Photos from Dublin Writing Events

A selection of photos with writers, from all genres, that I have had the privilege to meet.

I admire them all, not only for for their work, but also for their attitude and their willingness to help fellow writers.

And lots more to be added soon, I hope!

The National Emerging Writer Programme
Dublin City Library and Archive
9 January, 2013:

Annmarie Miles, Vanessa O’Loughlin, Susan Condon

Hazel Gaynor, Paul Fitzsimons, Carlo Gébler,
Susan Condon, Declan Hughes

Vanessa O’Loughlin, Hazel Gaynor, Paul Fitzsimons,
Carlo Gébler, Declan Hughes, Susan Condon

#TXS2 at The Westin Hotel
November, December 2012:

Louise Phillips, Jillian Godsill, John Ivory,
Maura Donaghue, Susan Condon

Susan Condon, Trish Nugent

After Crime Night at the Civic Theatre
November, 2012:

Susan Condon, Fergus Doyle, Trish Nugent,
Ruby Barnes, Louise Phillips

Shay Condon, Susan Condon, Fergus Doyle,
Tanya Farrelly, Ruby Barnes, Trish Nugent,
Louise Phillips, Declan Kerins, Rhoda Kerins

Three Voices/Three Forms
Loose End Studio, Civic Theatre
14 November, 2012:

Susan Condon, Colm Keegan

Susan Condon, Colm Keegan,
Eileen Casey, Louise Phillips

Louise Phillips, Susan Condon

Eileen Casey, Susan Condon

Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards
Saggart Heritage & Arts Centre
November, 2012:

Susan Condon 1st Prize Short Story
Michael J Whelan 3rd Prize Poetry
Doreen Duffy 1st Prize Poetry

Susan Condon 1st Prize Short Story
Michael J Whelan 3rd Prize Poetry
Doreen Duffy 1st Prize Poetry

SDCC European Week Against Racism Poetry Competition
SDCC County Hall
27 March 2012:

1st Prize
SDCC European Week Against Racism Poetry Competition, 2012
Deputy Mayor of South Dublin County Pamela Kearns, Susan Condon

Brigid Flynn, Susan Condon

Tallaght Library Writers Group
Rua Red
August 2011:

Doreen Duffy, Orla Coffey, Tanya Farrelly
Michael Whelan, Des McInerney, Paul Tylak

Michael Whelan, Des McInerney, Orla Coffey
Doreen Duffy, Tanya Farrelly, Susan Condon

SDCC Bealtaine Short Story Competition
SDCC County Hall
28 May 2010:

1st Prize
SDCC Bealtaine Short Story Competition, 2010
Susan Condon, Mayor of South Dublin County Mick Duff

City of Dublin VEC Creative Writing Competition
Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square
29 April 2010:

1st Prize
City of Dublin VEC Short Story Competition, 2010
John McKenna, Susan Condon

3rd Prize
City of Dublin VEC Poetry Competition, 2010
John McKenna, Susan Condon

Out and About at Writing Events:

Susan Condon, Mick Halpin, Nell McCafferty,
Louise Phillips, Liam Flood
After Inspiring Crime Writers
Dublin Book Festival
The Porterhouse, Temple Bar (15 November 2012)

Louise Phillips
Launch of Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips
Hughes & Hughes Bookshop (5 September 2012)
Photo by Ger at Taken by Titch

Susan Condon, Arlene Hunt, Louise Phillips
Launch of The Wrath of Angels by John Connolly
The Gutter Bookshop (31 August 2012)

Jillian Godsill, Valerie Healy, Michelle Jackson
Launch of The Terrace by Maria Duffy
The Clarion Hotel (2012)

Jane Travers, Susan Condon, Derek Flynn
Launch of The Scarlet Ribbon by Derry O’Dowd
Hodges Figgis Bookstore (10 February 2012)

Susan Condon, Joseph O’Connor
A private Reading of Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor
at the home of Orla Coffey (13 April 2011)

Melissa Hill, Susan Condon
Irish Women’s Fiction
Eason, O’Connell Street, Dublin (31 March 2011)

Mick Halpin, Ann Usack, Patrick Fay,
Brian Roche, Laurence O’Bryan, Louise Phillips
Dundrum Irish Crime Fiction Writers
(only some of them and taken by me!)

The Next Big Thing

Recently, I was approached by the extremely talented writer, Valerie Sirr, as she wanted to tag me in an on-line blogging chain – The Next Big Thing – a way for writers to promote their work-in-progress through a series of questions. Valerie, as I’m sure many of you know, is a Hennessy New Irish Writer winner – and if you’ve already read any of her short stories or poetry, then you’ll see why – if you haven’t yet, then you’ve a treat in store.  I’m a big fan of Valerie’s work – and was honoured to accept the challenge along with fellow writers, Celeste Augé and Brian Kirk.

So here goes!

My Next Big Thing:

I’ve been working on my debut novel – a crime fiction thriller set in New York City – for the guts (good choice of word considering my chosen genre!?!) of the last year.

In between, and to keep my writing ego buoyant, I’ve managed to produce a few short stories which have done extremely well – one was Long Listed in the RTÉ Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition, 2012, another has just been published in the Anthology of Original Writing from Ireland’s Own, 2012 and another was awarded First Prize in the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards, 2012.

What is the working title of your book?

My title, as yet, is not set in stone.  I had originally opted for Killer’s Curse.  But on advice from a couple of writers I greatly admire, they figure that when I get published, the right cover will give readers an idea of what’s inside, so a title that’s a little less telling would suit better.  You noticed the ‘when’ – probably why I value their opinion so much!  I’ve a title in mind, but I want to hold it there and savour it for just a little while longer . . .

Where did the idea come from for the book?  

Reading a snippet about a killer and how he chose his victims set my mind racing and my fingers typing and they never stopped until I reached the end.

What genre does your book fall under?

It has to be crime fiction.  I’ve always been an avid reader and I’d read extensively, but I’ve always LOVED thrillers – in any shape or form – the thrill of guessing what’s going to happen next keeping the pages turning late into the night.  Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t and occasionally you come across such a clever twist or turn that you really wish you’d been clever enough to come up with it.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?      

If I could pick any actor, from any era, to play one of my main characters then the first name to pop into my head as the good guy would be a young, Gregory Peck.  Impossible I know, but as a kid I loved watching his movies.  My favourite had to be Alfred Hitchcock’s, Spellbound, with the tag line ‘Will he Kiss me or Kill me?’  I was enthralled from start to finish.  Maybe it’s time to watch it again?  My villain, in this scenario, could have been Paul Newman – those piercing, ice-blue eyes, dismissing any doubts his victims might have.

English: Colin Farrell at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And if I had to go modern day, then I’d go with Colin Farrell for my good guy.  My character isn’t perfect – far from it – but in the end, you trust that whatever obstacles lie in his way and no matter how difficult the choices, he will strive to do the right thing.

Matt Damon would be my choice as my charismatic villain – his role in The Departed sealed the deal on this one!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  

Your name appears on a list, along with six others – five are dead!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  

With work and life butting-in, it took me the guts of a year.  But I also did quite an amount of research which I could probably have done during the editing stage to get the first draft down on paper much quicker.  Swings and roundabouts, I suppose . . .

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?   

Some of my favourite thriller writers include; Alex Barclay, Tess Gerritson, Jeffrey Deaver, John Connolly, Harlan Coben, Jo Nesbo, Tana French, Arlene Hunt and Louise Phillips – so I would be delighted if my novel compared favourably to any one of them.  Aiming high, aren’t I?

Who or what inspired you to write this book?   

I’ve always loved books – especially mystery stories – something to keep the brain engaged.  That love of books eventually inspired me to write.  I started with short stories and poetry.  If I’m totally honest here (and shooting myself in the foot in the process!) I prefer to read a book rather than a short story – even by my favourite authors.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy them – I most certainly do – but I feel that you’ve invested your time and interest in their story, you’ve got to know the characters, but then suddenly – it’s over!  With a book, you know you can become more immersed in their lives and if it’s a good story, then you want that.  And that’s why, when this nugget of an idea began to grow, I decided I had to use it to write my debut novel rather than another short story.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  

This novel is based in New York City and contains elements of the occult – just a trifling – but enough to appeal to readers who are excited by something a little different to spice up their thriller.

When and how will it be published? 

Well, first, I need to finish editing so that my debut novel is as good as it can be.  I’ve heard, on more than one occasion, that you only really get one shot with agent’s and publisher’s and I want to ensure that when I come knocking on their door that I have a novel worthy of their time!

And now it’s time to pass the baton.  I’d like to tag three diverse writers who are destined for big things:  Derek Flynn, Jillian Godsil and Michael Whelan, for The Next Big Thing (Wednesday, 9^th January 2013).  Keep an eye out for their rising stars!

Derek Flynn is an Irish writer and musician, with a First Class Honours degree in English Literature.  He’s been published in a number of publications, including The Irish Times, and was First Runner-Up in the 2011 J. G. Farrell Award for Best Novel-In-Progress.   He released his debut album, “Do You Dream At All?” earlier this year. His writing/music blog – ‘Rant, with Occasional Music’ – can be found here: http://derekflynn.wordpress.com and on Twitter, he can be found here: http://twitter.com/#!/derekf03

Jillian Godsil is a writer, blogger and freelance journalist.  She went viral in 2010, 2011 and traditional in 2012.  She hasn’t looked back (much) since. Her blog is www.jilliangodsil.com and you can follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/jilliangodsil

Michael J Whelan is a poet, writer & historian living in Tallaght County Dublin.  He served as a Peacekeeper with the Irish Defence Forces in South Lebanon and Kosovo during the conflicts in those countries.  He was 2^nd Place Winner in the Patrick Kavanagh International Poetry Award 2011 & 3^rd Place Winner in the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards 2012.  He was also short-listed in the Doire Press and Cork Literary Manuscript Competitions and selected for the Eigse Eireann/Poetry Ireland Introductions 2012.  He has written books on the Irish involvement in the Congo in the 1960s and Ex British Soldiers in the Irish Army during the Irish War of Independence and Civil War 1913-1924.  He is the curator of the Irish Air Corps Aviation Museum and a member of Platform 1 and Virginia House Creative Writers.  Follow his blog here: http://michaeljwhelan.wordpress.com/

777: 7 Sentences From Page 77

I was delighted to be one of the seven tagged by Rob Kitchin to take part in the 777 Challenge!

Now all I had to do was choose seven sentences from either page seven or page seventy-seven from my work-in-progress and post it here before passing the challenge on to seven more writers I admire.

My 7 from 77 starts here:

‘You could say that,’ said Lisa, with a bitter laugh, ‘but not really by choice, I just had to know – I needed to find out what could make him do what he did.’ She looked up into John’s eyes as Charlie placed a fresh coffee in front of her. She took a few sips, holding the Styrofoam cup between unsteady hands.

 The room was silent as a morgue.

 ‘The reason that I joined the force was . . .’

‘Jesus Christ, are the two of us the only ones doing any work around here while you lot sit around having afternoon coffee,’ said Stephen, ‘good job we brought these so,’ he sniggered, dumping a box of donuts beside the coffee pot and helping himself.

I’ve chosen seven writers who I hope will take up the challenge (no pressure).  Check them out here:

Arlene Hunt
Brian Kirk
Derek Flynn
Joe McCoubrey
Katy O’Dowd
Laurence O’Bryan
Martin J Frankson