. Among other interesting objects were a cannon from a Spanish Armada shipwreck, a skeleton of an Edmontosaurus dinosaur and a stuffed champion Irish wolfhound. The ground floor presented the Troubles in Northern Ireland and how it affected local people.
As we went up we went further back in history, to the post-Ice Age natural environment, with a skeleton of the Irish great deer next to a reconstructed model of the deer, also called Irish Elk. Further back we found meteorites and geology. Not forgetting the wickerwork dragons on the ceiling on the A Game of Thrones theme!
The restrooms are accessible, though all located on the ground floor, and I was pleased to note a sign explaining that not all disabilities are visible. This is especially thoughtful. Seating is provided at intervals through the galleries. I observed a family including a young person with a learning disability enjoying the Ice Age animals.
Thanks very much to our lecturers Susan Sweeney and Henry McDonald the Guardian journalist and author, for arranging the enjoyable trip.
Wherever you are, have a happy and peaceful Christmas. Give books and e-books! There is no better present than the gift of reading.
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
Our Dublin Business School group had been booked in for a guided tour, so we were taken around City Hall which was nicely decked out for Christmas. We learnt about the 400-year old charter of Belfast as a city; a painting showed that it was established in shipbuilding, linen making and farming at that time. The council chamber with opposing benches, journalists’ seats and Lord Mayor’s seat were all open to us and we saw paintings of Queen Victoria and Edward the Seventh who visited, as well as portraits of past Lord Mayors, and a ballroom which hosts charity and public events.
As we had climbed stairs to reach the upper floor I asked if the building was fully accessible, explaining that I blog about disability access. I had noticed that the upper floor had doors which opened at the push of a button, so I was pleased to learn that a lift is provided and the building is accessible. Because I had asked, I was then shown a very handsome platform lift to help visitors get from the ground outside to the raised ground floor of the building.
The market outside was just as easily accessed and was all contained within the stout railings of the grounds. I bought artisan cheeses from a cheesemaker who had come over from Cheshire, and a simnel cake from a local cake maker. Hot foods and drinks, and many kinds of handmade gifts, were on offer as well as the chance for children to play in a snow globe. Well done to Belfast City Hall for putting on such a friendly event.
We also visited the Ulster Museum in Belfast and as the day was bitter cold we walked through the grounds of the Botanic Gardens to the Museum entrance, and made a beeline for the café to enjoy a hot lunch. The dramatic installation of a sea of poppies was well worth a look; timed to coincide with Poppy Week, this ceramic flow of flowers was by Paul Cummins Ceramics Ltd.
Inside the Museum occupies five floors and has lifts to all, with some displays that sweep up through the whole building and others that are on themed floors. Among other interesting objects were a cannon from a Spanish Armada shipwreck, a skeleton of an Edmontosaurus dinosaur and a stuffed champion Irish wolfhound. The ground floor presented the Troubles in Northern Ireland and how it affected local people.
As we went up we went further back in history, to the post-Ice Age natural environment, with a skeleton of the Irish great deer next to a reconstructed model of the deer, also called Irish Elk. Further back we found meteorites and geology. Not forgetting the wickerwork dragons on the ceiling on the A Game of Thrones theme!
The restrooms are accessible, though all located on the ground floor, and I was pleased to note a sign explaining that not all disabilities are visible. This is especially thoughtful. Seating is provided at intervals through the galleries. I observed a family including a young person with a learning disability enjoying the Ice Age animals.
Thanks very much to our lecturers Susan Sweeney and Henry McDonald the Guardian journalist and author, for arranging the enjoyable trip.Wherever you are, have a happy and peaceful Christmas. Give books and e-books! There is no better present than the gift of reading.
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
November 12, 2017
November - Demon hunting and fake news in Dublin
Demon hunting has kept me occupied in Dublin, as well as talks and the hugely enjoyable Octocon.
Trinity College provided an open lecture by Tom Molloy, formerly a journalist and now Trinity’s Director of Public Affairs and Communications, and Dr Linda Kiernan, who explained about the original fake news and what the term means to us today. In
seventeenth century France, scandal sheets were printed and distributed, carrying rumours about people in important positions. Today the term is most heard when briefly denying a claim that has been published; it has served to make the speaker feel he/ she doesn’t need to explain matters.
Another talk I attended at Trinity discussed computer game-led research and where it is taking our world.
One issue raised was the ‘uncanny valley’ or the difficulty in making a generated character almost look human… until the viewer suddenly feels it is creepy. Motion tracking and transferring to a CGI character has become very good indeed. I learnt a lot from these entertaining talks.
The Royal Dublin Society provided a great talk by Duff Hart-Davis author of over forty books, many of which were ghost writing. I’ve read his Horses of War
about Russia and The Man-Eater of Jassapur about India, and both these locations came up in the images he showed. As a boy he went to Eton, and one summer he worked his way as a deck hand on a ship bringing goods to Nairobi and restocking with timber. His godfather who had arranged the trip, met him in Nairobi. This was Peter Fleming, Ian Fleming’s older brother, who was a travel writer.
He said, “I’m going to drive the first car across the Iron Curtain, to Yalta. Do you want to come?” How could a teen boy say no? The car drove up to Moscow, along the road taken in the other direction by Napoleon in retreat, and at Moscow they had been told to turn right to get to Yalta in the Balkans. As they went, occasionally they would decide to turn off the main road and see a town. But each time KGB men would suddenly appear out of ditches and tell them that an avalanche had occurred, and it was not possible to drive any further in that direction. A petrol station would be every hundred miles or so, with very dirty petrol so Duff spent a lot of time cleaning sparkplugs. The ordinary Russians could not believe it was possible for one person to own a car, and would not be convinced that other countries had traffic jams.
Other persons in the images included Jimmy Chipperfield, an uneducated man from a circus family who came up with the idea of safari parks and persuaded the Marquess of Bath to try it out first in the country estate Longleat. Duff chronicled the adventure when working for the Daily Telegraph in London. He also flew an RAF plane, and ghost-wrote the memoir of the man who directed Operation Mincemeat,
in which a dead man was washed up in Europe during WW2 with plans of how the Allies planned to invade – false plans with wrong locations. I am sure we could have listened to Duff’s tales all night.
Fittingly for Hallowe’en I attended a horror film in Temple Bar - at the behest of my college lecturer, as I don’t watch horror. Demon Hunter is set in Ireland and is a modern dark fantasy, about a young woman who tracks down a demon who abducted and killed her younger sister. A Garda detective leading a murder inquiry about a beheaded man, first arrests Taryn, then later has to ask for her aid when his own daughter is abducted.
I found the character development highly interesting, taking Taryn Barker from teen schoolgirl to a strong, Goth-dressing young woman, who tellingly becomes similar to the demons in that she - in a throwaway line - disrespects a woman on her demon-hunting team.
Demon Hunter was actually very entertaining and for a low-budget film with original screenplay was well cast and produced.
The principals gave a Q&A session afterwards and we learnt that the leading actress Niamh Hogan is a third Dan in Shotokan Karate, making her perfect for the part, except that she had to dye her hair black. The script was largely written by visionary producer Zoe Kavanagh, who personally funded the film. The rating was 15 years, on a violence par with David Lynch's Dune in my book, and I can recommend Demon Hunter to those who enjoy darker films. Not all the questions posed by the plot are answered but two more films are to follow.
As you can see I’ve had a packed few weeks and there’s more to cram in before Christmas.
This month, Murder At Scottish Mensa will be free 16th – 18th November. If you download, please leave a review.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Scotti...
https://amazon.com/Murder-At-Scottish...
Trinity College provided an open lecture by Tom Molloy, formerly a journalist and now Trinity’s Director of Public Affairs and Communications, and Dr Linda Kiernan, who explained about the original fake news and what the term means to us today. In
seventeenth century France, scandal sheets were printed and distributed, carrying rumours about people in important positions. Today the term is most heard when briefly denying a claim that has been published; it has served to make the speaker feel he/ she doesn’t need to explain matters. Another talk I attended at Trinity discussed computer game-led research and where it is taking our world.
One issue raised was the ‘uncanny valley’ or the difficulty in making a generated character almost look human… until the viewer suddenly feels it is creepy. Motion tracking and transferring to a CGI character has become very good indeed. I learnt a lot from these entertaining talks.
The Royal Dublin Society provided a great talk by Duff Hart-Davis author of over forty books, many of which were ghost writing. I’ve read his Horses of War
about Russia and The Man-Eater of Jassapur about India, and both these locations came up in the images he showed. As a boy he went to Eton, and one summer he worked his way as a deck hand on a ship bringing goods to Nairobi and restocking with timber. His godfather who had arranged the trip, met him in Nairobi. This was Peter Fleming, Ian Fleming’s older brother, who was a travel writer.
He said, “I’m going to drive the first car across the Iron Curtain, to Yalta. Do you want to come?” How could a teen boy say no? The car drove up to Moscow, along the road taken in the other direction by Napoleon in retreat, and at Moscow they had been told to turn right to get to Yalta in the Balkans. As they went, occasionally they would decide to turn off the main road and see a town. But each time KGB men would suddenly appear out of ditches and tell them that an avalanche had occurred, and it was not possible to drive any further in that direction. A petrol station would be every hundred miles or so, with very dirty petrol so Duff spent a lot of time cleaning sparkplugs. The ordinary Russians could not believe it was possible for one person to own a car, and would not be convinced that other countries had traffic jams.
Other persons in the images included Jimmy Chipperfield, an uneducated man from a circus family who came up with the idea of safari parks and persuaded the Marquess of Bath to try it out first in the country estate Longleat. Duff chronicled the adventure when working for the Daily Telegraph in London. He also flew an RAF plane, and ghost-wrote the memoir of the man who directed Operation Mincemeat,
in which a dead man was washed up in Europe during WW2 with plans of how the Allies planned to invade – false plans with wrong locations. I am sure we could have listened to Duff’s tales all night. Fittingly for Hallowe’en I attended a horror film in Temple Bar - at the behest of my college lecturer, as I don’t watch horror. Demon Hunter is set in Ireland and is a modern dark fantasy, about a young woman who tracks down a demon who abducted and killed her younger sister. A Garda detective leading a murder inquiry about a beheaded man, first arrests Taryn, then later has to ask for her aid when his own daughter is abducted.
I found the character development highly interesting, taking Taryn Barker from teen schoolgirl to a strong, Goth-dressing young woman, who tellingly becomes similar to the demons in that she - in a throwaway line - disrespects a woman on her demon-hunting team.
Demon Hunter was actually very entertaining and for a low-budget film with original screenplay was well cast and produced.
The principals gave a Q&A session afterwards and we learnt that the leading actress Niamh Hogan is a third Dan in Shotokan Karate, making her perfect for the part, except that she had to dye her hair black. The script was largely written by visionary producer Zoe Kavanagh, who personally funded the film. The rating was 15 years, on a violence par with David Lynch's Dune in my book, and I can recommend Demon Hunter to those who enjoy darker films. Not all the questions posed by the plot are answered but two more films are to follow.
As you can see I’ve had a packed few weeks and there’s more to cram in before Christmas.
This month, Murder At Scottish Mensa will be free 16th – 18th November. If you download, please leave a review.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Scotti...
https://amazon.com/Murder-At-Scottish...
October 1, 2017
October Means Octocon!
I'm shortly going to attend the annual Octocon for a great weekend of SF &F in Dublin. Once more I will be representing Fresh Fiction, the book and media website based in Texas. And I'll be making a couple of my books free for the weekend. Here is the article I wrote covering last year's Convention.
Octocon 2016
Authors Diane Duane and Peter Morwood headed the guest list at Dublin's Octocon, Ireland's National Science Fiction Convention, with Rhianna Pratchett, games reviewer and game script writer.
The theme was Rebellion, as 2016 is the centenary of the Easter Rising; the Con booklet was illustrated with YA dystopian girl characters and the headline 'Girls Just Want To Rebel'.
The busy weekend had panel topics ranging from Elves to Spacefaring Navy and Pirates,
to representations of LGBT or disabled characters in F&SF. One panel looked at future inventions. An author came up with the idea of powering equipment by the pressure of pedestrians walking on something, and was told that a Japanese railway station powers its lighting in this way.
Diane Duane was born in Manhattan and given to a foundling hospital, later adopted. She reckons this is the perfect beginning in life for a fantasy author. She described her adventures while writing Young Wizard books
and for Star Trek, Scooby Doo and other TV series. She met Peter Morwood through Cons. Peter is from Northern Ireland and trained as a pilot with the RAF. His books are chiefly about medieval fantasy warfare, and he kindly brought in his collection of real swords for a fascinating Sunday panel. Peter and Diane married 29 years ago... at a Con. Diane had to sit on a panel in her wedding dress because there wasn't time to change. They live in County Wicklow.
Oisin McGann writes YA books and he explained that if he writes a steampunk,
a fantasy, a space story, a historical and a western, they all sit on the same shelf in the bookshop. If he was writing for adults they would be scattered all around the shop. YA writer, Rachael Kelly, said that her fantasy books are called dystopian but she hadn't written them with that intention; they were based on her formative years in 1980s Belfast.
A late night panel on romance in F&SF featured authors Eileen Gormley and Caroline McCall, who team up to write tasteful erotic romance for Penguin under the name Evie Hunter.
Eileen pointed out that sex may now be separate from pregnancy, and in the future this could be taken to extremes, with sex for relationships and recreation while babies are produced by artificial means. Caroline mentioned that underwear has changed a lot in the past hundred years, corsets having been replaced. Issues of consent were seen as being increasingly more important in a society that communicates by digital means, and laws will need to keep up. Panellist Edmund Barrett discussed computers and romantic relationships, and how tech will affect human relationships.
The party on Saturday night was tremendous fun.
Given the theme of rebellion, we saw pirates and punk rockers dancing until the early hours as well as Superman and Star Trek characters. I chatted to a fan from Poland who said he had been in Ireland for seven years; the punk look was what he was wearing in Poland as a student.
Sunday morning saw the sword panel with
discussions of medieval warfare, followed by a panel on writing fighting scenes into your book or film. The fight should have a beginning, to raise tension and set the stakes; a middle, the combat; and a resolution, to show the outcome and how it changes the character or plot. Another track for budding authors was a writing workshop hosted by Eileen and Caroline. They later told me that the attendees had all brought material but were not ready to publish, and could benefit from the support of a writers' group. The next panel focused on copyright and intellectual property.
Rhianna Pratchett, born in England, qualified as a journalist like her father Sir Terry Pratchett, and reviewed video games. Going freelance she gained work from California game studios as scriptwriter for games including Thief and Tomb Raider. This led to her winning awards including in 2013, Women in Gaming in Europe's Achievement Award. She freely talked about her journey and how she was thrilled to meet the voice actors from games she loved to play.
The Golden Blasters are awarded annually for short films from Europe in F&SF and horror, judged at Octocon. These were presented at the Closing Ceremony.
Michael Carroll, a superhero comics writer, was presented with an award for his editing. A special presentation was made jointly to Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, the Creative Content Award in recognition of their long support of F&SF writing and fandom.
Keep an eye on my Amazon pages during Octocon this year as one or two books will be free or reduced during the Con. 7 - 8 October, and maybe I'll see you there!
https://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?u...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...
Octocon 2016
Authors Diane Duane and Peter Morwood headed the guest list at Dublin's Octocon, Ireland's National Science Fiction Convention, with Rhianna Pratchett, games reviewer and game script writer.
The theme was Rebellion, as 2016 is the centenary of the Easter Rising; the Con booklet was illustrated with YA dystopian girl characters and the headline 'Girls Just Want To Rebel'. The busy weekend had panel topics ranging from Elves to Spacefaring Navy and Pirates,
to representations of LGBT or disabled characters in F&SF. One panel looked at future inventions. An author came up with the idea of powering equipment by the pressure of pedestrians walking on something, and was told that a Japanese railway station powers its lighting in this way. Diane Duane was born in Manhattan and given to a foundling hospital, later adopted. She reckons this is the perfect beginning in life for a fantasy author. She described her adventures while writing Young Wizard books
and for Star Trek, Scooby Doo and other TV series. She met Peter Morwood through Cons. Peter is from Northern Ireland and trained as a pilot with the RAF. His books are chiefly about medieval fantasy warfare, and he kindly brought in his collection of real swords for a fascinating Sunday panel. Peter and Diane married 29 years ago... at a Con. Diane had to sit on a panel in her wedding dress because there wasn't time to change. They live in County Wicklow. Oisin McGann writes YA books and he explained that if he writes a steampunk,
a fantasy, a space story, a historical and a western, they all sit on the same shelf in the bookshop. If he was writing for adults they would be scattered all around the shop. YA writer, Rachael Kelly, said that her fantasy books are called dystopian but she hadn't written them with that intention; they were based on her formative years in 1980s Belfast. A late night panel on romance in F&SF featured authors Eileen Gormley and Caroline McCall, who team up to write tasteful erotic romance for Penguin under the name Evie Hunter.
Eileen pointed out that sex may now be separate from pregnancy, and in the future this could be taken to extremes, with sex for relationships and recreation while babies are produced by artificial means. Caroline mentioned that underwear has changed a lot in the past hundred years, corsets having been replaced. Issues of consent were seen as being increasingly more important in a society that communicates by digital means, and laws will need to keep up. Panellist Edmund Barrett discussed computers and romantic relationships, and how tech will affect human relationships. The party on Saturday night was tremendous fun.
Given the theme of rebellion, we saw pirates and punk rockers dancing until the early hours as well as Superman and Star Trek characters. I chatted to a fan from Poland who said he had been in Ireland for seven years; the punk look was what he was wearing in Poland as a student. Sunday morning saw the sword panel with
discussions of medieval warfare, followed by a panel on writing fighting scenes into your book or film. The fight should have a beginning, to raise tension and set the stakes; a middle, the combat; and a resolution, to show the outcome and how it changes the character or plot. Another track for budding authors was a writing workshop hosted by Eileen and Caroline. They later told me that the attendees had all brought material but were not ready to publish, and could benefit from the support of a writers' group. The next panel focused on copyright and intellectual property. Rhianna Pratchett, born in England, qualified as a journalist like her father Sir Terry Pratchett, and reviewed video games. Going freelance she gained work from California game studios as scriptwriter for games including Thief and Tomb Raider. This led to her winning awards including in 2013, Women in Gaming in Europe's Achievement Award. She freely talked about her journey and how she was thrilled to meet the voice actors from games she loved to play.
The Golden Blasters are awarded annually for short films from Europe in F&SF and horror, judged at Octocon. These were presented at the Closing Ceremony.
Michael Carroll, a superhero comics writer, was presented with an award for his editing. A special presentation was made jointly to Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, the Creative Content Award in recognition of their long support of F&SF writing and fandom. Keep an eye on my Amazon pages during Octocon this year as one or two books will be free or reduced during the Con. 7 - 8 October, and maybe I'll see you there!
https://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?u...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...
September 10, 2017
September and SF New Release
I've launched the latest in my series set in an alternative future London,
Dining Out On Planet Mercury.
DEATH IN KENSINGTON
When a girl from Mercury is suspected of murder, the police need Irish journalist and hacker Donal as interpreter.
CRAMMED IN TO CRICKLEWOOD
Off-world workers are being exploited in more ways than one.
LAST MINUTE ELECTION ROW
With a British Parliamentary election under way, the police need to keep fear and suspicion from getting out of hand.
DESPERATE MEASURES IN AUSSIE DROUGHT
At such times, not even London’s Eye reporters are safe. Can Donal and his Jafraican colleague Myron uncover the truth?
This book is a standalone read in the series Dining Out Around The Solar System.
To celebrate I'm making the previous book Dining Out With The Gas Giants free on Sept 15 - 18. So you can grab two books for the price of one!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Planet...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Giants...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Planet-Mercu...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Giants-Aroun...
I'm looking forward to an interesting few years, as I have enrolled in a Journalism Honours Degree with Dublin Business School.
With this in mind, I may be reviewing fewer books, or the topics may be more non-fiction, but I will endeavour to keep up my writing, as I get asked when the next book in a series will be released.
Also I enjoy finding out what my characters get up to as their tales progress.
Our trip to London last month gave me new locations to feature in my blog about accessible places to visit. Find this on my own website. I've also been given some great tips for locations.
For October of course I am looking forward to Octocon the Irish National Science Fiction Convention. See you there!
http://2017.octocon.com/
As I write we are watching the live assault by Hurricane Irma on Florida.
Respect to those brave journalists and I am hoping everyone in the area can stay safe.
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
Dining Out On Planet Mercury.
DEATH IN KENSINGTON
When a girl from Mercury is suspected of murder, the police need Irish journalist and hacker Donal as interpreter.
CRAMMED IN TO CRICKLEWOOD
Off-world workers are being exploited in more ways than one.
LAST MINUTE ELECTION ROW
With a British Parliamentary election under way, the police need to keep fear and suspicion from getting out of hand.
DESPERATE MEASURES IN AUSSIE DROUGHT
At such times, not even London’s Eye reporters are safe. Can Donal and his Jafraican colleague Myron uncover the truth?
This book is a standalone read in the series Dining Out Around The Solar System.
To celebrate I'm making the previous book Dining Out With The Gas Giants free on Sept 15 - 18. So you can grab two books for the price of one!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Planet...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Giants...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Planet-Mercu...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Giants-Aroun...
I'm looking forward to an interesting few years, as I have enrolled in a Journalism Honours Degree with Dublin Business School.
With this in mind, I may be reviewing fewer books, or the topics may be more non-fiction, but I will endeavour to keep up my writing, as I get asked when the next book in a series will be released.
Also I enjoy finding out what my characters get up to as their tales progress.Our trip to London last month gave me new locations to feature in my blog about accessible places to visit. Find this on my own website. I've also been given some great tips for locations.
For October of course I am looking forward to Octocon the Irish National Science Fiction Convention. See you there!
http://2017.octocon.com/
As I write we are watching the live assault by Hurricane Irma on Florida.
Respect to those brave journalists and I am hoping everyone in the area can stay safe.
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
August 13, 2017
August: Science fiction, books and horses
My husband and I visited the Barbican Centre in London for an SF exhibition called Into The Unknown. We're both longtime devotees, so we enjoyed the wide spread of materials and themes.
We saw groundbreaking, now classic, books; Ray Harryhausen film models; brilliantly imaginative dinosaur fantasy art; clips from well known films; props, space suits and models; short films about futuristic cities and an interactive set from The Martian.
We watched a short film called In the Future They Ate From The Finest Porcelain, about a woman accused by a strict regime of using archaeology as a terrorist tool. This was made by Larissa Sansour and Soren Lind. One of the great features of such an event is meeting like-minded people; we had a good chat with some fellow travellers. Another benefit was that it gave us an excuse to visit London and scope out more locations for my own books.
Speaking of which I am in the final editing stages of the next book in my series set in an alternate future London, Dining Out Around the Solar System. Watch this space!
WorldCon 2019 will be held in Dublin! Thanks for all the support shown to our bid and three cheers to the Con team for getting us this far. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror, cosplay and more will fill a five-day programme. I've just read a charming and unusual fantasy called Where the Waters Turn Black
by
Benedict Patrick, from Northern Ireland, though this tale is set in a magical Polynesian environment. Right now I have the next book by
Andy Weir to read and review, Artemis, set on the busy future Moon.
I participated in the cheerful gathering at the National Library of Ireland to celebrate its 140th birthday. Refreshments included slices of cake, and the Maynooth Gospel Choir kept us entertained.
The Dublin Horse Show, another event dear to my heart, has just finished after some nail-biting competitions in the Nation's Cup and Puissance. To honour these events I am making Murder Against The Clock- set during the 2016 Dublin Horse Show - free for the first time, from 18th - 21st August. I have also dropped the price of a horse book for young adults, Rodeo Finn, to 99c. Enjoy!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Agains...
http://amazon.com/Murder-Against-Cloc...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rodeo-Finn-Cl...
http://amazon.com/Rodeo-Finn-Clare-OB...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
We saw groundbreaking, now classic, books; Ray Harryhausen film models; brilliantly imaginative dinosaur fantasy art; clips from well known films; props, space suits and models; short films about futuristic cities and an interactive set from The Martian. We watched a short film called In the Future They Ate From The Finest Porcelain, about a woman accused by a strict regime of using archaeology as a terrorist tool. This was made by Larissa Sansour and Soren Lind. One of the great features of such an event is meeting like-minded people; we had a good chat with some fellow travellers. Another benefit was that it gave us an excuse to visit London and scope out more locations for my own books.
Speaking of which I am in the final editing stages of the next book in my series set in an alternate future London, Dining Out Around the Solar System. Watch this space!WorldCon 2019 will be held in Dublin! Thanks for all the support shown to our bid and three cheers to the Con team for getting us this far. Science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror, cosplay and more will fill a five-day programme. I've just read a charming and unusual fantasy called Where the Waters Turn Black
by
Benedict Patrick, from Northern Ireland, though this tale is set in a magical Polynesian environment. Right now I have the next book by
Andy Weir to read and review, Artemis, set on the busy future Moon.
I participated in the cheerful gathering at the National Library of Ireland to celebrate its 140th birthday. Refreshments included slices of cake, and the Maynooth Gospel Choir kept us entertained.
The Dublin Horse Show, another event dear to my heart, has just finished after some nail-biting competitions in the Nation's Cup and Puissance. To honour these events I am making Murder Against The Clock- set during the 2016 Dublin Horse Show - free for the first time, from 18th - 21st August. I have also dropped the price of a horse book for young adults, Rodeo Finn, to 99c. Enjoy! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Agains...
http://amazon.com/Murder-Against-Cloc...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rodeo-Finn-Cl...
http://amazon.com/Rodeo-Finn-Clare-OB...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
July 10, 2017
July in Northern Ireland and Free Racy Romance
Recently we took a day trip to Northern Ireland. The border barely exists any more; you just know you've crossed because there's a sign telling you that speed limit signs are now in miles. With the vote by the UK to leave the EU over a year ago, questions are being raised as to whether the border crossings will be rife with checkpoints again. Given that we sometimes shop up there for goods which are cheaper than at home, we don't believe anybody wants a return to a 'hard border'.
Heading up along the coast from Dublin toward Belfast, you will pass the cities of Drogheda and Dundalk, then cross the border and come upon the supermarket haven of Newry. While we've tried here before, we find the place very busy with crowded parking and it's easy to imagine prices rise in the first shopping town. So we go a bit further and explore, have a nice lunch.
The landscape here was glaciated and drumlins are plentiful. These gently rounded hills were mounds of gravel left at the end of a glacier, so they are thin soiled and drain well, meaning they are grazed rather than ploughed. During early summer you'll see native trees, fresh green hedgerow with beautiful white edgings of hawthorn blossom, referred to as may, and golden gorse flowers.
This was wooded land when the first Milesian settlers arrived and during the Iron Age many ring forts, souterrains, dolmens and other burial sites were created. Today you can visit plenty of scenic viewpoints and enjoy the Mountains of Mourne which, following the coastline, really do sweep down to the sea.
I recommend reading a recent account of walking along the border, to get a sense of place and history. The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland's Border by Garret Carr.
Don't forget, I blog weekly on my website about places of interest which are especially welcoming to people with various disabilities. If you can recommend anywhere, please mention it here in the comments.
To celebrate summer I am making my adult romance set in the world of Irish flat racing, Silks And Sins, available for free, 14 - 17 July.
If you like horses you may also enjoy my light crime story set during the Dublin Horse Show, Murder Against The Clock.
All my books are available to read online in Kindle Unlimited.
http://amazon.com/Silks-Sins-Clare-OB...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silks-Sins-Cl...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
Heading up along the coast from Dublin toward Belfast, you will pass the cities of Drogheda and Dundalk, then cross the border and come upon the supermarket haven of Newry. While we've tried here before, we find the place very busy with crowded parking and it's easy to imagine prices rise in the first shopping town. So we go a bit further and explore, have a nice lunch.
The landscape here was glaciated and drumlins are plentiful. These gently rounded hills were mounds of gravel left at the end of a glacier, so they are thin soiled and drain well, meaning they are grazed rather than ploughed. During early summer you'll see native trees, fresh green hedgerow with beautiful white edgings of hawthorn blossom, referred to as may, and golden gorse flowers.
This was wooded land when the first Milesian settlers arrived and during the Iron Age many ring forts, souterrains, dolmens and other burial sites were created. Today you can visit plenty of scenic viewpoints and enjoy the Mountains of Mourne which, following the coastline, really do sweep down to the sea. I recommend reading a recent account of walking along the border, to get a sense of place and history. The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland's Border by Garret Carr.
Don't forget, I blog weekly on my website about places of interest which are especially welcoming to people with various disabilities. If you can recommend anywhere, please mention it here in the comments.
To celebrate summer I am making my adult romance set in the world of Irish flat racing, Silks And Sins, available for free, 14 - 17 July.
If you like horses you may also enjoy my light crime story set during the Dublin Horse Show, Murder Against The Clock. All my books are available to read online in Kindle Unlimited.
http://amazon.com/Silks-Sins-Clare-OB...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silks-Sins-Cl...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
June 10, 2017
June: DIY Tips and Free London Book
With better weather, my husband and I have been painting a room we intend to use as a library and freshening up some other rooms. Here are some tips you may not find in DIY manuals.
Wait for warm weather so you can open the windows and not freeze.
Meanwhile, prepare well. Declutter furniture so you won't have to keep moving it. Use up or recycle small items from cupboards and desks like packets, tins and stacks of paper. Donate read books and unwanted clothes (but save some old clothes). Everything left will have to be shifted at least twice. Save some newspapers.
If you're changing flooring, paint first.
Clear the credit card so you won't care about putting extra DIY gear on it.
A professional stepladder saves on time and accidents.
A detachable shelf for the stepladder holds the paint bucket.
Make the rooms brighter to make the most of natural light - more cheerful and it saves on electricity.
If you paint walls and ceilings white, no worries about where they meet. Otherwise use masking tape around the edges.
Tie a plastic bag over light fixtures during painting.
Now's a good time to wash the emptied shelves.
Also to seal any draughts.
If you find it hard to squeeze draught sealer out of a plastic tube, cut it open with a big scissors.
Apply sealer with your fingers in areas you can't easily see or reach with tools.
Two can work more quickly than one. But if one is less mobile or tires easily, they should not do stepladder work. Put them in charge of keeping the workers fed and brushes cleaned.
Plan your day and do anything that takes you out of the house first.
Change into the old clothes and practical shoes you keep for DIY.
Get some painting done before you eat lunch. That way you have earned the break and you're keen to return to work.
Take another break with a tasty snack. Reward yourself.
Have a very nice meal waiting in the evening. This can be as late as you like provided you have safe lighting to work.
A radio is good; lively music with news breaks makes the day go faster.
Wrap a brush in cling film or sit it in water during breaks. Always clean it at night. Brushes cost money and going to replace them takes up time. Wider brushes get more done. Agree beforehand on which basins etc. can be used for brushes.
Paints can now be low-drip and low VOC - volatile organic compounds. So they are easier to use, wash off brushes in water and don't smell as bad. Don't use thinners of any sort. Get a couple of cans or roller trays and a big tub, if you have a lot to do, and refill the cans from the tub. Sit each can in a plastic bag as you use it, to catch the drips.
Pets can get in the way, get paint on fur and get scared. Look after them and give them fresh water, food and litter trays in other parts of the house. The smell of paint can taint their food and water.
If painting a lot of ceilings, you will feel it on the second day. Take Paracetamol or Ibuprofen and work through; if the pain isn't easy to ignore in ten minutes, you may have done damage, but otherwise you will be fine.
Try to have something finished at the end of each day. You will enjoy making progress.
Keep happy. You will love the result.
Those reading my blog will know we have visited several parts of Britain during the past few years, including London; some particularly accessible locations are featured on my website blog. In sympathy with those harmed by the recent attacks in London and Manchester, I'm making this month's free book Dining Out Around The Solar System. This features two journalists investigating in a future, somewhat dystopian London. This is a standalone read and kicks off a series. The cover photo was taken by me.
In a future where giant corporations run countries, all British Space Mines has to fear are journalists and hackers.
Donal and Myron are their worst nightmare.
When people from offworld races open ethnic restaurants in London, they meet a lot of opposition.
Donal and Myron are their best friends.
The London's Eye zine has vacancies.
What do you think happened to their other reporters?
"So good, I want to complain." - Colorful_socks, Amazon.com reviewer.
"Some of the social problems involve the aliens, who are treated much the same as the other non-English-speaking minorities in this future London. Some of the action scenes are generated as some of the articles offend high ranking government and criminal entities who retaliate, and with various hate groups who don't like aliens. Another aspect of the story is a rich set of many well-drawn characters and bit players with believable interactions. It is easy to like (or dislike) the characters, but almost none of them are the kind of wallpaper figures that typically make up most sci-fi stories." - Systemguy, Amazon.com reviewer.
Free: June 16 - 19, 2017.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Out-Ar...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Out-Around-S...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
Wait for warm weather so you can open the windows and not freeze.
Meanwhile, prepare well. Declutter furniture so you won't have to keep moving it. Use up or recycle small items from cupboards and desks like packets, tins and stacks of paper. Donate read books and unwanted clothes (but save some old clothes). Everything left will have to be shifted at least twice. Save some newspapers.
If you're changing flooring, paint first.Clear the credit card so you won't care about putting extra DIY gear on it.
A professional stepladder saves on time and accidents.
A detachable shelf for the stepladder holds the paint bucket.
Make the rooms brighter to make the most of natural light - more cheerful and it saves on electricity.
If you paint walls and ceilings white, no worries about where they meet. Otherwise use masking tape around the edges.
Tie a plastic bag over light fixtures during painting.
Now's a good time to wash the emptied shelves.
Also to seal any draughts.
If you find it hard to squeeze draught sealer out of a plastic tube, cut it open with a big scissors.
Apply sealer with your fingers in areas you can't easily see or reach with tools.
Two can work more quickly than one. But if one is less mobile or tires easily, they should not do stepladder work. Put them in charge of keeping the workers fed and brushes cleaned. Plan your day and do anything that takes you out of the house first.
Change into the old clothes and practical shoes you keep for DIY.
Get some painting done before you eat lunch. That way you have earned the break and you're keen to return to work.
Take another break with a tasty snack. Reward yourself.
Have a very nice meal waiting in the evening. This can be as late as you like provided you have safe lighting to work.
A radio is good; lively music with news breaks makes the day go faster.
Wrap a brush in cling film or sit it in water during breaks. Always clean it at night. Brushes cost money and going to replace them takes up time. Wider brushes get more done. Agree beforehand on which basins etc. can be used for brushes.
Paints can now be low-drip and low VOC - volatile organic compounds. So they are easier to use, wash off brushes in water and don't smell as bad. Don't use thinners of any sort. Get a couple of cans or roller trays and a big tub, if you have a lot to do, and refill the cans from the tub. Sit each can in a plastic bag as you use it, to catch the drips.
Pets can get in the way, get paint on fur and get scared. Look after them and give them fresh water, food and litter trays in other parts of the house. The smell of paint can taint their food and water. If painting a lot of ceilings, you will feel it on the second day. Take Paracetamol or Ibuprofen and work through; if the pain isn't easy to ignore in ten minutes, you may have done damage, but otherwise you will be fine.
Try to have something finished at the end of each day. You will enjoy making progress.
Keep happy. You will love the result.
Those reading my blog will know we have visited several parts of Britain during the past few years, including London; some particularly accessible locations are featured on my website blog. In sympathy with those harmed by the recent attacks in London and Manchester, I'm making this month's free book Dining Out Around The Solar System. This features two journalists investigating in a future, somewhat dystopian London. This is a standalone read and kicks off a series. The cover photo was taken by me. In a future where giant corporations run countries, all British Space Mines has to fear are journalists and hackers.
Donal and Myron are their worst nightmare.
When people from offworld races open ethnic restaurants in London, they meet a lot of opposition.
Donal and Myron are their best friends.
The London's Eye zine has vacancies.
What do you think happened to their other reporters?
"So good, I want to complain." - Colorful_socks, Amazon.com reviewer.
"Some of the social problems involve the aliens, who are treated much the same as the other non-English-speaking minorities in this future London. Some of the action scenes are generated as some of the articles offend high ranking government and criminal entities who retaliate, and with various hate groups who don't like aliens. Another aspect of the story is a rich set of many well-drawn characters and bit players with believable interactions. It is easy to like (or dislike) the characters, but almost none of them are the kind of wallpaper figures that typically make up most sci-fi stories." - Systemguy, Amazon.com reviewer.
Free: June 16 - 19, 2017.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dining-Out-Ar...
http://amazon.com/Dining-Out-Around-S...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
May 12, 2017
May Merriment at Milk Wood
My husband and I took an Easter break to visit Milk Wood in South Wales. This was the setting for Dylan Thomas's nature poetry. I walked along the cliffside strand to his boathouse and writing shed, with the beautiful views out over the inlet, Laugharne village and castle.
While there we took a couple of days to visit an Iron Age village reconstructed on the site at Castell Henllys, and Carew Castle and tidal watermill. We had flown in to Bristol and later took a look around Bristol cathedral and town. Of course in each place I had to check out the secondhand bookshops which were a veritable treasure trove. Pity we were flying and I could not buy more. One book I bought and reviewed was Heavy Horses by Diana Zeuner which shows the history and use of heavy horse breeds in Britain.
Wales has a castle pretty much in every town, in various states of repair, due to an exciting history. I saw a sign advertising 'Castle Scaffolding Wales.' Yes, they'll get plenty of work! At Carew Castle, an Easter Egg hunt was in progress. I liked this one which had a colouring sheet of a patterned egg for each child. As they went around the castle they would find a small pot of crayons of a particular colour, and a sheet showing which part of the egg should be that colour. So not only were they foraging, they were creating art.
The tidal mill nearby used a lagoon which had been created by building a dam on an estuary. The tide filled the lagoon and gates were lowered to hold the water until it was needed to power the mill. This mill has been extensively restored in an award-winning effort. As Wales is very hilly and has a lot of rivers, water-powered mills were built in many locations. A mill was a source of income, often paid in grain, for the owner who might be an abbey or landowner. Having a mill nearby meant the farmer did not have to travel far to get grain ground, so there was little competition.
The Iron Age village featured reconstructed roundhouses of timber, mud and thatch. A guide took us on a Welsh legend walk through the woods and streams up to the top of the hill where the well fortified village stood. Piles of slingshot stones had been heaped ready to be used in case of attack. The granary hut was built on stilts but dwelling huts were on the ground. Children could learn how to fire a slingshot, make bread and spin, weave and dye fabrics. An Iron Age sheep breed with brown fleece had been introduced and a remarkable array of tools had been made, all based on archaeology. You can read about this village in Surviving The Iron Age
We ate very good locally grown food everywhere in Wales and I highly recommend the visit. We found it's an inexpensive, friendly and beautiful location.
So is Cara Cassidy going to make a crime-solving trip to Wales in the future? I expect it is highly likely! The mystery books set in Scotland and Ireland are very popular with Kindle Unlimited readers. As I'm talking castles, this month's free download has a very famous castle on the front, the Tower of London.
The Prisoner In The Tower is a short story and essay, so I'll also drop the price of my bestseller Showjumping Team to 99 cent. These offers run from May 19 - 21.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Show-Jumping-...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prisoner-Towe...
http://amazon.com/Show-Jumping-Team-C...
http://amazon.com/Prisoner-Tower-Shor...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
While there we took a couple of days to visit an Iron Age village reconstructed on the site at Castell Henllys, and Carew Castle and tidal watermill. We had flown in to Bristol and later took a look around Bristol cathedral and town. Of course in each place I had to check out the secondhand bookshops which were a veritable treasure trove. Pity we were flying and I could not buy more. One book I bought and reviewed was Heavy Horses by Diana Zeuner which shows the history and use of heavy horse breeds in Britain.
Wales has a castle pretty much in every town, in various states of repair, due to an exciting history. I saw a sign advertising 'Castle Scaffolding Wales.' Yes, they'll get plenty of work! At Carew Castle, an Easter Egg hunt was in progress. I liked this one which had a colouring sheet of a patterned egg for each child. As they went around the castle they would find a small pot of crayons of a particular colour, and a sheet showing which part of the egg should be that colour. So not only were they foraging, they were creating art.
The tidal mill nearby used a lagoon which had been created by building a dam on an estuary. The tide filled the lagoon and gates were lowered to hold the water until it was needed to power the mill. This mill has been extensively restored in an award-winning effort. As Wales is very hilly and has a lot of rivers, water-powered mills were built in many locations. A mill was a source of income, often paid in grain, for the owner who might be an abbey or landowner. Having a mill nearby meant the farmer did not have to travel far to get grain ground, so there was little competition.
The Iron Age village featured reconstructed roundhouses of timber, mud and thatch. A guide took us on a Welsh legend walk through the woods and streams up to the top of the hill where the well fortified village stood. Piles of slingshot stones had been heaped ready to be used in case of attack. The granary hut was built on stilts but dwelling huts were on the ground. Children could learn how to fire a slingshot, make bread and spin, weave and dye fabrics. An Iron Age sheep breed with brown fleece had been introduced and a remarkable array of tools had been made, all based on archaeology. You can read about this village in Surviving The Iron Age
We ate very good locally grown food everywhere in Wales and I highly recommend the visit. We found it's an inexpensive, friendly and beautiful location.
So is Cara Cassidy going to make a crime-solving trip to Wales in the future? I expect it is highly likely! The mystery books set in Scotland and Ireland are very popular with Kindle Unlimited readers. As I'm talking castles, this month's free download has a very famous castle on the front, the Tower of London.
The Prisoner In The Tower is a short story and essay, so I'll also drop the price of my bestseller Showjumping Team to 99 cent. These offers run from May 19 - 21.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Show-Jumping-...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prisoner-Towe...
http://amazon.com/Show-Jumping-Team-C...
http://amazon.com/Prisoner-Tower-Shor...
To see more of my travels visit my website and look on the News and Events page. You can also sign up to my quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed of special offers and new releases. If you read one of my books, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers as well as the author.
FREE READ of my 2014 award-winning crime short story 'London Calling' on the Simon and Schuster website:
http://the-dark-pages-blog.blogspot.i...
Check out my latest books, blog, writing tips, puzzles, events and more on my website:
http://www.clareobeara.ie
