AND ANOTHER REVIEW OF *YOU* - Books Ireland

Why do reviews come in clusters, like buses? It happens a lot. Another review of the novel has appeared after yesterday's one in the Sindo. Books Ireland magazine has a review of it in its Feb. 2011 edition and it's not great. I can't get irritated by it, though, for a few reasons:

1. The reviewer, Kevin Kiely, never seems to give any book a good review. He is a hard man to please, it would appear.

2. There are inaccuracies in the review, which is essentially a summary of the book's plot. Summary reviews are my least favourite type.

3. All of the other reviews of the novel have been glowing, but not everyone is going to like a book, so what does it matter?

A quote from Kevin's review: "A gentle, delicate first-person narrative where the worst that can be said of You is the oft-used cliché 'well crafted'. It reads like a laboured piece of creative writing for effect."

And another: "[the narrator's] days...are unremittingly mundane."

OK, I can get slightly irritated: "a laboured piece of creative writing for effect"? Ouch!

I have to say I always enjoy Books Ireland magazine, which I subscribe to - it has a cranky, eccentric tone that appeals to me. I laugh out loud sometimes at the reviews. They like what they like and a bit of honesty does no harm. So, thanks, Kevin - you made me have a laugh this morning, even if it was a bit rueful ;(

BRAND NEW REVIEW OF *YOU*

Hilary A. White reviews my novel You in today's Sunday Independent. Read it here. Big thanks to Hilary.

LA PAUME OUVERTE - a poetry Festschrift

Because I read at the Franco Irish Literary Festival a few years ago, I was invited to contribute to a Festschrift in honour of Francoise Connolly, by Theo Dorgan. Francoise is a French woman, married to an Irish man, who has done huge work promoting French literature in Ireland and Irish literature in France.

The Festschrift, which is titled La Paume Ouverte, was a top secret affair until its launch in Dublin last week as a surprise for Francoise. It was pulled together by Theo in association with Poetry Ireland and Dedalus Press.

Sadly, like most midweek events in Dublin, I couldn't make it to the launch, which got a nice little write up in the Irish Times. But I was sent my copy of the book by Joe Woods of Poetry Ireland this week and it is a gorgeous volume. Contributing writers include Órfhlaith Foyle with a beautiful poem called 'Inchagoill Picnic', Fred Johnston, Brian Lynch, Kerry Hardie, Chris Agee, Gerald Dawe and Siobhán Campbell. There are poems in French, English and Irish, some with translations. It's an up-to-the-minute anthology of more than 35 poets writing in Ireland today and I'm sure Francoise was delighted with the gesture. What a fitting and lovely tribute for her years of hard work.

Joe Woods tells me that there will be a limited number of copies available to buy at €10 each from Poetry Ireland, if you write to them, and a few are also available in Books Upstairs on College Green in Dublin. Poetry Ireland lives at 2 Proud's Lane, off St Stephens Green, Dublin 2. e-mail: poetry@iol.ie

MORE FROM MAGGIE O'FARRELL

My old pal - though she doesn't know it - Maggie O'Farrell is interviewed in the Irish Times today. Touching on themes I brought up when I blogged about her here. Including the un-named interviewer trying to claim her as Irish.

A couple of quotes:
'O’Farrell says that having children has had a beneficial effect on her work. “With young children, you write when you have half an hour. Time at my desk feels like an indulgence, a treat. I find the whole process of writing hugely enjoyable. It’s satisfying, like a puzzle that needs to be solved.'

'“Children are good editors. I don’t mean they get out the red pen, just that I have less time to follow up every whim, and I cut less from my books than I used to.”'

Maggie's three tips for aspiring novelists are included at the end of the interview. They are:

Read. Keep reading. Don’t stop. And don’t worry too much about starting your novel at the beginning. A blank page can be terrifying, and nothing will give you writer’s block faster.

Start in the middle, or wherever you want. Build up a solid word count – keep going, and don’t look back. It gives you something to work with.

Take advice. Give the manuscript to as many people as you can. You might not always like what you hear, but you need someone to be honest.

I love the first two tips. Not sure about that last one - unless the people you give it to are writers, professionals in the book world or very good, critical readers, you might end up with some pretty useless advice...just saying...

PHOTOGRAPH PROSE

I've discovered a gorgeous site called Photograph Prose that is both visually beautiful and very interesting. The subtitle to the name is 'the virtual collision of photographers and writers'. I love both writing and photography so it's the perfect site for me.

The site says 'Photograph Prose is a virtual gym for photographic and prosaic stylists to exercise their talents and execute imaginative nerve; creating together inspired works via conscious experience'.

They've included some written work of mine to go with someone else's photo, 'Feed', and a photograph of mine that will hopefully inspire someone else. (The window with bubbled glass.)

Kudos to Ally Evans in Chicago who set up the site.

HORIZON REVIEW 5 - NOW LIVE

Author Peter Vilbig

Horizon Review Five has finally hit our screens and it's a whopping great issue. It's my last issue as fiction editor - I have decided to step down as I want to prioritise my own writing this year and it's too hard to do that while busily editing other writers' work.

For this issue I chose stories from Bronwen Griffiths, Máire T. Robinson, Angela Topping, Neil Campbell, Steven Maxwell, A. J. Ashworth, Eimear Ryan and Peter Vilbig. The latter's story 'Adoption' is a stunning piece, to name but one, and I'm delighted to end my editorial stint at Horizon with such a crop of fine work. David Gaffney takes over as fiction editor.

The issue also features poetry, essays, interviews and an interesting piece on poetry and poetry competitions by Mario Petrucci.

PUBLISHERS & CELEBRITY BOOKS

I'm always telling people that I know loads of great writers who haven't got books out yet or whose books have sunk. I get sceptical looks. But it's true. I have met stonkingly talented writers who for many reasons cannot get a book deal: it's hard to get an agent; publishers only want to publish 'safe-money-bets', i.e. celebrity memoirs/novels, or highly commercial books - you know the ones you see acres of dumped in charity shops and for sale at airports. Meanwhile exceptionally talented writers are overlooked.

Some writers are just unlucky from the start - they get deals that fall through; a poor agent; verbal contracts that are reneged on; or they end up with undynamic publishers who don't do PR so the books sink. All that can be extremely disheartening over the course of a few years and many writers will just give up.

Stephen Price talked a bit about the celebrity book aspect of this in the Sunday Times. His piece is mainly about the fact that  books are not selling well at all in Ireland, that publishers are scared and that e-readers have yet to catch on in this country. But Price also writes: "Many authors say that publishing has only itself to blame, paying huge advances to celebrities who lend their names to preening, usually ghostwritten tomes that lose buckets of money and end up in bargain baskets."

And:
"...authors who did not score an instant success with their first outing usually found themselves dumped."

This brings me to writer Aiden O'Reilly who is one of those talented writers who is finding it hard to get a book deal. He wrote an open letter to the MD of the publisher Transworld Ireland on his blog and it has been picked up by NewsBlaze in the USA. A quote or two from his letter:

"I am looking for a publisher for a novel I have written. I looked through your website and list of authors, and noticed that your new fiction writers are exclusively TV producers, actors, columnists, and other such people with a high media profile.
I decided not to bother sending my manuscript to you. I cannot have any trust that it would get serious attention. I would not fit in among the authors on your list. Even if you decided to publish me, I would not feel comfortable with your publishing house."

And:
"If the Transworld parent company pulled out of Ireland tomorrow, it would leave a lasting legacy in the hopes which have been kindled and those which have been quietly extinguished. Will you be proud of the direction you have given to Irish writing?"

There is NO shortage of excellent writers in this country. There is a lack of publishers willing to publish hard-hitting literary writing. We need a Women's Press. We need good publishers willing and able to publish good books, from women and men who are not famous or obviously 'fabulous' or media-savvy, but who are devoted to the craft of writing.

You can read Aiden's letter in its entirety here. It's a sobering and brave read. I hope he gets the publisher he deserves.

MY NEW MUG

 

QUOTABLE QUOTES - Dermot Healy

'Sleep is a great editor.' Dermot Healy

MOTHER-WRITERS: MAGGIE O'FARRELL

Maggie O'Farrell with her daughter Iris
(Photograph: Graham Turner for The Guardian)

Recent Costa-winner Maggie O'Farrell was born in Derry but if she considers herself Scottish, why are we trying to claim her? It's just another irritating national tic - trying to find the Irish angle to everything. President Obama's ancestors were from Moneygall in Offaly, dontchaknow...

Anyway, I enjoyed the profile of Maggie O'Farrell in the Sunday Times where she is reported to have said the wonderful line: 'Motherhood is a great editor.' With less time to write after the birth of her second child (empathise, empathise) she now 'devotes herself only to those ideas she believes are good.' Nice one, Mags. It's just what happens, isn't it? Everything gets madly condensed with kids around so you zone in on what matters in the writing.

When I complain that I haven't enough time to write, people keep saying to me, 'Stop wishing your kids' lives away'. I'm not wishing their lives away! I just want more time to write. There are 168 hours in a week. I can only afford childcare for 10 of those. So I have 10 small hours a week to write. The other 158 are pretty much devoted to my kids and sleep.

The odd thing is, the people who've said this to me are often writers and mothers too. But I'm on to them: none of them wrote when they had small children. So there's the difference. What irritates me is that they seem to resent that I am even trying to write with kids around me and, worse, that I'm succeeding. But worse again I have the audacity to want more time. Who do I think I am??!! The implication is that by wanting more writing hours I am somehow neglecting my children. Hmmm.

Most (all?) of my friends either have no kids or grown-up kids. I think I need a writer friend in the same boat as me, so we can bolster each other up when we feel a bit hard done by time-wise, and just for general writerly support.

But back to Maggie. She says that Cyril Connolly's dictum about the pram in the hall being the enemy of art (which I wrote about here) is 'offensive and misogynistic' and that some people take a gleeful pleasure in taunting female artists 'for the hubris of having children and attempting to have a creative life'. Here, here, Maggie.

In another interview when asked what she most enjoys about writing, she says, 'I love the solitude and the secrecy of it - as well as the escapism.' Ditto!!

Both Maggie and I suffered secondary infertility but went on to have little girls in 2009. And, like me, she is a vegetarian. Unlike me, she swims every day and doesn't drink alcohol or tea, but I think me and Maggie could be good pals. I wonder if she's in the market for a fellow mother-writer friend? Yes, probably not...

GREG O'DONOGHUE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The shortlist for the Gregory O'Donoghue Poetry Competition has been announced by Munster Lit. Congrats to all the listees:

Stephen Beese (North Carolina, USA), 'Death of Alaska'

Marina Blitshteyn (New York, USA), 'Winding the Watch'

Mike Casey (Co. Dublin, Ireland), 'Bulloch Harbour, Winter 09'

Magdalena Cullen (Cork, Ireland), 'Two Things'

Caroline M Davies (Bedfordshire, UK), 'At Sea'

Peggie Gallagher (Sligo, Ireland), 'In Her Later Years'

Noel King (Co. Kerry, Ireland), 'Danger'

Jim Maguire (Wexford, Ireland), 'Water Ghosts'

Michael McKimm (London, UK) 'The Ice Harvest'

Patrick Moran (Co. Tipperary, Ireland), 'So Much'

Tadhg Russell (Co. Cork, Ireland), 'Superstition'

Tadhg Russell (Co. Cork, Ireland), 'The Wood'

KC Trommer (New York, USA), 'First Map'

BOOK TITLE PHOTOGRAPHS

Since digital cameras came on the scene, like most people, I hardly ever print out photos. Which might be OK as I already have tons of photo albums cluttering up the cabinet. But I love photos, so over Christmas I sat down and went through my 2009 shots and picked two or three pics from every 'event' and got them printed out. Next stop 2010...

While doing it I came across photos I had taken from a series I started back then - and promptly forgot about - namely getting shots of shopfronts with the names of my books on them.

Some of my titles, like To The World of Men, Welcome and The Wind Across the Grass may have to be montages/collages, but here are two from Dublin that work 100%:

 CROWN ALLEY, TEMBLE BAR, DUBLIN

SUFFOLK STREET, DUBLIN

Neat, eh? I shall have to choose the titles of my next fiction books with care! My forthcoming poetry collection is called The Juno Charm. We did see a shop called Juno in New York and there's Junos in Parkgate Street in Dublin but, again, it'll be a case of cut 'n' paste. Ah, it'll keep me occupied in those hours where baby makes writing impossible.

JUNO, NEW YORK

WISHIN' AND HOPIN'

2010 was a momentous if somewhat trying year for me: there was divorce and remarriage; lots of travel; my novel You coming out and all that goes with that; cars stolen and in permanent crisis; the house both cluttered and falling apart; a lot of time on my own with the 3 kids.

I'm hoping for more clarity in 2011 - to feel more on top of things, especially my writing. I have been wondering why I feel so fuzzy all the time and have come to the (rather obvious) conclusion that it's nappy brain. When you have a baby in nappies, life is insanely busy and distracted. Time compresses into a blob of doing lots for others - there's no such thing as spare time. So I have written less and blogged less but I'm not unhappy about what I've achieved. I just long to be doing more.

I have 10 hours a week to write. I have to use some of that for work on the CW students who I supervise in their novel writing. I love that and it pays, but it means I write less. Somehow (how?) I need to use all of the rest of my time for my own new novel. I want to get so stuck into it that it haunts me. That's my Big Hope for this year: to get this new novel done in a way that even semi pleases me. That, and to earn more money.

Pleasingly there's an expanded edition of my second short story collection To The World of Men, Welcome due out in April from the inimitable Arlen House. I have a poetry collection, The Juno Charm, due out with Salmon in November too. So it will be another busy year. I LOVE busy, but mostly I hope and wish to be busily distracted with the novel.

Happy new year, all! I hope whatever you are wishin' and hopin' for comes true.