Nuala Ní Chonchúir's Blog, page 25

*MISS EMILY* MAKES HUFF POST MOST ANTICIPATED LIST

My forthcoming novel Miss Emily is on The Huffington Post's list of Most Anticipated Books in 2015. The list is by Allison Pataki and includes books by Jan Moran and Judy Blume. Allison's own book, about Empress Sisi of Austria, really interests me as I was in Vienna last summer. Out February from Howard Books.

Read the Huff Post list here.

Believe it or not I am still tweaking Miss Emily. An ED scholar read a proof and suggested a few minor changes which we are implementing.  Readers, it will never be perfect, or please everyone, but it will be as near as I and my eds can manage :)

HOT PRESS WRITING COMP FOR YOUTHS

Write Here, Write Now is a writing competition for 5th years, 6th years and uni students in Ireland, created by Hot Press magazine, in association with Dublin: One City, One Book. Get your Roddy Doyle on!

See here.

IRISH TIMES BOOK CLUB - QUESTIONS

Happy new year, my blogland friends! I hope 2015 brings you creativity and prosperity.

2014 was a good one for me with Miss Emily being accepted for publication, and the film and audio deals being struck. July and August this year are the pub months (N. America and the UK, respectively) and I look forward to all the work and PR that will go with getting it into readers' hands. It's exciting and a little daunting.

In the meantime, Sarah Gilmartin at the Irish Times has compiled a list of book club questions for The Closet of Savage Mementos , which is the IT's book club book this month. Sarah writes: 'Ní Chonchúir doesn’t flinch when tackling the dark truths of human behaviour, the savage mementos at the heart of family relationships and growing up. Earlier work has drawn comparisons to Edna O’Brien. With her ability to get inside a story, and a writing style that is both lyrical and exact, it is easy to see why.'

Sarah poses five questions. This one I love: '“Quality women’s fiction” is a term that gets bandied around a lot. What does it mean to you as a reader? Is it insulting (where is the ‘quality men’s fiction’ shelf in the bookshop?) or is it a necessary distinguish from commercial women’s fiction? What other authors does Nuala’s writing remind you of?'

I'd like to hear the discussions around that...The article and the other questions are here.

READING BOWEN ON ARENA & THE HIGHLANDS ON SUN MISC

Two of my faves: Sylvia Plath interviewing Elizabeth Bowen for Mademoiselle, summer 1953Tomorrow night, Christmas Eve, I'm reading an extract from 'Home for Christmas' a non-fic piece by Elizabeth Bowen, on the radio. A friend recommended a volume of her letters to Charles Ritchie to me this year and it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I am also currently reading (and awed by) her novel The House in Paris. So, in honour of all of that, I will read the sublime Miss Bowen's words on the season. Arena, 7pm to 8pm, RTÉ Radio 1, Christmas Eve.

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Loah - photo by Eve NorthThen on Christmas Day I read a piece about spending Christmas in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday Miscellany, also on RTÉ Radio, 1 at 9am. This is the broadcast of the Sunday Miscellany Live at Christmas event which was recorded in the National Concert Hall earlier this month. Listen out especially for The Carol of the Cherry Tree sung by the sublime Loah. The first half of the concert was broadcast on Sunday and you can listen back to it here.

Nollaig shona!

BIRDS, FEATHERS & LOVELY POST

Some people are just lovely. You know they are lovely when you meet them and you keep in touch a little, though they move from exotic location to exotic location. But you keep in touch, following each other on FB etc. One such person is Samantha Ryan - I hope she doesn't mind me yapping about her but she is lovely in many ways.

Yesterday she sent me a review of Joely Richardson as Emily Dickinson that she had seen in an English newspaper and thought I might like (I do!). Tucked in with the paper was this card (image by Rosanna Parry):


How did Sam know I love birds?

When I opened the card I found a sweet message and this, my favourite Emily Dickinson poem - "Hope" is the thing with feathers - hand written.


And a feather. And a message about the feather: 'A feather from Cambridge - a bird that's perched on, and flown above, 500 year-old turrets of stone.'

Both card and feather now reside in the Emily Dickinson box above my desk, with other bits of Dickinsonalia and various related charms.



Thank you, Sam - you are truly lovely. Like many of the people I meet through writing, as it happens. I hope you all have a magical, creative, successful and prosperous 2015.

THE IRISH TIMES WANT COMMENTS!!

The Irish Times Book Club want to open out the discussion about The Closet of Savage Mementos. You can see yesterday's article here and leave a comment underneath it.  If you ARE reading it, or have read it, please go to the IT site and leave a comment. It doesn't have to be positive - let rip!!

PODCASTING WITH THE IRISH TIMES

I'm off to the Irish Times office in Dublin today to record a podcast for the book club about The Closet of Savage Mementos. The idea is that two new-to-the-book readers join me and we discuss the novel, book club style. It will be broadcast on the 13th of January, all going well. I have listened to John Boyne's fluent podcast on Soundcloud about his IT book club novel, A History of Loneliness.  I am hoping I can sound as relaxed and together as he does - wish me luck!

Dublin in Words - Stephen James Smith

Stephen James Smith does Louis MacNeice's beautiful poem 'Dublin'. Oh, this makes me homesick. Lovely job, Stephen.

IRISH TIMES BOOKCLUB INTERVIEW

I'm interviewed by the Irish Times today, for their book club, about writing and stuff. This book, the next one, the one after that...It's here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY D - DRAW WINNERS!!

It is the glorious 10th - AKA Emily Dickinson's birthday. Emily was born on this day in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. So, appropriately, today I draw the winners of the giveaway for Burleigh Mutén's beautiful verse novel for children, Miss Emily, and for the bundle of Emily goodies.

Here are the names in the little birdie cup:


The winner of Burleigh's book is...

Shauna Hughes AKA Linnet in Oriel - congrats, Shauna! (From her comment on the original post I see that Shauna has a daughter called Emily!)

Emily bundle: postcards, Emily For President badge/pin & Hope is the Thing With Feathers magnetAnd the winner of the Emily bundle is...

The very appropriately named Emily Rainsford AKA The Nest.

I think Emily Dickinson is watching over her cohort of Emilys today. Congrats, ladies! Enjoy your winnings.

Everyone else - I have a bunch of goodies to give away next July and August when the novel comes out, in North America and in the UK: more magnets, cards, St Brigid's crosses (relevant to the book) and badges/pins. Stay tuned for that, my dears.

And you can buy Burleigh's book here.