Louise Phillips

Why are we interested in Crime?

2012-02-24T02:04:00.001-08:00

Guess what? I'm the new Crime Scene Blogger for http://www.writing.ie/ and today is my first post on Crime Scene. I hope you'll all enjoy our explorations about Crime writing and Crime reading there, and will help me build the site into something really interesting and worthwhile by giving as much feedback as possible through your comments.

Below is the opening few lines, you can read more by clicking on the link below, and please, please leave your comments!

Crime Night at Hodges Figgis

Six years ago, when I began writing, I had no idea that one day I would be writing crime fiction. Perhaps it’s a little bit like how some people believe the writer doesn’t find the story, but rather the story finds them.

I can't speak for other writers, but for me very soon into my writing journey, I realised I had an insatiable desire to delve into the darker side of who we are as human beings.....

Follow the rest of the post HERE

Novelicious/Harper Collins/Simon & Schuster UK Novel Competition

2012-02-22T06:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I've been a little absent lately!!!! Busy writing away like a lonely bird hiding in the attic, the only sound, the tap tap of keys on my laptop, and the odd roar from the family asking who I am again:)

Still, if you've missed me, well I've missed you too. And just by means of showing you how generous I am to my friends, here's a nice little writing competition for you to go and have a good think about!

Novelicious has teamed up with Avon (HarperCollins) and Books and the City (Simon & Schuster UK) to bring you the chick lit event of the year!

Think you could be the next Jane Green, Marian Keyes or Sophie Kinsella? Believe you have the talent to become Britain's Next Chick Lit Star? Want the chance to win a host of AMAZING prizes? If the answer is yes, then Novelicious Undiscovered is the competition for you...

THE PRIZES
This year there will be two main awards up for grabs:

The People's Choice Award Winner
The top twenty entries as judged by the Novelicious team will be put to a public vote in June. The entrant with the most votes will win the following:
A full manuscript critique with Avon Commissioning Editor Caroline Hogg over tea and cake in their London offices. Your chance to get feedback on your novel and ask any questions you have about publishing. A £50 voucher for writersgifts.co.uk
An introduction to and entry critique from top UK Literary Agent, Diane Banks of Diane Banks Associates Ltd
A selection of 10 Avon Titles
A Kindle ebook reader (provided by Idealo)

The Books and The City Choice Award Winner

The Books and The City Choice winner will be chosen from the top twenty entries by the Fiction Editorial department at Simon & Schuster UK. Their choice will win the following:
A full manuscript feedback from the editorial team at Simon & Schuster
Author Mentoring and meeting with Sunday Times Bestselling author of RSVP Helen Warner
A £50 voucher from writersgifts.co.uk
A Books and the City 10 Book Selection

Runner Up
The entry with the second highest number of votes will win the following:
A full manuscript critique from the Novelicious Editor
A Hotel Chocolat Bliss Out Bag from hotelchocolat.co.uk
A Books and the City 10 Book Selection

HOW TO ENTER
By entering this competition you are deemed to have read and accepted the full Terms and Conditions
Please send no more than the first 3000 words of your chick lit novel as a word attachment (name the attachment as the title of your book) to undiscovered@novelicious.com
Please don’t include your name or any personal details in the attachment
Email Subject Line should be – Undiscovered – Your Name – The Name Of Your Book
In the body of your entry email please tell us the following:
Your Name
Your address (you must be a UK or Ireland resident!)
The word count of your entry
In order to keep you updated with Undiscovered and general Novelicious updates, we would like to add your email address to our mailing list (don't worry, your email address is for our eyes only.) Please tell us in your email if you do not wish to be added to the Novelicious mailing list.
Short Stories will not be accepted
Entrants must not be under contract with a publisher, or signed with an agent at the time of entry
Entries must not have been previously published digitally or in print
Closing Date for entries is 3^rd April (see below for the full order of events)

PLEASE READ THE FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY HERE

ORDER OF EVENTS
Feb 14th                         Novelicious Undiscovered opens for entries
April 3rd                         Closing date for entries
April 24th                        Top 20 entries are announced
MAY                                 Top 20 entries are showcased on Novelicious.com
June 5th - June 19th     Top 20 are opened to a public vote
June 26th                        The winners of Undiscovered are announced!

2012-02-13T03:17:00.000-08:00

WILLIAM TREVOR / ELIZABETH BOWEN

INTERNATIONAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2012.

FIRST PRIZE: 3,000 EURO

(SPONSORED BY WILLIAM TREVOR)

2nd prize: 500 Euro

5 runners up prizes of 200 Euro each.

Mitchelstown Literary Society is pleased to announce the launch of the second William Trevor / Elizabeth Bowen International Short Story Competition.

The Society was founded to celebrate the lives and works of two of Ireland's literary greats with Mitchelstown connections. The short story competition evolved as a natural adjunct to our annual literary festival and aims to provide a competitive outlet for new and emerging writers in the short story genre. The continued support of William Trevor includes sponsoring the very generous First Prize.

Our adjudicators are both well-known short story writers and book reviewers. They will select a short list of approximately 25 stories to be passed on for final adjudication.

Drumshanbo born, Dublin resident, Ita Daly, our main adjudicator, was married to writer and editor, the late David Marcus. Educated at UCD, Ita holds a Masters Degree in English. She has published five novels, a collection of short stories and two children's books. Two times winner of the Hennessy Literary Awards and an Irish Times Short Story Award winner, Ita's last novel 'Unholy Ghosts' was long listed for the Impact Award.

Details of rules, official entry form(s), payment methods etc. can be had from our official contact points indicated below.

There is entry fee of 20.00 Euro per entry and the Closing Date for receipt of entries is last post on Friday, 30th March 2012.

The winner and runners up will be notified personally as well as results being posted to the competition website as they become available.

Entries, by post only, to:

Trevor/Bowen International Short Story Competition,

37 Upper Cork Street

Mitchelstown,

Co. Cork,

Ireland

Contact Points:

Tel: (025) 84969.

Email: cusackliam@eircom.net

Visit: www.mitchelstownlit.com

Official Press Release!

2012-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE
HACHETTE BOOKS IRELAND

New voice in Irish crime writing

Hachette Books Ireland acquires new psychological crime author Louise Phillips in a two book deal struck between Ciara Doorley, Editorial Director, Hachette Books Ireland and Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau for Irish and UK Commonwealth rights.

Red Ribbons, the first book in the deal, centres round the abduction and murder of a twelve-year old school girl and the main character Julie Pearson, criminal psychologist who is drafted in by the police to help them find the killer.

Ciara Doorley of Hachette

Ireland

says of Louise. ‘With overtones of Sophie Hannah and Tana French, Louise is a supremely talented writer. She subconsciously creates parallels between her characters, and this really challenges the reader. Her writing is tense, atmospheric and we’re really excited to be launching a new voice in Irish crime.’

Red Ribbons is told from three perspectives: the main character Julie; Ellie Brady, an inmate of St Michael’s Mental Institute (convicted of killing her own daughter fifteen years earlier); and the killer.

RED RIBBONS ---- The ‘bad man’ is everywhere . . . can you see him?

Hachette Books Ireland will publish Louise’s first book Red Ribbons in Trade Paperback September 2012 and her second novel The Doll’s House will be published in 2013.

Author Biography

RED RIBBONS, is Louise Phillip’s debut novel. Born in Dublin, she began writing in 2006, when her youngest son turned thirteen. Since then, Louise has won the Jonathan Swift Award with her story Last Kiss. She was a winner in the Irish Writers’ Centre Lonely Voice Platform, short-listed for the Molly Keane Memorial Award, Bridport UK, and long-listed twice for RTE Guide/Penguin short story competition. Louise has been published as part of many anthologies, including County Lines from New Island, and various literary journals. From an early age, Louise has been an avid reader, and always held the dream that one day she would write a novel. Red Ribbons is the culmination of that dream.

Launch of History Press Ireland's New Fiction Line - The Scarlet Ribbon

2012-02-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

Next Wednesday sees a great event happening in Dublin. History Press Ireland are launching their New Fiction Line, and the first novel to achieve this prestigious honour is, The Scarlet Ribbon, a collaboration between a great journalist & friend, Katy (Derry) O'Dowd, and her father the eminent Michael O'Dowd. Introduction to novel and bio's below.

The launch will take place Wednesday 8th February at Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street at 7.30. Should prove to be an historical night - so don't miss it!

'The Scarlet Ribbon' has been chosen to launch the History Press Ireland's New Fiction Line.

Introduction to the Novel

Written by father and daughter team Michael and Katy O'Dowd, the book follows James Quinn, a young Irish surgeon battling prejudice, suspicion and personal demons in his controversial quest to change the face of medicine.

Following his marriage, tragedy strikes, thrusting James into a life of turmoil and despair. Throwing himself into his work, the young surgeon eventually begins to find solace in the most unexpected of places. From the backstreets of Paris, through the glittering social
whirl of London and finally back to Ireland again, this is a story of the thorns of love and the harsh reality of life in the eighteenth century, where nothing is simple and complications of all kinds surround James Quinn, man midwife.

The Scarlet Ribbon is available in bookshops and online. www.derryodowd.com

About Michael O'Dowd:

Michael is the current National Chairman of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ireland. He has written for various medical publications along with the books,The History of Medications for Women (2001); and with Elliot E Phillip The History of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (1994).

About Katy O'Dowd (Derry):

Katy is an arts and entertainment journalist and has worked for Time Out, Associated Newspapers and Comic Relief and her articles have appeared in The Times (London), Metro (London) and many other arts and entertainment publications, paper and online.

Alongside writing under the pen-name Derry O’Dowd, whose next book she is working on, she writes under her own name. ‘The Lady Astronomer’ will be out with Doctor Fantastique Books in April/May. She is also reviews movies for STUDIO magazine, and is currently co-editing ‘Nasty Snips II’ a horror anthology which will be out with Pendragon Press at Halloween. (Derry is Katy’s middle name)

Katy blogs at www.katyodowd.com

And can be found on twitter @katyod

47 Roses - One Man Show by Peter Sheridan

2012-01-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

They say every family has its secrets, and probably Irish families have more secrets than most, including my own, but that's for another post.

Today I want to tell you about one of the best one man shows I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, 47 Roses by Peter Sheridan.

I first became aware of Peter's writing work when a number of years back I read his memoir '44', a tale of Dublin in the 60's. Through this compelling narrative, as the reader, I was brought from childhood to adulthood, experiencing the family 's loss, survival and love. It was a story told with humour and sadness, bringing to the page that great substance which makes all good story telling worthwhile, a sense that somehow through the reading experience, you get to know the people within it, touching you in a way which will ensure they stay with you for a very long time afterwards.

Later, I picked up a copy of '47 Roses', where Peter is grown up with a family of his own, and the death of his father opens the closet door just enough for the family skeletons to come tumbling out. '47 Roses' is the story of the relationship between his parents, from their first meeting in the 1940's until his father's death, recounted around the figure of Doris, a woman who formed an integral part of the Sheridan household, mostly by letters over five decades, and is a unique opportunity to visit the tale of one man's love for two women, and the joys and sacrifices of a lifetime which this love entailed.

When I decided to go and see Peter's adaptation of 47 Roses for the stage, I had the bar set very high, and I wasn't disappointed. The stage adaptation is a triumph, not just because it recounts this great story of love, sadness, humour and song, but because it dilutes nothing in the telling. What you get is the special sense of intimacy and emotion felt when you're introduced to people/characters who come alive within the light and shade of life in a magical way.

Do yourself a favour if you're in Dublin, or even close to it, and take in this show, like the book, it will stay with you for a long time after, and if you don't believe me, read the introduction below, and take in what some rather great voices have to say about it.

47 Roses by Peter Sheridan

On at the Viking Theatre Clontarf Jan 23–Feb 4 2012 (8pm) - Booking Details below

After two successful runs in Bewleys Café Theatre in 2011, Peter Sheridan returns with his one man show based on his second novel 47 Roses. In it he conjures up the voices, sights and songs of his 1960’s childhood in Dublin, in a powerful coming-of-age story, peopled with deliciously eccentric characters and wonderfully bizarre incidents. By turns, brilliantly funny and intensely moving, this remarkable performance packs a considerable punch – a cultural gem.

Reviews

‘Peter Sheridan writes at the crossroads where hilarity and heartbreak, tenderness and savagery meet. The people who live there are often cruel, often magnificent, and always, always human. He captures them perfectly.’

- Roddy Doyle

‘A story so vivid, affecting and lingering that it almost feels like our own.’
- Irish Times

'Peter Sheridan has remade the lost world of sixties Dublin in this knock-out memoir, a gently powerful act of memory and love.’

- Sebastian Barry

'He’s funny, he’s self-deprecating, he’s street-wise, he’s naughty…pure theatre.’
- Sunday Indpendent

Booking Information

Viking Theatre @ the sheds

Connollys - The Sheds
Clontarf
Dublin 3

e-mail: vikingtheatre@dublin.com

Bookings: 087-1129970

The Viking Theatre at The Sheds is an exciting new venue on the Northside of Dublin.
It is situated upstairs at Connolly’s The Sheds where the Clontarf Road and Vernon Avenue meet to form a thriving social hub for the surrounding area.

The show is also on at RIVERBANK ARTS CENTRE (Main Street,Newbridge) on Thursday 2nd February 2012

- get details HERE -

(A Question and Answer session will follow the show at Riverbank)

New Beginnings - Rebecca Emin

2012-01-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to be one of the bloggers who will today feature New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin.

Everything you need about the novel and links to Rebecca's site can be found below.

I think as writers we often have to address difficult subjects, and in this case, Rebecca's novel tells the story of Sam Hendry who needs to overcome something which many of us are sadly only too familiar with, bullying of young children.

Today is the official publication day of New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin - so please give her lots of support and check it out here!

Join Rebecca on her blog Ramblings of a Rusty Writer to find all of the details of how she is planning to celebrate today, or you can read some reviews of the book itself on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

You may like to visit some of the other blogs helping Rebecca to celebrate today too.

About New Beginnings

Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some.

When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive.

With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage?

Moving Desk

2012-01-15T05:47:00.000-08:00

Being such a celebratory week we decided that apart from the cling, cling of glasses, some momentous change/shift was now required. You might already know that usually when I write I do so at the place pictured below.

It is a place which has served me well, apart from when other people, family and friends, decide they want to use the area as well. So based on the news of the week, and the fact that a more secluded area may now be required for my writing (and hopefully lots of it), myself and hubby popped off to Woodies to get a desk and a few shelves with the view of creating a purpose built office for a budding writer, little old me.

The location was already decided upon, a corner of an upstairs attic room in the old part of our house, by old I mean 200 plus years old. The room is a very special room, and I have done a post on it before HERE giving some of the history behind it along with before and after renovation shots.

Anyhow, here is the new dedicated spot where hopefully many wonderful novels and short stories will be created:)

Thought for the Weekend - Sean O'Casey

2012-01-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this week's thought for the weekend a little early. Well it is a kind of special quote, not just because I love Sean O' Casey's work, but because the words are deep, meaningful, and does what all good writing should do - it makes you think.

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

- Sean O'Casey -

(Btw - thanks to @MoloneyKing on Twitter who put up the quote last week - if you are not following, well darn blast you should do!)

Dreams Can Come True - BIG NEWS!!!

2012-01-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Firstly, before I tell you all the news, I want just to say that even though I'm writing this post, I still can't quite believe it myself!

Regular visitors to this blog will know about my Novel Madness/ Writing Journey, some might even remember a post I wrote a while back under the 'When You Were Small' label, all about little girl dreams. If you did, then you will know that my dream was to one day write a book, see it sitting on a shelf in a book shop looking all interesting, and obviously with my name on it. Well folks that dream is just about to be turned into a reality.

I am over the moon to let you know that I have been given a 2 book deal with Hachette Publishing. I will be working with their lovely editor, Ciara Doorley, and my debut novel 'Red Ribbons', will be in book shops from October 2012 - yes I know - hard to believe, but it's true, honestly, it is really happening.

I can't express how excited and delighted I am with the news, I'm feeling a little lost for words at the moment (not like me!), but I just wanted to send out a very big thank you to everyone who has followed me either here on the blog or @LouiseMPhillips on Twitter, and here's hoping that in 2012, many more dreams will come true. x

Bridport Competition 2012 is now open for entries!

2012-01-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

2011 Anthology

The Bridport Prize 2012

(NEW CLOSING DATE: 31st May 2012)

The Bridport Prize is the richest open writing competition in the English language - with £5000 first prize for a short story (of up to 5000 words); and £5000 first prize for a poem (of up to 42 lines). The category of Flash Fiction attracts £1,000 to be won for the best short, short story of under 250 words.

The Bridport is also known as a tremendous literary stepping-stone - the first step in the careers of writers such as: Kate Atkinson, Tobias Hill, Carol Ann Duffy and Helen Dunmore.

Anyone can enter - so long as the work is previously unpublished. It costs £8 per story, £7 per poem or £6 per flash fiction and the NEW closing date is 31st May 2012

Each year the prize is judged by well known writers - this year we are delighted to announce that Gwyneth Lewis will be judging the poetry, and Patrick Gale, the short stories and flash fiction

The 2011 anthology of winning entries is available for just £12 or £15 overseas (including postage and packing). The 2010 and 2009 anthologies are available in limited numbers for £7 and £5 (£10 and £8 overseas)

Enter online at: www.bridportprize.org.uk

Or download an entry form: www.bridportprize.org.uk/entryform.pdf

Or email for a pdf entry form: frances@bridportprize.org.uk

Or send an SAE for an entry form to be posted to you

The Bridport Prize
PO Box 6910
Dorset
DT6 9BQ
UK

Saying Goodbye to 2011

2012-01-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

The last day of 2011 started early for me. Up at 6.30, shower, got a few odd jobs done, you know the kind of stuff, emptying the dishwasher from the night before, feeding the dog. I had a vital task ahead of me though, so once all my little household duties were done, I set about typing up my list of questions for someone very important.

Now when I say very important, I mean this on a number of levels. Firstly, the person I was going to interview was prepared to help me with research for my novel, secondly, he was a Detective Inspector, and thirdly, he was an old friend of mine. I knew my Detective Inspector from way back, when we were both teenagers and thought we had the answers to the world's problems.

Anyhow it was brilliant to meet him again, yes we had bumped into each other on occasions over the years but more bumping into each other at shopping centres or the like. I had 8 pages of questions waiting for him, with spaces in between, so not too bad really. About half way through the interview though, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, the queasy feeling rising in my tummy. Was it because we were talking about autopsies? Body parts? Or was it something much more sinister?

I soon came to realise, that it WAS about something much more sinister - the coleslaw which I had had on my sandwich prior to him arriving wasn't going down well. Despite looking forward to this interview for days, I had to abandon my wonderful Detective Inspector and rush upstairs. Luckily hubby was there to put on an extra cuppa while little old me faded peacefully away in the bathroom.

Long story short, the interview was abandoned as I got sicker and sicker, and things went even more downhill from there.  Eventually I became so ill that when I rang A & E, they told me to go straight in.

So hubby and I arrived at St James Hospital about 10.30 last night, and after going through my symptoms, I was admitted immediately and put into isolation.

Now, I am not one to enjoy spending long periods in A&E, especially on New Year's Eve, but being taken in so quickly, didn't fill my heart with a lot of joy either. If I was getting such speedy attention, chances were, something could be seriously wrong.

The doctor treating me was from Nigeria. He had very good english, but was a little serious and hard to get to know at first. In the periods while he wasn't in the room, hubby and I googled my condition, and when the less serious reasons for its occurrence were eliminated, we both became more worried.

It was one of those period when life just gets suspended. You think what if all of this is sudddenly taken away? Sorry to be getting so deep here, but I thought about Nuala O Faolain, and how she became ill in New York, and her extremely moving interview with Marianne Finnucane before she died. I guess during those moments in isolation both hubby and I were thinking a little differently to the rest of the world, because suddenly I looked at the time, and realised it was 12.02 and we had both missed midnight.  I turned to him, saying a mild Happy New Year, and being the worried hubby that he was, he gave me a huge hug.

Then we waited and waited for the results of further blood tests, while ringing everyone to tell them not to worry. When the tests came back and our doctor gave us the verdict, we were both very relieved. The coleslaw from early morning had given me a severe dose of food poisoning, so much so that I had burst blood vessels internally, which was why I was losing so much blood. I had been put on a drip earlier, which the doctor explained I needed, as they had to bypass my stomach, because anything going through my it would have encouraged my body on its task of getting everything on the inside, out.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because over the next 5 hours we got talking to the doctor, whom in my opinion brought me back from the brink.(I know drama queen!) We heard all about the poverty in his village, the funny stories he had about training in Irish hospitals, the lovely and not so lovely people he met along the way. He spoke about the corruption in Ireland, and how if his homeland had our level of corruption, the place and his people into which he was born, would be very happy.

He told us how many of the people in his village live until their 80's or 90's, how despite lots of bad things and unfairness, they are a happy people, how remote the village he grew up in was, how at night the adults sat around the fire and told each other stories, how excited he was the first time he saw a frizzy telly, and I remembered how excited I was too so many years back.   He told me I was very lucky, my body did exactly what it was supposed to do, and that soon I would be well.

When I was leaving I passed by other people in A&E, less fortunate than I had been, me having the luxury of being put in isolation. I saw the drunks, the lost, a blond girl in her twenties with black eyes like someone had just painted them with the darkest mascara. It was a strange eerie feeling walking through, and I thought about how many of us in western society don't realise how lucky we are, how we mess up, like many in A&E last night. I thought about the doctors and nurses on duty, the guards in and out of A&E trying to keep things calm on a very uncalm night. But I also thought about my friend the doctor, and his people telling stories around campfires, and how the world over we as humans love to hear, tell, and read stories.

I hope 2012 will be full of wonderful stories. I look forward to reading and hearing them, now that all my google searches have ended on such good news.

Have a wonderful 2012 everyone, and thanks for being part of making 2011 so great.

Write A Romance Novel

2011-12-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Now I know there are many budding romantics out there, some of whom can write, and write well, so if you fancy yourself as someone who can bring true love to the page, well the competition below organised via Circalit might be exactly right for you!

WRITE A ROMANCE NOVEL

Competition closes in: 1 week 4 days

Competition information:

Romeo had Juliet, Bella had Edward, Harry Potter had... well, Ron. Love stories are not only timeless; they are universal. Roughly 50% of all novels sold fall under the Romance category and famous love stories from throughout history have found their way into all our hearts. Finding a story today that is not influenced by romance is a difficult task.

Circalit wants to be swept off its feet - and it turns out we’re not alone. Anna Jean-Hughes, editor at a major international publishing house, is equally keen to read stories that capture the hearts of readers. With this simple desire in mind, we are therefore launching The Circalit Romantic Fiction competition to find romantic reads from Circalit’s best up-and-coming writers.

We are looking for a complete novel that captures the idea of love or romance in an original and insightful way. Whether you’re writing afresh or tweaking something finished, Anna’s curious to see. The novels that receive the best reviews will form a shortlist from which Anna will choose the final winner. The winner will receive a feedback report from Anna worth £120. So pick up that pen/keyboard/harp and get our heart-strings twanging...

Entry Fee: FREE

Host: Anna Jean-Hughes

How the winner will be selected?

The top-rated entries will automatically be shortlisted as voted by the community. Our judges will choose a winner from the shortlist.

Prize: You will win a feedback report on your novel from Random House editor Anna Jean-Hughes.

Rules: Your submission must be your own original work.

You only need to upload the first three chapters of your novel.

All entries will be judged on the strength of the first 3 chapters.

A detailed synopsis must be included with each upload.

Link to enter HERE

10 Questions??????????

2011-12-22T04:09:00.000-08:00

Never mind the 12 days of Christmas, here's 10 Questions to get you thinking.

(originally from a French series,'Bouillon de Culture' hosted by Bernard Pivot)

1. What is your favourite word? Creativity.

2. What is your least favourite word? Rat.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? The woods.

4. What turns you off? Loud Arguments.

5. What is your favourite curse word? Crap.

6. What sound or noise do you love? The wind across the valley while snuggled up in bed.

7. What sound or noise do you hate? The phone ringing while I'm writing.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Oil painting.

9. What profession would you not like to do? Bin man/woman.

10.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Your Mam and Dad are here.

And the good news is ..... there will be a prize for the best set of answers - how this will be determined, and what exactly the prize will be requires some very deep contemplation! Will revert with full details in the New Year.

Reading Not to be Missed! 19th December 2011

2011-12-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

Now I know you are all really busy, being the 'busy time of year', but it is always good to have a little rest and relaxation, along with wonderful readings from some creative folk.

Which is why you shouldn't miss tomorrow night's readings on Monday the 19th December 2011 at Tallaght Library (7pm).

Kate Dempsey will be reading from her recently published “Dinky” book of poems along with Ann Marie Mullins, Ray Mullen and Trish Best.

You can find Kate here at Emerging Writer, a brilliant site for keeping you in touch with everything going on in the writing scene.

The Echo Newspaper have been a great support to all the writers who have featured as part of this reading series which has been facilitated by Hennessy Literary Award Winner, Eileen Casey. You can find out all about the writers, and read some of their work, including myself, here.

Hope to see you there!

Thought for the Weekend - Courage

2011-12-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

This week's thought for the weekend from Anne Tucker is short and simple, but very true.

'All art requires courage.'

- Anne Tucker -

New Picture for Writer Profile

2011-12-14T02:46:00.000-08:00

My wonderful daughter kindly took photos of yours truly last night, so let me know which you prefer, black and white, or colour?

Thought for the Weekend - Free Will?

2011-12-09T04:34:00.000-08:00

Here's something for you to get your teeth into this weekend, nice quote from Scott Adams, plus enjoy this brilliant cartoon sketch from David Hume.

"Free will is an illusion. People always choose the perceived path of greatest pleasure."

- Scott Adams -

Publication in Revival Literary Journal

2011-12-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

Revival is a quarterly Literary Journal which has been home to many wonderful artists over the years. Last week, I was delighted to hear that my flash fiction piece Role Play forms part of the Oct/Nov/December issue. The piece was originally created for a guest blog post with Derek at Rant with the Occasional Music, and Friday Flash.

It is one of five prose pieces in this edition of Revival, along with some wonderful poetry and reviews.

Please find details regarding submissions for the next publication below:

Revival Literary Journal is calling for submissions from local, national and international poets and writers for the next issue (No.22) which will be published in Limerick, March 2012.

Submissions, poetry and short fiction or extracts (500 words) are now being sought for the next issue, alongside Review and Criticism pieces. They are also interested in receiving black and white images/line drawings for inclusion.

Deadline: Friday 20th January 2012 Hard Copy Submissions should also include a CD disc of the submission.

Send to: The Editor, Revival, Moravia, Glenmore Ave., Roxboro Rd., Limerick.

Email: revival1@eircom.net

Submission guidelines HERE : www.revivalpress.com

What's in a name?

2011-12-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well actually quite a lot, or so it seems.

I attended a workshop a couple of months back as part of the RTE Guide/Penguin Short Story Competition, and the whole area of domain names came up. The advice given was that even if you are not a Famous Writer YET - you should purchase your domain name before someone else does.

Well it made sense and I thought about it, but sadly my name was already gone for the .com URL, and with .com being by far the most popular one, I was pleased at least that it was owned by a lovely photographer, which is way better than an axe murdering weirdo - so no panic.

Anyhow, I decided today (via Blogger) to see if I could get the domain name www.louise-phillips.com and yes I could, so I did. Now I did all this via @120Socks not realising that over the next few days my blog address will go from http://120socks.blogspot.com to http://louise-phillips.blogspot.com or www.louise-phillips.com

It looks like most of the information will remain in tact, and there should be no problem as you can still access via either addresses, and more importantly, visitors will be automatically redirected from the old URL address to the new URL address in about 3 days time - fingers and toes crossed.

However, it would be great if you could amend your blog links to the new one (www.louise-phillips.com/) over the next while.

Also my entire bloglist seems to have gone off into the galaxies somewhere, so anyone who was on my blog roll and would like to be on my blog role again, please, please send me a comment/tweet or email with your URL address on it, and I will update this manually myself.

How to Succeed - Thought for the Week

2011-11-28T02:14:00.000-08:00

Now some of you loyal followers may have noticed that I haven't posted a 'Thought for the Weekend' for the last couple of weeks. Believe me, it wasn't because I wasn't thinking, it was more that life just got really complicated and time disappeared a little the way water disappears down a drain, fast and furious.

So, as I have been slacking in this department, I've decided to post a 'Thought for the Week' instead. Probably like some of you, I was watching Xfactor over the weekend, (yes I know I just said I had no time for anything, but somethings you just do even when no time exists) and I heard Gary Barlow's words on the best advice he ever heard, and this is what he said. He said, success is 90% hard work and determination, and 10% talent.

Now I remember hearing something like this before, which of course gave me huge encouragement, after all we can all work darn hard if we choose to. So I got to thinking about the advice many successful writers give about writing, which is that in order to write, you must first sit your bum on a chair and begin. The sitting down bit being the key. Thus bringing us nicely to the 'Thought for the Week', courtesy of Mr Woody Allen:-

'Eighty per cent of success, is showing up.'

- Woody Allen -

A Radio Broadcast Not To Be Missed!

2011-11-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

Three Rivers - One Summer

I met Ger Philpott via the Irish Writers Centre. He is a remarkable man, and I have always found his company to be interesting, insightful, engaging and witty - plus he is a darn good cook!

His documentary of 'Three Rivers One Summer' can be listened to via the Podcast link at the end of this post! If it well worth the listen, so don't miss it.

I will put a brief bio of Ger below, along with an introduction and link to the broadcast.

Ger Philpott is an award winning screenwriter and filmmaker. He writes for the print media, radio, screen and TV. His work includes the prizewinning short films, Change and An Turas. He is the author of the best-selling book on AIDS, Deep End. He works as a writer, director, radio producer and freelance journalist.

A keen gardener and accomplished cook he lives in Dublin. He is a current Irish Masters swimming record holder and breeds and exhibits Champion Weimaraner dogs.

Introduction to Three Rivers - One Summer

Both Ger Philpott's parents died in the past year, within three months of each other. This documentary celebrates their lives. The Philpott's are a swimming family - both Ger and his Dad swam competitively at Masters level internationally - in fact they made a bit of swimming history in the mid eighties when they both won gold medals at the same international competition in Rome.

Shortly before his dad died, he asked Ger to swim the Lee this summer. He climbed back into the pool two days after his Dad was buried to train for the event - a former competitive swimmer, if he was to do it he'd have to do it right! Two of his brothers also did the Lee swim in his honour. For Ger, working his way back to fitness was an antidote to grief.

The swim quickly grew into three rivers - the Hudson in NYC last May, the Lee in Cork in July and the Liffey in Dublin last September. The journey of the rivers was a joyous, bittersweet affair.

Three Rivers tells the story of a journey through grief and Ger and his siblings love of their parents. In a sense it's their love story with them intertwined with their own love story. It features love letters Ger's dad wrote to his Mum when they were courting - he was living in war time Britain at the time. It also features some of their music from down the years - Mario Lanza, John Mc Cormack, Doris Day, Ry Cooder, Patrick Watson etc etc... They also managed to capture some unique underwater sound and atmosphere during the making of the programme which features actuality form NYC, Cork and Dublin. Further details HERE

Produced by Ger Philpott and Ronan Kelly.

Ger recording at the Liffey Swim

Listen to Podcast HERE 'Three Rivers - One Summer'

Something to make you Smile!

2011-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

This clip definitely falls into the label of 'The A-Z of anything', which by the way was specially designed to embrace items like these.

Hope you enjoy this clip as much as I did. Before you click on it, here's a picture clue:-

Go on - View the clip HERE It will make you smile!

Finding the Right Agent

2011-11-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

When you think about Agents many images come to mind. You think about Secret Service Agents, Hollywood Agents, Travel Agents, Estate Agents, a pretty long list you must admit. Are Agents something you think about when you start writing? Not always, and certainly not in my case. I guess I just entered the wonderful, crazy, frustrating, great but totally addictive world of writing not really looking too far ahead, probably just about enough to learn my craft as best I could with the tools at my disposal.

A little while back fellow blogger and writer Kate Dempsey at Emerging Writer blog did a piece on Literary Agents in Ireland, and it was a very good one indeed. Just to mention here, if you are not following Kate's blog and you are a writer, then you are missing out on a whole load of stuff. Anyhow, after having done some research myself, I realised that finding the right agent was going to be hugely important. Not all agents deal with the same material, like other normal human beings, they are rather individual, so you need to be sure that your writing is the type of thing they are looking for otherwise you are pretty well doomed right from the get go.

There is also another question about agents of course, which is whether or not we need them. Again, I gave this some thought, and here is what I figured out. It's takes a long time to work on your writing skill, a lifetime adventure I believe, and along the way you do learn lots of stuff about your craft, but not a lot about the business side of things. The business side of most things is tricky, and in a world under recessionary times trickier than ever. I looked up a number of writers and web posts on the merits or not of having an agent, and the general consensus was, get one, and get a good one.

As you know I live in Ireland, not the largest place on the planet but an island responsible for vast amounts of wonderful writing and other forms of creativity. However, having said that, I discovered that agents in Ireland, now I'm talking the top agents, are a small enough bunch, making the odds of acquiring a really good one very remote indeed.

Never one to go to battle alone if I can avoid it, I sought help and advice from another vital writing source for aspiring writers www.writing.ie where the wonderful Vanessa O Loughlin helped me enormously. Again another site which writers should definately link into.

Anyhow, the reason I am telling you all this is because believe it or not yours truly has managed to get herself an agent, and not just any agent, but a wholly wonderful one. I met Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau a few weeks back, and I instantly discovered that she was pretty amazing. She had all the qualities you would want to find in this rare breed - honesty, intelligence, professionalism, huge enthusiasm for writing and writers, and most importantly really liked my work. Now pretty well anyone who likes my writing work is kinda marvelous to me, but to have someone of Ger's quality like it, well it blew my socks off, all 120 of them.

It's probably just as well that I fancy myself as a novelist, because in my book it's near on impossible for me to tell a story fast, which is why sadly you've needed to read all of the above for me to say - Ger Nichol is now my agent, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Francis Mac Manus Short Story Competition 2011/2012

2011-11-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

Details of this year's Francis Mac Manus Short Story Competition are now available. This is an annual competition seeking short stories for radio. Winning entries will be broadcast on RTE Radio.

General Guidelines
The competition is open to anyone born or resident in Ireland.
Only one entry per person is allowed.
Entries must be original work of the author and not previously published or broadcast.
Stories must be between 1,800 - 2,000 words.
Entries should be double spaced and type written on one side of A4 paper.
The Authors name should only appear on the official entry form.
Entries will be accepted until the 20th January 2012.
There is no Entry Fee for Submission.
Entries should be posted or delivered to:
                                                                RTE Radio 1 Short Story Competition
                                                                RTE Radio Centre
                                                                Dublin 4

Link to full Rules & Regulations, along with Application Form can be found HERE

Book Club - The Method by Tom Vowler

2011-11-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

After the great success of last month's book club choice Before I Go To Sleep, this time we are going to go on a slightly different adventure. From crime thriller to short story collection - an interesting diversion you might think, but from the sound of it, this is no ordinary short story collection. So I'm anticipating many diverse, exciting, insightful, love, hate and opinionated charged responses.

Having read some of the many great reviews about this collection, I can't wait to read it. Available to order on line HERE. 6.70 Sterling with free delivery Worldwide.

Brief Description:
The characters in this award-winning debut collection are very good at losing things: children, lovers, hope, the plot. They discover the past is not a place easily escaped from, as it pursues them with startling, sometimes horrifying, consequences.
A writer takes his research a little too far; a couple, stricken with guilt and grief, prepare a last meal; a group of swingers is rocked by the arrival of a new couple; a man takes a train journey to learn how to kill again; a deformed brother and sister exact revenge half a mile underground; a modern-day messiah astonishes a criminal gang, and a father is forever tormented by the few minutes his back was turned.
It’s impossible not to connect with these lives and the things that happen to them remaining with you long after reading. Provocative and bold, these stories will get under your skin.

Extract from review by Melissa Lee-Houghton of The Short Review
Vowler builds layers of insight and understanding; his narratives can be steadily harrowing and difficult to read but always with an unfaltering purposeful edge. We know these stories must be seen through. His prose leaves nothing to chance, he covers every detail with a keen eye and a wealth of vision. Vowler’s first person narratives are very quick, assured and adept. He is not afraid to be new, to be dangerous with it and flaunt his talent for imagining the necessary elements to compose coherent, robust and most importantly, satisfying short stories.

Walking/Photo Journal - Catching the Light!

2011-11-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

Okay I admit it, I've been a little lazy, (rephrase) more than a little lazy with the Walking/Photo Journal of late. However, this morning despite the sun illustrating the dust on my windows, I figured that a good walk out in the fresh air was exactly what I needed. At the very least I could ignore the dusty windows.

Also, seeing as how this week's reflective thought (see side panel) is all about reflecting the light - here are some pics I took while out feeling the breeze and sun on my face. Hope you enjoy!

Thought for the Weekend - The Writing Stranger

2011-11-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

For this week's thought for the weekend, I give you the following quote - Love the idea of the theoretical stranger!

"What a writer can do, what a fiction writer or a poet or an essay writer can do, is re-engage people with their own humanity. Fiction and essays can create empathy for the theoretical stranger."

- Barbara Kingsolver-

Art Exhibition on behalf of Anti Racism

2011-11-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

An art exhibition on behalf of the Anti Racism Network will open this saturday. It is a great opportunity not just to support a good cause, but also to buy really affordable art and have a good night out.

There will be live music -Luka Bloom opening the show with a beautiful song and there will be plenty of musical performances throughout the evening.

The show will be open in the Back Loft (just off Thomas Street, take a right at Borza when coming from town end) from 1pm but the official opening starts at 5pm.

If you are in town - check it out!

Back Loft Gallery

Shortlisted Bridport 2011

2011-11-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Delighted to hear my story The Present has been shortlisted for Bridport UK 2011. Thrilled with the news!

This is me right now:-

Details of the 2012 Competition HERE

A Girl's Guide To Office Men - How Times Have Changed Or Have They?

2011-11-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you all love the vintage ads, and I was planning on doing one over the next couple of days, but when this was sent to me via @RachelLuRay on Twitter - well, I just couldn't resist. The article is from ' Miss Magazine' circa 1966, about Irish Men in the Office. Can't wait to hear what you all think! You may need to zoom in to read it, but remember, education is a wonderful thing.

Novel Writing Month - November Calling

2011-11-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

Okay this is a pretty cool way of getting your words to flow onto the page. I could give you a long introduction about how this happens, but the article below pretty well covers it. Suffice to say, when you take those doubting gremlins away, not allow them time to sneak up on you, and keep yourself busy writing, the words, your story, happens.

Why not check it out - its far better than watching too much television!

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2010, we had over 200,000 participants. More than 30,000 of them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo super stardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To give yourself permission to write without obsessing over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To stop being one of those people who say, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel,” and become one of those people who can say, “Oh, a novel? It’s such a funny story–I’ve written three.”
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins 12:00:01 November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at 11:59:59. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

SIGN UP LINK HERE

Want to get your Novel Published? - Novel Fair @ The Irish Writers Centre

2011-10-31T04:37:00.000-07:00

This is a great opportunity being presented by the Irish Writers Centre:-

(Note Closing date is the 11th November 2011)

The Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair Competition

The inaugural Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair for first-time novelists will take place on March 10th 2012. The Novel Fair aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents, giving novelists the opportunity to bypass the slush pile, pitch their ideas and place their synopsis and sample chapters directly into the hands of publishers and agents.

A judging panel of experienced industry professionals will be asked to select a shortlist of successful entries, presented to them anonymously. There is no limitation on style, genre, or target market, the only requirement being that the writer has not published a novel before.

Publishers and agents will be invited to come along on the day to the Irish Writers’ Centre and meet these writers in person. Each writer in attendance will have a stand at the Fair with copies of the synopsis of their novel, the finished novel itself and biographical material.

Representatives from Penguin Ireland, Transworld, O’ Brien Press, Lilliput Press, Hachette Books, Liberties Press, Little Island, Arlen House and New Island will be present on the day. Literary agents such as Marianne Gunn O’ Connor, Yvonne Kinsella, Emma Walsh, Ger Nichol, Paul Feldstein and Jonathan Williams will also be present.

This is an incredible opportunity for first-time novelists.

For terms and conditions please click here>>>

To download an entry form please click here>>>

Deadline for submissions: November 11th 2011

For any further information, and to pay via Paypal, you can check out link for the Irish Writers Centre HERE

Thought for the Weekend - Any Dream Will Do!

2011-10-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

Normally, I use famous quotes for these blog posts - words of wisdom from writers, philosophers, artists, and those wise folk called anonymous, but today is slightly different. Today, I'm going to go with 'Any Dream Will Do', which some of you might connect to the musical 'Joseph' or 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat', which I knew it by. It just so happens though, that it is also the title of a new book, one which is in the shops NOW, written by one of the many great people I have come to know in Twitter Land -Maria Duffy.

So I got to thinking how important these four words actually are. We all need dreams, we all need something to strive for, and these dreams are as individual as we are. My hubby has been more into the dream idea over the years than me. And for the most part, most of his dreams have come true. I tended to things that dreams were things you did in your sleep, and probably should be left there. But over the last while, I've been thinking that perhaps I'm wrong. You have to dream, to have to believe that wishes will come true, because even if they don't, it's a whole lot better dreaming about them than not!

Here's a pic of Maria's book, which I plan to pick up very soon myself - and Maria, I warn you in advance, your signature will be required.

Savage Chicken Poetry

2011-10-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

It's time for some words of brilliance from the fabulous Savage Chickens - you just gotta luv them!

The CWA Debut Dagger Competition

2011-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

How to Enter the Debut Dagger

The 2012 Debut Dagger competition opened on the 22 October 2011 and will close on 21 January 2012. The prize money is £700, plus two tickets to the CWA Awards and the entry fee for both postal and online entries is £25. To be notified of the opening and closing dates, and stay abreast of any developments or news, including the shortlist and the 2012 winner, please sign up for the free newsletter, using the
form at the foot of this page.

Before you enter, you must read the rules.

Postal Entry

To enter by post, please send:

The first 3000 words (or fewer) of your novel
A 500-1000 word synopsis of the rest of the novel

...both typed and double-spaced

A completed entry form
A cheque, postal order, or international money coupon for £25
A self-addressed, stamped postcard if you wish us to acknowledge receipt

Please send your entry to the following PO Box.

Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger
PO Box 273
Boreham Wood
Hertfordshire
WD6 2XA
UK

Online Entry

You can now enter the competition online. To do so, please have ready the following:

The first 3000 words (or fewer) of your novel
A 500-1000 word synopsis of the rest of the novel

...both in the same computer file and with the line spacing set to double. We can accept entries in Microsoft Word Document (.doc or .docx) ; OpenDocument Text (.odt); Rich Text File (*.rtf); or Portable Document Format (.pdf - sometimes known as Adobe Acrobat).

Your credit or debit card to pay the entry fee of £25. If you do not live in the UK, your credit card company will handle the currency conversion.
Alternatively, if you have a PayPal account, you can pay us using that.
PayPal tell us the cardholder's name and address. We do not see any other card details, and you don't need to sign up for a PayPal account to use your card.
You are now ready to complete the online entry form.
We will acknowledge receipt of your entry by email.
Please note the closing time and date of 23:59 on 21 January 2012 is UK time. If you are in a different time zone please make the appropriate adjustment, for example on the west coast of the USA (PST) the relevant time is 15:59 on 21 January.
If you already have a PayPal account please make sure that any associated credit card has not expired, particularly if you have not used the account for sometime.

Thought for the Weekend - Frank O'Connor

2011-10-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

I thought we could go all writerly for this week's Thought for the Weekend - and who better than Frank O'Connor to set us on the right path!

'There are three necessary elements in a story—exposition, development, and drama. Exposition we may illustrate as “John Fortescue was a solicitor in the little town of X”; development as “One day Mrs. Fortescue told him she was about to leave him for another man”; and drama as “You will do nothing of the kind,” he said.'

- FRANK O’CONNOR -

Echo Echo

2011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Queen of Socks put her hair up last week and got her picture and story in the ECHO.

Just click on the link HERE and scroll through to find me - I'm the one at the Poet's Corner, no not Pet's Corner, Poet's Corner!

Book Club Review -Before I Go To Sleep

2011-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

At long last the reviews are in. As per usual, there were the usual disagreements, arguments, praise, criticism, all forming an interesting and entertaining cocktail of Book Club opinions. Having said all that, 'Before I Go To Sleep' has probably been the most successful book reviewed so far. But enough of all that - here is what everyone had to say.

As a bit of a thriller addict I feel in a good position to pass judgement on this novel. My verdict? Excellent! The idea was original, the execution confident - the experience for the reader is an overall very enjoyable one. I read most of the book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. So, any negative comments? Well, while not giving too much away, some aspects of the plot were a little too tidy and I didn't feel we were given enough red herrings to keep us guessing. But, when it came down to it, these points didn't really detract from the enjoyment of the novel. 9/10.

'Before I go to Sleep' was a very enjoyable read, though some of the plotting was forced at times, perhaps its greatest achievement as a book about memory loss was to give such entertainment and yet be completely forgettable. I could read it again next year. But hopefully won't!

'Before I Go To Sleep' ticks many of the boxes for me. It was engaging, kept me second guessing all the way through. Had a great plot with no inconsistencies that I could find. I liked the premise behind it, although I did think he made a 'not so old women' appear a lot older than her years. The triumph for me was the final third of the novel as I just could not put it down - managed to stay awake until 4 in the morning in an attempt to finish it. As a plot driven thriller novel goes, it certainly worked for me.

Before I Go To Sleep is an elegant and compact thriller. It is a genre novel with a sophisticated concept. I found it supremely readable. The style is stripped back to a stark functionality, but there is something refreshing about it's uncluttered surface. The pleasures of the text are in the clever plotting and in how the plotting serves the concept - how the author manages to tell the story of it's amnesiac protagonist is an ingenious feat in itself. Some people in the group have argued that it isn't a classic or very re-readable but I think it is an original and notable example of it's genre.

While difficult for a male writer to narrate from a female perspective, S.J. Watson pulls it off with aplomb in ‘Before I Go to Sleep’. He avoids clichéd female traits to deliver a suspenseful and well-written debut novel. While the writing is very tight, all the loose ends are tied up a little too quickly at the end which pulls the reader from that bubble of imagination. Also, Watson uses some weak structure in places – it’s just too convenient that Christine is abandoned by all of her family and friends, only adding to her vulnerability and state of confusion. However, the reader is tantalised by what is real and unreal in this well-layered story and Watson avoids a ‘groundhog day’ feel by steering clear too much repetition. ‘Before I Go to Sleep’ is a good read; it will pass the bus journey to work but it’s not one for the bookcase.

I'm an avid reader, but this is one of the best books I've read in a while. The first third pulls you in, the middle keeps you tensed and waiting and the last is absolutely un-putdownable. Ticks all the boxes. If I bit my nails they'd be bitten to the quick by now . . .

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, kept thinking I had the measure of it but I was wrong every time, held me in suspense right to the end. Didn't take me long to read because i truly couldn't put it down. I note Ridley Scott has acquired the film rights, this says it all !

Before I go to Sleep S J Watson - I read this novel in two sittings. I loved the notion that a journal could hold your reality even when if you were unable to hold it yourself - the notion that your own written word might be the only
word that you could trust. It's a riveting notion that you might see, in your own hand, the words ‘Don’t trust Ben’ – about the only person you thought you could trust. The writer’s style - or the writing - didn’t make an impact on me good or bad. It certainly didn’t intrude on the plot. I was surprised afterwards to realise that I couldn’t describe it. I only remembered the characters, and the journal, not the writing. I think that might
be an achievement! I loved the plot. I could pick some holes in it but I would have to
be really-really picky. Like: where are the social services? Why did she have to develop a cringey attraction to Dr Nash, there was plenty going on between them without that. If you set it in Ireland and make Brendan Gleeson play Ben and Gabriel Byrne play Dr Nash it might work. But Dr Nash is too young....The extent of Christine’s vulnerability was shocking – in the end I just wanted no more bad things to happen to her...I won’t read it again but I will recommend it to everyone as riveting read.

This is a good book; the pages turn, the sentences flow and it’s not demanding. For a thriller I’m told it’s fantastic and with its high concept and nicely placed plot revelations, I can understand that it is. My husband, who only reads thrillers, loved it. I want more from a book. I want to enter a world that dazzles me with its brilliance. I want to read sentences that leave me breathless. I want to learn. Instead I ran through passages wishing the old biddy, Christine (she’s only 47, but feels more like 60), would stop wittering on and on about how dreadful, and how hard, and how awful. The poor, unfortunate woman has not a drop of humour and her every waking hour is consumed by her tragedy. I know this is reasonable considering her tragedy is dreadful, and maybe I’ve just had enough of the economy, the radio, and the multiple endearment that are uttered throughout the book that sound like cardboard. I will add that the authors finest page is his last. I admired him for that.

Thought for the Weekend - Steve Jobs

2011-10-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Okay I know I've been a bit quiet lately, but believe me I've had good reason. In the meantime this quote from the late Steve Jobs does it for me right now!

'You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.'

- Steve Jobs -

So light they almost fly!

2011-10-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

Puffin Advertisement 1956 - So light they almost fly!

I know many of you are fond of these old vintage ads! The above colourful one came to mind when I read an article via Twitter from @CarenKennedy (well worth following btw) - see article from Independent.ie newspaper below.

THREE pensioners attending the funeral of a friend in southern California had to be hospitalised after getting high on brownies and being unable to stand up. The three, all in their 70s and 80s, had accidentally consumed brownies that had marijuana added to them. The pensioners became unwell at a Huntington Beach memorial service and had to be taken to hospital after they were unable to stand up unassisted. At the service, a tray of brownies were offered around that has since been determined to have contained marijuana.

Link to main article here http://t.co/zrwxEJT7

NewsFour Short Story Competition

2011-10-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

The results of the NewsFour Short Story Competition are now out, and I was thrilled to discover that I got 3rd place in the winning entries with my story ‘The Two of Us’. The story was an adaptation of a previous flash fiction piece called 'Monkey & The Brain Eater', which some of you might be familiar with.

The winning stories will be published in NewsFour over the coming weeks. NewsFour were overwhelmed with the number of entries submitted, and have said that the standard was very high, making the work of the adjudicator that bit harder. The fabulous Paul Howard, award-winning journalist, author and creator of the cult character Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, was the adjudicator on this occasion.

Paul Howard's Review of 'The Two of Us'

"A beautiful, perfectly pitched and heart-rending account of the role reversal between parent and child brought about by ageing".

Final Results of News Four Short Story Competition

First:         The Bogman’s Bride - by Barbara Leahy,
Second:      Dead Things - by Des Mc Inerney
Third:        The Two of Us - by Louise Phillips

Finally, apologies for being so quiet lately. As some of you might know, I was sick there for a little while, and then my daughter was also unwell which resulted in her having to have a stay in hospital too. She is home now, but needing plenty of tlc. Hopefully things will get back to normal real soon.

Life's No Picnic On The Street

2011-10-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

A very special project took place over the summer where some amazing works of art produced by Depaul's service users, and artists like novelist Mia Gallagher, poet Colm Keegan, singer/songwriter Pearse McLoughlin, NCAD's, culminated in an exhibition down at Electric Picnic this year. The exhibition has now relocated to the Atrium on Stephen's Green which means anyone who didn't make Electric Picnic can now check it out. It certainly looks like an exhibition not to be missed. See details below:-

Thought for the Weekend - Dr Seuss

2011-09-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

My thanks to Brendan Dunne (Twitter@BrendanD100) for this week's Thought for the Weekend on 120 Socks official 1st Birthday.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

- Dr Seuss -

I was delighted when Brendan suggested this quote for this weekend, as I vividly the Dr Seuss books when my children were younger. My eldest daughter was dyslexic, so we had lots of Dr Seuss books and her favourite was the Cat in the Hat - I bet she can still say the whole book by heart. Below is the part that no doubt still floats into my dreams, I heard and read it so many times! If you have your own Dr Seuss memories, let me know, if YOU can get the comment box to work (blogger messing things up lately).

"too wet to go out,

and too cold to play ball,

they just sat in the house,

and did nothing at all,
and all they could do

was to sit, sit, sit,

and they did not like it,

not one little bit..."

Nothing like a bit of Reading

2011-09-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

Apart from our short walking holiday at the beginning of September, this month has been a bit of a disaster. Being unwell has not helped, and in a way I look forward to welcoming a new month a bit like welcoming a new year, as if it might be full of great and wonderful possibilities. You will all be pleased to know, that I'm on the mend, and my daughter is getting there too. Plenty of bed rest and pill popping, with some TLC fired in for good measure - although I notice now that I'm up and about, the mere fact that I'm going around on two legs somehow means in the eyes of other members of the family, that things are back to normal!

Anyhow, we're getting there, and deffo by next Monday, which is the reason for this blog post, I will be fully recovered.

The Country Library, Tallaght, are currently presenting a six part series of conversations & readings by local and visiting poets, and prose writers.

The series has been developed and facilitated by Award Winning local Author and Poet, Eileen Casey.

This Monday the 3rd October - Yours truly will be reading as part of this series, along with two terrific writers, Colm Keegan and Brian Kirk (bios below). I am really looking forward to the readings, as we each have very distinctive styles. I met both of these guys a few years back when we were part of a workshop given by Dermot Bolger, then writer in residence for SDCC, and apart from having a huge admiration for their work, I also think, they are two great blokes.

I know Tallaght might be a little far for some of you, but I hope you can make it, as it should be a wonderful evening. Readings begin at 7.p.m.

I won't bore you with my pic and bio, but here are the two lads.

Brian Kirk has been shortlisted for various awards including Hennessy Awards in 2008 and 2011. His stories and poems have appeared in The Sunday Tribune, The Stony Thursday Book, Crannog, Revival, Boyne Berries, Wordlegs and various anthologies.

Colm Keegan writes poetry, short stories and screenplays. He also runs Nighthawks, Dublin’s premier arts night, and was part of 'Three Men Talking About Things That They Kinda Know About' in this year's Dublin Fringe Festival . Shortlisted for three Hennessy Awards for both fiction and poetry.

Savage Chicken & The Fall of 120 Socks!

2011-09-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Now I made a promise a little while back, and I am someone who usually keeps their promises. The promise was that I would post a Savage Chicken cartoon on the 23rd of each month. Sadly the 23rd came and went, and no such post materialised - the reason why not you might ask? Well I'll tell you! But before I do, I'll just slot in this classic Savage Chicken to get the juices going so to speak.

Okay, I'll make this short and sweet as 120 Socks is not feeling the best right now. You all know, or rather those of you who follow this blog on a regular basis know, that for the last three weeks these socks have been a little under the weather, and may I add your support through this time of unwellness has been much appreciated!

Anyhow, near the end of last week, I thought the second antibiotic was doing its job, I wasn't fully better, but I had left the bedroom and started to pick up stuff, you know what I mean, twenty ton of dog hair from lack of hovering, dirty dishes, mainly glasses spread around the house, mail which no one else opened because they were only bills, the usual stuff. So on Thursday when my daughter started to feel sick, an appointment for the GP was made instantaneously, because that is how it is done when it comes to your offspring. Friday morning we drove to the GP, and her tummy was unwell as she is not a good traveller, so you get the picture. On arrival I let the receptionist know we'd arrived, and that my daughter might need a utensil, after which we were ushered with said utensil into the nurses station off the main waiting area.

Pretty quick the doctor came in to see her, and I should have registered that something was not quite right when one side of my brain was asking the other side of my brain, was this woman the doctor, or just some random female who wanted to join us in the area! So there I was filling the GP in on my daughters symptoms, you know usual Mother stuff, when my head went all woozy - first thought - sort yourself out Louise, you are not the sick one. Just as I'm giving myself this lecture, both right and left sides of my brain decided to take over, and 120 Socks collapsed on the floor. First thought when I came to - this is stupid, I shouldn't be on the floor, which is a logical enough thought, but also rather stupid, as there had to be a reason for me being down there.

Okay, imagine the scene, near vomiting daughter, collapsed Mother, GP doing blood pressure tests, taking bloods for labs while ringing out to the main surgery, doing notes on PC of both Mother and daughter, asking daughter does your Mother have any health issues - to which the reply came 'none that I know of'.

Apparently, twenty minutes after fainting, you should return to normal, but 20 minutes after fainting, and now lying on the bed in the surgery, even though I wanted to say I was normal, or as near to normal as I can ever hope to be, I couldn't say it - the head was still dodgy, the knees were like jelly, and I hadn't got a good feeling about the whole thing. At this point daughter is giving Mr Socks a running commentary from her mobile phone, as she is doubled in two, and not with laughter. GP mentioned the word 'ambulance' and I immediately told her to tell her Dad to hurry the hell up. Well I didn't use the word 'hell', because the doctor was there, but there was something in the tone that seemed to make its way down the phone line because my hero soon arrived.

Long story short, my viral infection had led to a chest infection, which had led to the lowering of my oxygen levels, so I had developed an inclination to collapse on floors. 36 hours in hospital, and an injection to thin out my blood so the oxygen could flow a little easier, and I was sent home on the strict instruction to have complete rest for a week, and yes you guessed it, more anti-biotics.

All in all we were really lucky, because it could have happened at any time, like when we were driving home for example - so pretty cool that I happened to manage it with a full medical team on hand.

So please forgive me for not posting Savage Chicken on the 23rd, as I was otherwise engaged! Now this longer than anticipated short post has worn me out, back to my position in front of the telly, while my hero puts on the dinner:)

The Pink Cage on Tour

2011-09-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 3 of The Pink Cage blog tour with writer and journalist Derbhile Dromey, and I'm particularly delighted to be part of it.

The original plan was to do a review alongside an interview with Derbhile, but due to my coughing illness, (and a desire not to spread germs to talented writers) the interview will happen later - which is all good because now I get the chance to talk in depth about the novel, with the added joy/interest that early next week, myself and Derbhile can chat.

Firstly let me just say, I met Derbhile via Twitter @ThePinkCage - I found her witty, interesting, and deffo someone whom I'm glad I followed. Because I knew little of Derbhile before this blog tour, and I had not yet read her novel The Pink Cage, I was somewhat apprehensive about reviewing it. What if I hated it? What if I had to say things like - I really liked that the paper used was recycled, that for every tree felled, another tree was planted - or that I loved the cover because the beach does it for me, or pink is my favourite colour - I had plenty in reserve I guess, should the quality of writing not be as one might like. Thankfully, even though I do appreciate that the paper used was recycled, and I am not adverse to beaches, or pink in the correct quantities, I don't have to reach for any of these references when reviewing this novel.

The narrative voice in The Pink Cage, is that of Astrid, a visually impaired freelance proof-reader and DJ who is persuaded to go on a skiing trip - definitely not your usual tag line. I will be totally upfront here and say, I wasn't a lover of the opening pages, and initially felt like I was being transported into a world which I really didn't want to be in - honest reaction, I felt somewhat unsettled. That being said, in hindsight perhaps this was a good thing, for the more I got to understand Astrid, the more I came to appreciate the constant struggle of balancing things physically and emotionally in a world not designed for her purpose.

There were some descriptive passages which at first I was unsure of, but soon realised were part of the writer bringing me into the life of, yes you guessed it, someone with visual difficulties - a constant obsession with detail being a necessary tool in the illustration of how one might access a world where the slightest variance can create challenges - thus giving the reader the opportunity to be exposed in a way which otherwise they might not.

In what I had read about The Pink Cage, it seemed some found the character of Astrid unlikeable at first - that wasn't the case with me. Maybe, I just got her hurt pretty early on, and found the desire to put a protection around herself, even to the point of alienating others, perfectly understandable, or maybe the writer just brought me to the core of her humanity rather quickly, particularly when her younger years were allowed breathe through the pages, and the smaller, trusting, loving Astrid, made sense of an at times, senseless world.

The story unfolds via present day reflections and flashbacks to childhood/teenage years. All the time you are getting to know Astrid and the world she lives in by circumstances/characters which have shaped her life. As a reader you can't help but relate to the younger Astrid, and wonder about the A-B of her journey to the present day. Bottom line, I cared about her, and this is something which is only achieved in great writing. For me Astrid was real. Nor might I add, is it easy to write from a child's perspective, and the narrative voice in this work, does it brilliantly, unravelling in a non- pretentious, heartbreaking, humorous, real way, what it feels like to live in the exciting, scary, loving, lost, changing world of growing up, whilst seeing the world differently to many.

I particularly like books/writers which look at people in the margins, for often when you leave the stereotypical norms, a world, one which you might not have known, or appreciated appears, and this is after all what a great book is supposed to do, bring you somewhere new, change even a little about how you look on the world, question, revisit, reflect.

Another line associated with 'The Pink Cage' is the following: - "a novel about a love that's not quite forbidden." Now I don't want to give too much away here, but love, confused, messy love, and sexuality form an important part of this work. Astrid uses her sexuality as a type of front, the sexier the clothes, the flashier the shades, the shorter the skirt, the look at me mentality, I might be visually impaired but I am hot, sort of thing, is there from the opening pages, and right through.

What I liked about this angle, was how it exposed the way many of us use our sexuality as a protection, a front - I know certainly when I think of my early teens, or see young girls parading in clothes or lack of them, I just think, shit - for the most part they have no idea what they are dealing with. Sexuality within teenage years and beyond is a complicated cauldron, and one which Derbhile Dromey does not shirk from, and I admire her for this. And just like writing from a child perspective, writing about sex is not an easy thing to do well, but in this novel, the rawness, confusion, satisfaction, betrayal, often brutal elements are dealt with without the usual spoonful of sloppiness.

Another aspect of a good read, is when the more you read a book, the more you want to read it - I call it the 'curl up on the couch in front of the fire syndrome', and I certainly got that within these pages. Derbhile joked about the novel getting me through my women flu, and it did - only regret being I didn't have more of it to last me through the entire illness.

Is there great writing in this book? Yes.

Will you feel differently after reading it? Yes.

Was it a story told well? Yes.

Will it go on the Good Book shelf? Definitely.

All great answers you will agree, but all the more surprising when you realise that this novel got 27 rejections from mainstream publishing houses - only to be picked up thankfully in the end by Book Republic - a boutique publishing house.

The Pink Cage, does not slot easily into what is believed to be popular fiction, and just to add in here, I am quite fond of popular fiction, because after all, it is popular - but books like this need to be published - Why?

So you and I can read them. Reading this novel reminded me of something from years back. I remember the first day I got my adult library ticket, as a young teenager, I spent the following year searching the shelves for many different books to read, and every now and then I fell upon a gem, one which changed me. The Pink Cage, I am happy to say is one of these.

The Pink Cage is available from the following:-

Amazon Paperback Version: http://amzn.to/qlX37Z

Amazon Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/qrEDYL

The Book Depository: http://bit.ly/oKhh32

You will find Derbhile @ WriteWords Editorial

Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/www.writewords.ie

& Twitter @The Pink Cage

Blog tour DAY 1 can be found HERE, & Day 2 HERE

DAY 4 on Derbhile’s blog tour will be the 22nd September with

Michelle Moloney @ http://teachermoloneyking.com/

How Times Have Changed - Beautiful Girls

2011-09-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

All regular followers of this blog will know that I don't normally do political, apart from the odd observation about our society in general. Usually, this gets it's closest scrutiny when we look back at the old vintage ads, and today is no exception.

Like many Irish people, I was glued to my seat/couch last night watching TV3's concluding episode about The Rise and Fall of Fianna Fail - and it was high drama indeed. But, I am not going to get into the in's and out's at 120 Socks - I think as an Irish nation we are still trying to comes to terms with what exactly happened, what went wrong, and how we ended up here in this awful state.

Myself and Mr 120 Socks run our own business, we have been through the ropes before, we have found times difficult, even in the so called 'good times'. We have been the unprotected, so for the most part, I hope we get it when it comes to how people are hurting - it is not a nice place.

So taking the above into consideration, viewing the programme last night, even with a temperature/chest infection and virus, I was still shocked, and shocked in a way that goes beyond shocked, more like stunned. I could do a series of blog posts on all the points that got me going, but here is not the platform for that. However, last night as I listened to John O'Donoghue, and his quote about the beautiful girl in Killarney for some reason it shot home in that crazy, bizarre, is he serious?, holy cow, what rubbish, what so called sincerity, what utter belief in self righteous nonsense, coming out of a politician's mouth -in a OMG way.

For those of you who missed the programme, his story went something like this. At some time during the meltdown, he was in Killarney, and this beautiful girl got out of an SUV. She walked over to O'Donoghue and proceeded to tell him exactly what she thought of him, and all that had happened. A voice of the public you might think, but alas no - according to O Donoghue, after the conversation he wondered, what is the point of having so much beauty on the outside, when there was so much ugliness on the inside. I was stunned, as I would imagine so were many other viewers.

So have times really changed? Mr O Donoghue would no doubt appreciate this Palmolive Ad from the 1920's - where beauty wins out over brains.

The Psychology Behind 120 Socks!

2011-09-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Perhaps coming close to the 1st birthday of 120Socks, it's a good time for reflection. I never thought near on 11 months ago that this blogging lark would turn out to be so much fun. I had no idea starting out, what direction I wanted this blog to go in, but somehow it has stumbled its way to being what it is - although the exact answer to this question has still not been fully answered.

They say one of the things you need to succeed in any given area in life, is an ability to change, evolve, adopt new ways of looking at STUFF. So with this in mind, it was indeed timely that fellow expert www.theboreen.com contacting me in relation to doing a study on the 'Psychology of Socks'. Afterall, we all have them, some of us, including my son, have a lifelong quest never to wear two matching socks at the same time (a quest which could revolutionise sock manufacture/sales in the years and decades to come). Others like myself, tend to hold onto them FOREVER, even when holes appear, or their once sky blues or pretty pinks, fade, never to be the same again. Socks are of course a must for Christmas stockings as fillers, a sock in a stocking being very appropriate, or that extra thought to go with the birthday present for 'people who are impossible to buy for' - afterall, everyone needs a sock, often needing more than one.

With all of the above in mind, it is fair and reasonable for most people to end their thinking there - but this is where the blog and twitter has expanded my horizons - so it is with great pleasure today that I hand you over to eminent Sockologist Professor Deborah Mc Menamy who operates from the www.theboreen.com , but also has set up an exciting new writing competition at www.LabelloPress.com

I will be forever grateful to Deborah for her months of research and analysis which you will find HERE

Do you wear matching socks?
Do you wear socks?
Do you keep your socks forever?
Do your socks come out of the washing machine inside out?
Are stripes, kittens, circles your favourites?
How many do you have?
Do you care?
Have yours like mine turned blue lately?
Do you have a drawer for socks which don't match? (I have)
Do you know where all the missing socks go?
Do you have a question which I didn't ask?
Even better, do you know any of the answers?

Please help us in our research, your answers could move the 'Understanding of Socks' to a whole new level.

(Disclaimer: Any nonsense included in this post is purely the result of precribed drugs which are currently fighting the virus attacking 120Socks.)

Check out -
The Sock Exchange at Absolut Fringe 2011

The Pied Piper - Magpie Prompt Week 83

2011-09-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Snake Charmer - Henri Rousseau 1907

This week's Magpie prompt from Tess Kincaid is the image of The Snake Charmer above, and it certainly is an interesting one, so I'm really looking forward to reading other contributors HERE .

My contribution this week is a poem called 'The Pied Piper'.

The Pied Piper

He met love one day on a bus going into town,

then later on a pair of legs ‘gorgeous they were’.

He flirted with it in a story masked by an unusual blond,

while lamenting it’s loss in his babysitter’s kiss.

Something in my voice he said dragged him in,

witch-crafted words laced in lovingness,

him watching over with eyes of one possessed,

confessing secrets in waves of tenderness.

Like the perfume maker he sought obsessed,

himself lost within the lost things,

deftly playing the pied piper’s tune,

chasing love’s lost dream in raw recklessness.

He told me once that he did care,

that dreams were things worth risking for,

that daring held some sweet gift of pride,

and fragmented pieces hover teasing to explore.

But my favourite song he did not know,

was all about the broken things,

was it within broken things that we belonged,

shattered pieces doomed to fall.

For he must have known only madness loomed,

that what he sought could not rest here,

that here was where it all must end,

buried deep, like all would-be lover’s cruel recall.

120 Socks Wilderness Adventure!

2011-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Gosh it seems like so long ago now, but our trip into the wilderness was only last week. We had a great break, lots of fresh air, mountain and forest walks and we found a beautiful place to stay in the Glen of Aherlow, Co Tipperary. It is truly a most wondrous part of Ireland, and one which I am really glad I visited. I had hoped to do a long post covering our adventures, including some interesting people we met along the way, fab shopkeepers, and potters, and general great characters, but alas for now, I will just give you the pics taken during our forest walks, and a short myth (love these old stories) about Lake Muskry.

But before I give you the photos, just to say there are numerous forest walks you can take when visiting the area, all well signposted with length, incline, time required etc. Mr Socks has always been a man in a hurry, so we tended to do 1hr walks in half an hour, and 4 hour walks in 2hrs - but sure what can you do. I did give him the lecture about how it doesn't matter how long it takes, it's how you travel the path, which I repeated every time I stopped to take a photo, but we still managed to travel them far too fast in my opinion.

The last walk to Lake Muskry was difficult enough, reaching 1,614 feet above sea level, and a pretty dodgy pathway with stones more like boulders than anything else, but sure you can see the pics below (including Mr Socks miles into the distance).

Here's hoping my virus/cold will soon be no more, and I can get back to normality, but in the meantime, pictures are always good to look at!

Legend about Lake Muskry
Lake Muskry was formerly known as Lough Beal Sead (lake of the jewel mouth). The legend tells that the lake was once the home of beautiful maidens who every second year were metamorphosised into birds, one becoming the most beautiful in the world. To mark her pre-eminence she was allowed to wear a golden necklace which had a sparkling Jewel set in it, hence the name Lough Beal Sead.

Chicken Flu - Enough Said!

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

When You Were Small - Hospital Memories

2011-09-13T01:47:00.000-07:00

Okay yes I know I said the next post in this series would be all about first holidays, not hospitals. But I am sick right now, an awful annoying head cold/flu which has been gifted to me by Mr Socks, who coughed and barked and blew all the way to sharing it. So being sick, I don't really want to think about first holidays, being sick I want to feel sorry for myself, so being sick, I got to thinking about hospitals.

Now again I know, most normal people when they think about hospitals have sad memories, and yes, I also know I am lucky not to have these, never having to be in hospital until the delivery of my first daughter. That being said though, I have a couple of very distinctive memories about hospitals from when I was small. The first one is around my Mam's stay in one, and my Dad getting us fish and chips from the chipper every single night. It is a pretty distinctive memory, but alas not the one which I am going to share with you here. The memory I am going to share with you, is all about jealousy!

Not 120 Socks I hear you say - but alas every now and then even I have bad thoughts, and on this occasion, the bad thoughts were all about my big sister. You see, when she was younger, about 10 I think, she had to go into hospital to get her appendix out. I am sure she did suffer, even marginally with this illness, but I don't remember any of that. What I remember are the presents - the colouring books and crayons, the large bottles of Lucozade, the puzzles, the sucky sweets with flavours of blackcurrant, strawberry, lemon, orange, lime, you name it, she got it. Every day for what seemed like an eternity, more prizes were brought up to her.

What did I get? Not a dot, not a sweet, not a sip from the large bottles which went up daily, I got nothing, a big fat nothing, and as you can imagine this had a devastating effect on me. I started dreaming about going into hospital, being knocked down by a car and everyone around the bed crying over me, pouring lovely drinks down by throat, willing me to sit up so I could draw them a beautiful picture - my sister at home bored, sweetless, drinkless, presentless - the list was endless!

Looking back, I'm wondering if I had been given even one sweet from the packet/packets which went into her hospital locker, anything by way of compensation for being the well one, would the memory have stayed so vivid? To me being in hospital foolishly seemed like the best place ever, probably cause as a child I never got there.

Like most things in life, it is all about which viewpoint to look at any given situation. Years later, my son went into hospital as he was having problems walking. Thankfully, it turned out to be a temporary issue with limb development, but I remember being so worried, and him being so delighted that he had to go everywhere for about 3 days in a wheelchair, his sisters pushing him up and down the hospital corridors, all of them laughing, having fun. And yes, he did get colouring books, and drinks and sweets, and cards, and thankfully, he also got better. So we all got really lucky, and I will always be grateful.

I know there are sad memories out there, and I know mine is a silly one, but if you do have a childhood hospital memory which you would like to share, well you know what to do. In the meantime, I will go back to nursing my head cold - cause being sick is no fun at all!

Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About

2011-09-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Okay don't go telling me I didn't warn you! This show is booking up fast, a couple of nights have already sold out, so go get your tickets or you'll end up missing a great gig!

Link to booking HERE

From September 19th to September 24th upstairs in The International Bar, three of Ireland’s leading male performance poets, Colm Keegan, Kalle Ryan and Stephen James Smith, will join together for a unique spoken word show about what it means to be a man.

Three different stories by three different men connected by the same human experiences of love, loss and redemption. Through poetry delivered in their own inimitable styles, all three men will take you on their deeply personal interconnected journeys about the universal truths that shape us all.

Some might say three men talking about their feelings is a big story in itself, but the fact that three of Dublin’s most well-known performance poets are joining forces for a one-off show together should make anyone with an interest in the spoken word take note. The show is directed by Sarah Brennan who brings an experienced theatrical vision and adds a clear female perspective to these poetic male stories.

The Dublin spoken word scene has grown and developed spectacularly in the past few years and it is no coincidence that Colm Keegan, Kalle Ryan and Stephen James Smith are at the heart of that movement. As organisers of Nighthawks, The Brownbread Mixtape and The Glor Sessions respectively, they form an informal collective of arts nights in the city that support and promote spoken word performance. They see this show as the next step in the evolution of that buzzing scene, as they join forces and create a new format and platform for their brand of performance poetry to be heard.

Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About is part of ABSOLUT Fringe, which runs from September 10 – 25, 2011. Book online at www.fringefest.com or call 1850 FRINGE (1850 374 643).

Novel Update!

2011-09-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Now in case of few of you might be wondering what's happening with my novel, here is the general update.

Firstly, just to say there are 3 main characters in the novel, 2 of which I seem to have pretty well nailed, in the, yes they are brilliant characters type of thing. One however was lacking something, I had my suspicions about her, and these were confirmed when I tested the opening chapters on a trusted expert.

So, I set about rediscovering this character, and it has taken me a while to get to the bottom of her, 8 weeks to be exact. I wrote and wrote, and rewrote, and sat up in bed in the middle of the night writing things about her, scrawling bits on bus tickets, you know the type of thing, until finally, somehow, miraculously she was there on the page/pages. But the trouble was, I spent so long rewriting her, rereading her, and at times feeling jailed in the pages with her, that I could not recognise if at long last she was real, well not really real, but you know what I mean.

Now, this is where having friends who are fellow struggling writers comes in very handy. I went off a couple of weeks back for a gathering of the clan, four of us who had just completed a workshop with Conor Kostick at the Irish Writers Centre. Having emailed the first 3 chapters off to my chosen victims, we set about reviewing everyone's work, and me, being me, avoided my own moment of truth, leaving my chapters to the very end. Thankfully, the chapters got the thumbs up, so I was delighted - I think if they had not, I would have really worried about ever getting to the bottom of this fictional being. The group also gave me a couple of small suggestions, which were great. In fact this topic came up at the RTE Guide/Penguin workshop on Friday by Sinead Moriarty, who said she really appreciated the support her writing group has given her over the years. Sometimes, having an outsider look at your work, is exactly what you need. They see things that you can miss. So, some small rewrites and chapters 1-3 will be ready for flight.

Secondly, it was also suggested by my trusted expert, that instead of just putting in a few lines about myself in the pitch letter, I should do a separate author bio. At first I wasn't too sure on this, but nevertheless, I gave it a go, and it actually turned out very well. Another job done, as it too is now ready for the off.

Okay, I have pitch letter, I have separate author bio, I have chapters 1-3 with just some small modifications, which leaves only one thing, the synopsis. Now I did do a synopsis already, a lovely one page one, and it was harder to do than I thought, but I got there in the end, or at least what I thought was the end. Here's the thing, apparently because mine is a crime novel, an expansion of this is now required, a longer synopsis, 2-3 pages, within which all relevant plot twists are revealed. I dread doing this because I know how difficult the first one was for me, but thankfully I have a plan - and here it is.

This week I'm going to do a complete reread through the novel, writing 2 lines about each chapter. Then I am going to review all 120 sentences (60 chapters by 2), and I am going to do an overview with all the relevant twists and turns. I figure this will give me two things. One, it will be a very good springboard for a comprehensive 2-3 page synopsis, and secondly, I hope the overview might trigger a couple of plot twists/questions which will improve the structure. Jean Kwok, also spoke at the Penguin workshop on Friday and she gave a very good suggestion on novel writing, she said never answer one question for the reader unless you have put in at least another couple of unanswered questions. I thought it was brilliant, and I am hoping I have already achieved this, but if I haven't, by the time I get to the end of this week, I will have!

Right, so no television for me this week, I have a novel to read, fingers crossed it's a cracker! I will fill you all in next Monday, that is a promise:)

Looking back at the Children - Small Lives

2011-09-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

I feel very lucky at times living in Dublin. There are so many wonderful events happening here, one of which at the moment is the photographic exhibition showing at the National Photographic Archives in Temple Bar.

'Small Lives' is an exhibition of photographs drawn from the NLI’s collections, and range from formal studio portraits featuring children of the landed classes of the 1880s, to more candid shots of city kids taken in the 1960s.

After the Penguin Ireland workshop yesterday, myself and Niamh Boyce of Words A Day, called in for a look, and we were not disappointed. Each of the photographs told a story, not just individually, but also as a reflection of their time and social backdrop.

It is easy to forget in these days of digital photography, that in the 1880's things were very different. The studio shots for example required the subjects, (in these cases children) to remain absolutely still, the slightest movement causing a blurring of the image.

Another aspect, is how few of them smiled, white teeth not being an aspect of the 1880's. Photographs were not daily affairs are they are today, so great effort was put into getting them just right, the studio shots being reflective of the very elaborate attention given to creating a window into their past.

This image, believe it or not is of a brother and sister, the girl given a doll to hold, the blond boy given a toy animal.

There are some amazing photographs at the exhibition, the one of the girls below although slightly damaged was one of my favourites, as it captures the friendship, excitement, and risk taking of the two girls seemingly daring each other to go further into the waves

The next image shows Violet Poole and her brother helping their father with some experimental photography.

All in all, it is an amazing exhibition, so get yourself in there and enjoy!

'Small Lives' runs from 25th August 2011 until June 2012.

Check out opening times, directions etc HERE

What do you think of this new look?

2011-09-11T02:09:00.000-07:00

Well not quite changing your life, but what do you all think about the new look?

The Wonderful World of Socks

2011-09-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the wilderness, and what a wild time I've had. There are just so many things to catch up on, I'm not sure where to start, except that 'thank you' is often a pretty good place, especially when it is deserved.

So, number one, a big thank you for visiting 120 Socks blog 6,584 times last month, and another really big thank you for visiting it 1,512 times this week, even though I've been away and therefore not blogging, which gets me to wondering whether these old socks could carry on without me!

Secondly, I had a fab day today at the RTEguide/Penguin workshop courtesy of getting on the long list for the competition, and I was amazed to hear that 4,000 people submitted work, 500 of whom visited here to find out details about the competition! But more about that on a separate post.

Our short holiday break into the wilderness went really well, so I'll be doing a post on this over the next few days, lots of pics and stories which I hope you will enjoy.

This month's book club choice is 'Before I Go To Sleep'. I read it while I was away,(staying up until 4.30 in the morning to finish it) so dying to hear what you all think. Reviews will be posted at the end of the month, so contact me either here or on twitter if you want your review included.

Later in the month, I will be doing an interview with the fantastic Derbhile Dromey, and reviewing her new book, 'The Pink Cage', so watch out for that!

Anyone missing the 'When you were small' series will be pleased to know that a new post will go up this Monday based on your first holidays, so get your thinking hats on!

I've also learned a couple of neat things about Twitter, which I'll share this month.

Other than the above, I hope to do a guest post with the wonderful Moloney King, give you some details on a series of library readings which I'm delighted to be part of, put up some more crazy vintage ads (cause you love to hate them!), and share details of a great photographic exhibition!

Finally, I'm nearly there in relation to getting my novel submission package completed, so I'll fill you in on all the ups, downs, in between, etc over the coming few weeks.

I've missed you all over the last few days,and I'm deffo not addicted to Twitter or Blogging, honestly, and that lunatic hanging out the hotel window trying to get a signal, it wasn't me!

So, a little late, but nevertheless important - This week's 'Thought for the Weekend' is one I noticed on a tweet from @MoloneyKing and it's from the wonderful Enda O Brien. The picture below is from the wilderness hols and there are plenty more of them to come!

"When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious."

- Enda O Brien -

Into the Wilderness

2011-09-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

Heading off into the wilderness for the next 4 days - apparently because the spot we're going to is surrounded by trees, it is near impossible to get an Internet signal. It sure will test my blogger/twitter addiction, and maybe, or even quite probably, it will be the best thing ever! Anyhow, while I'm away, feel free to visit some older postings as 120 socks might get a little lonely in my absence.

How Times Have Changed - Utterly Bizarre!

2011-09-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Some of these old vintage advertisements can make you mad, or laugh, or just darn well become speechless, but this one is utterly Bizarre - my advice ladies, is never mind DAVE stick with SOAP!

Thought for the Weekend - Pearl Bailey

2011-09-02T03:20:00.000-07:00

With a name like Pearl, you do kind of wonder if it might help someone think good things about themselves, or do the very opposite. Whichever it is, the quote below has merit. Afterall, you if don't believe in yourself, what others think doesn't matter all that much!

Have a great weekend everyone.

"No one can figure out your worth but you."

- Pearl Bailey -

Labello Press - First Annual Short Story Competition

2011-09-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

I love beginnings, especially the beginning of something exciting and different, which is exactly the sense I got from this New Short Story Competition just announced by Labello Press - Independent Publisher of Short Fiction.

A few weeks back via Twitter I stumbled onto a website called The Boreen which featured some of Deborah Mc Menamy's work, and I instantantly liked what I saw. You can check out Deborah's Author Bio HERE

As you will see from the Bio, Deborah has had an interesting life, and sounds like just the lady to launch this new publishing venture.

Deborah has a love for the printed word, which in part is why she's embarking on the publication of "Gem Street", an anthology of short stories chosen via this competition.

The launch is also a tribute to her late father, whom you can read more about HERE along with other details of awards/prizes.

Submission Guidelines are as follows:

1.   Maximum word count 12,000 words.

2.   The theme is open, but for now, Children's, Horror, Science Fiction or poetry will not be accepted.

3.   It is an INTERNATIONAL competition, so entries are accepted from any part of the world, but must be written in English.

4. There is a nominal fee of €10 per entry.

5.  Entries should be double spaced, using Times New Roman, 12pt.

6. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted, and you are requested to advise immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.

FOR ALL OTHER SUBMISSION DETAILS VISIT HERE

The Competition will run from the 30th August - 31st December 2011.

Long listing will be announced in early January 2012, with the short list at the end of that month.

Final results - 29th February 2012

This is a great opportunity for your story to be published in print, and it is wonderful to be part of something from the very beginning, as I have no doubt that Labello Press will become a powerful source for writers in the future. See Press Release below:

"In conjunction with the launch of Labello Press, a small independent publisher in County Tipperary, we are pleased to announce our first International Short Fiction Competition. In addition to cash prizes, selected stories will be awarded the Leonard A. Koval Memorial Prize and be published in the 2012 Anthology, “Gem Street.”

“Gem Street” is an annual anthology featuring previously unpublished writing and over the coming months we will be working hard to create new opportunities and services for writers."

http://www.labellopress.com/

LINK TO SUBMITTING A STORY HERE

Blackberry Picking - Seamus Heaney

2011-09-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's September 1st. In many ways this year has been both the longest and the fastest year ever. Long, because there were so many changes, some for the good and some well not so good, and fast, because it has flown in. This day last year, I remember exactly what I was doing and now it is here again.

When I went out walking yesterday, the blackberries were in abundance along the mountain hedgerows, last year they were still for the picking in mid-October. I thought again, as I did last year about Seamus Heaney poem, Blackberry Picking, and it seems like the perfect way to start the first day of Autumn. I hope you enjoy it too.

LISTEN

Blackberry Picking

Seamus Heaney

Late August, given heavy rain and sun
for a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it
leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
sent us out with milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots
where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
we trekked and picked until the cans were full,
until the tinkling bottom had been covered
with green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
with thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair
that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

Top Ten Hits - August 2011

2011-08-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's the end of the month! Where did August go to? Where did the summer go to? But no matter how quickly August went in, it was helped by all 6,446 hits on the blog for August 2011 - so a big THANK YOU for visiting!

Just like last month, there are a couple of surprises as to which posts made the top ten - enjoy!

Number 1 - Twists of Twitter HERE

Number 2 - When you were Small - The Teacher HERE

Number 3 - Soul Sharing - Prose HERE

Number 4 - The Voice - Poem HERE

Number 5 - Guest Post with Krystal Wade - Ode To The Toilet! HERE

Number 6 - Before I Go To Sleep - Book Club Choice HERE

Number 7 - Flash Fiction - Role Play HERE

Number 8 - Thought for the Weekend - When I Am Gone HERE

Number 9 - What I know about Twitter Lists HERE

Number 10 - The Glor Sessions HERE

When you were small - Imaginary Friends

2011-08-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

I've just received a copy of Derbhile Dromey's novel 'The Pink Cage' by post this morning and I'm really looking forward to reading it. On the cover is a young girl, probably about 3 or 4 years old. She is walking along a wide expanse of what I think is concrete with line markings on it. To her left is her shadow, and being a soul with an expansive but often crazy imagination, I can see a whole imaginary and scary world within this shadow. The lines intrigued me too. I remembered being a kid and how when I walked to school, I made a point of never walking on a crack or line marking on either the footpath or the road. Sometimes this meant taking little steps, sometimes is meant stretching your legs so far apart they hurt. I had this thing about cracks, it was all about how they might trap me into another world if I fell through them.

Now you might be thinking this is leading nicely into the title of imaginary friends, except for the fact that even though I had plenty of imaginary worlds, I never did have an imaginary friend. This surprises me greatly. You would think me being me, that an imaginary friend would have been a must, but alas not in my case. However my children did have them, in fact my son had an entire imaginary football team which managed to keep him very busy!

So did you have an imaginary friend, or friends? Did you do daft things like me and stretch your legs way further than they should be stretched just to avoid an innocent crack?

I always love to hear your stories, so please do share them if you wish, and yes, I am still a bit cracked!

For other posts from the
'When you were small' series, visit HERE

The Wild Heather is a blazing!

2011-08-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

We went walking up the mountain yesterday morning, myself, hubby and our faithful dog Benson. The rain came bucketing down on our way back, but in the typical 'four seasons in one day' which we often have in Ireland, the sun was out for most of our adventure, and with it came the beautiful colours from the landscape,especially the heathers - Enjoy!

And then the path narrows!

And you then meet the dark, mysterious mix of colour beneath the high trees!

Twists of Twitter -

2011-08-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

A Twitter Journey -

A-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ of Twitter Twists!

A. You hear about other people using Twitter - and you say thanks but no thanks.

B. Then serious programmes on the telly start to say things like - you can tweet us @XXXX - you wonder what is wrong with text and email - why are these things not enough?

C. People like Susan Boyle become an overnight success because Demi Moore sends out a tweet and her Xfactor audition has so many downloads the system nearly crashes - you begin to ask yourself it there more to this tweeting than you might have thought.

D. All the kids start doing it - a sure sign that something is afoot - then political programmes like Tonight with Vincent Browne has a special section just on tweets and twitter.

E. You think about facebook and blogging and email, worrying about how much more time Twitter will take up, but already you are hooked because after all, wondering about something is the first step to crossing the line.

F. You continue to resist - think about setting up an anti-twitter campaign - you know you hate being one of a crowd and there is all this jargon about followers - as if this Twitter thing could be the beginning of a commune - who is following who and why?

G. Then you decide definitely, it is not for you.

H. Someone then says - 'It's all very well you blogging, but tweeting is where it is at - if you are not on Twitter, well you are simply not on.'

I. You decide to give it a go - after all what can be the harm of it.

J. Registered-you think long and hard about your first tweet - you want to put your best foot/tweet forward.

K. You send out a deep and meaningful quote conscious that someone you do not know could read it and have a life changing experience.

L. No one notices - so you wait and wait - nothing happens.

M. You decide to give up, become one of the millions who has treaded this path before and dismissed the idea.

N. Then you get a follower, you are not really sure how or why but you start thinking about it again - you send out another tweet.

O. You contact everyone you know to see if they are on Twitter - you follow them.

P. You send out bulk emails to all the people in your email address book, your followers increase.

Q. Every morning you wonder, do I have another follower?

R. You discover tweeting is all about mentions and RT's - and thanking people - because thanking people does more than just say thanks, it spreads the word.

S. Your tweets increase, you start to make 'friends' on Twitter, you have personal conversations with pictures which might not even be of those you are tweeting with.

T. You decide that your children should NOT tweet - after all what if that nice granny turns out to be an axe murderer.

U. Then you dig deeper because suddenly you are up and really running, you follow @stranger @interesting picture @newslink @thingstodoinyourcity.

V. You tell all your friends about how great Twitter is - raise your eyebrows in surprise when someone is not on it and say, 'It's all very well you blogging, but tweeting is where it is at - if you are not on Twitter, well you are simply not on.'

W. You give tutorials on your blog about 'Lists' because so many people don't understand them.

X. You start getting up extra early so that you can send out your #FF - follow fridays.

Y. Then start wondering about doing a blog post about controlling your time on twitter.

Z. You stop talking to your actual friends because well this tweeting is important stuff.

ZZ. You stop and think - decide to ease up a bit.

ZZZ. Your followers are not increasing the way they did before, you think about how you liked all those gold star stickers at school.

ZZZZ. You set up autotweets - saves time - makes sense.

ZZZZZ. By now you have everyone in lists - but your list of blog pals is so long you rarely get to visit @stranger @interesting picture @newslink @thingstodoinyourcity.

ZZZZZZ. Your son tells you -'Mam I think you might have a Twitter problem.'

ZZZZZZZ. You deny this, but secretly wonder - and as you know wondering is the beginning of crossing the line.

ZZZZZZZZ. So you ease up again - limit your time - hope you have got the balance right.

ZZZZZZZZZ. You do a blog post about your A-Z Twitter journey.

ZZZZZZZZZZ. And wonder where it will all end up?

ZZZZZZZZZZZ. You shut down the computer - tell yourself you can do this.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. You switch the computer back on again.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Wonder if you are the only one hooked.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. After blogging about this, you tweet about it.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Start to get excited about Twitter all over again.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. And so the journey continues!!!!!!

Let me know how you are all getting on......................

Thought for the Weekend - Thomas Merton

2011-08-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

I like this quote, but art can be found everywhere, as I discovered yesterday on my mountain walk.

'Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.'

- Thomas Merton -

Role Play - Flash Fiction Friday

2011-08-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Role Play

It is a ritual. I arrive expectantly late, no less than ten minutes, no more than twenty, sufficient time for him to scold. I stand outside the panelled doors of his private rooms in the Saint Paul hotel, wearing my camel coat with the fake fur collar and red stilettos; his favourites. It is late evening. Above me a glimmering chandelier cascades its light down the gold and ruby entrance which always leads me to him.

I can hear his footstep as he waddles up the hall, then nothing - one, two, three, the silence just before he opens the door. His face is angry, lined, flushed with alcohol, his eyes narrow, piercing. He is dressed in a black silk dressing gown and matching slippers, revealing curled grey hair on his rose-stained chest. The gown is loosely tied with an extravagantly large bow beneath his roly-poly waist.

‘You’re late slut.’ He holds the door ajar, waiting. I pass him by, looking forward. The whiff of Amouage Die Pour Homme soils the air, nothing but the best of fragrances for a man like him.

I hear the click, click, click of my stilettos on the shiny tiled floor. Closing the door, he will watch me until he is good and ready. Even with my back to him, I know his eyes are on me, taking, without touching.

There is champagne cooling on a side table. He pops the cork, hands me a glass. I swallow fast, bubbles; sharp, cold, tiny droplets tease my face. I drink some more, feeling instantly better; braver.

I have a role to play. I look chastised. He likes me this way. He calls me a 'slut' again. I’m still standing in my coat as he talks to me about Degas the artist and all his many masks. I balance on my red high heels, his pretty audience. He pretends a lack of interest, engrossed in his own clever conversation. I reach out, untie the silk gown. He looks shocked at first, he always does, then smiles, liking to play the game.

‘You tart, you fucking, dirty, shameless tart,’ as he removes my coat with the swiftness of a master. His right hand pulls my hair, yanking it, using a ferocity which I have come to know is part of how he sees me. ‘I forgive you,’ he whispers.

Naked, standing before the mirror, he stands behind me. My eyes stretch, the player with the well-rehearsed modesty as I wait, his mouth opening ready to consume me.

Afterwards he will cry like a baby. Ask me if I despise him. He will be gentle then, talk, and I will listen.

Guest Post with Krystal Wade

2011-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Krystal Wade

Now I've spoken before about some of the great people I've met over the phenomenon of Twitter. Well, one of them is a brilliant writer called Krystal Wade, and not only she is a terrific writer, she is also a terrific blogger. Every time I visit her blog HERE, I know I am in for a treat. I get to pretend I live in Virginia, that I commute 50 miles each day to work, that I am there in her kitchen when the offspring are getting up to high drama, or those wonderful times when Krystal shares with us memories about growing up in a different place, in a different time, but with the common denominator, the human condition.

Krystal is the first person to do a guest post at 120 Socks, so already you know I hold her in very high regard. So when I asked her to come up with an idea for posting, the sky was the limit! Like all my brill friends, Krystal has a quirky and often slightly wicked sense of humour. Was I surprised when she suggested an 'Ode to a Toilet' - of course not - I just wanted to laugh out loud, and settled myself back for an entertaining read, which is exactly what you are now going to get! Just to say here, the inspiration for this came to Krystal when she spotted an abandoned toilet by the road. Which just goes to prove - Inspiration is everywhere!

Ode to the Toilet

In the 50’s you were quite a sight—sea-foam green, all shiny and new. Our friends would comment on your beauty when they’d come for a visit, and I just knew they enjoyed your comfort when they sat on you.

On the weekends I’d scrub and polish you clean, although no rings around your bowl could be seen. Your color was like no other. Our neighbors whispered their jealousies and our status rose as the years passed by.

The 60’s came and went and you were still a hit, but in the 70’s my thoughts turned traitorous and I wished you’d turn orange. I dreamed of painting your porcelain, but my darling husband didn’t agree. He said, “Times change, green will be popular again—you’ll see.” I listened to him, but jealousies were now mine to be had. I’d touted my status around, but it was gone and I was sad.

The 80’s began and I continued to cry, but times were changing and there was no reason why. Wild colors popped up everywhere, on people’s clothes and in their hair. Your stray from the norm would make people coo when they’d open the door to go poo.

Our excitement at your return in popularity continued through the 90's, but something was different, something was wrong. We must have known; we had to have seen this coming all
along. the century turned and people wanted simple, but we were old and didn't know, that toilets should be white as snow.

So on this day, I’m sad to say, you must go out with the trash. In with the new, out with the old—you’ll probably grow a whole lot of mold, and if you do, it’ll be okay, cause your sea-foam green and will be hidden away.

You can find more about Krystal by clicking on the following links:

Blog: Krystal Wade

Facebook: Krystal Wade Page

Twitter: @KrystalWade

Check out 120 Socks Guest Post with Krystal all about Writing Rituals @ http://tinyurl.com/5t53j5f

Savage Chickens - All about d Blog!

2011-08-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

I've decided because I love them, that on the 23rd of every month, I'm going to do a Savage Chicken post. We all gotta laugh at ourselves every now and then, and few are as gifted as this pair!

When You Were Small - The Teacher

2011-08-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I've done a post as part of the 'When you were small' series, and it's not because I don't enjoy doing them, because I absolutely do, and more importantly, I love hearing back everyone's comments.

Anyone who has been following this series knows we have looked at first love, favourite toy, most important childhood memory, chores, etc, the list as I've said before is pretty endless. There are lots of things and people which influence our childhood, but sometimes we forget one element which makes up a great part of our development, and that is going to school, and the teachers we meet there.

In Ireland we have primary school from about the age of 4/5 up to around 12. After that we have secondary, which brings us up to university entry level. When I think about primary school, for the most part my memories are all good ones. I mean the classrooms were overcrowded, in my case accommodating two class groups together, for example 5th & 6th class. I don't remember any teacher in particular from this time, although no doubt I should, as overall, I had a liking for school and that just doesn't happen by accident.

My hubby on the other hand, has a very firm memory of a primary school teacher, one whom he had for a number of years, Mr Moran. I know this seems like a daft thing to say, as I am not talking about myself, but I know Mr Moran had a huge positive influence on my partner and in particular his love of books. From what I have gathered over the years, one of Mr Moran qualities, was his realisation that all children have different needs, which was why he had plenty of time for sport, for classes talking about other cultures, for setting individual goals, and for story time. Mr Moran it would seem from my secondhand knowledge, was a pretty brilliant story teller. My hubby is dyslexic, and severely so. A condition which wasn't diagnosed for him until well into adult life. Nonetheless, when Mr Moran read out a story in class, he opened up a world of fantasy for all the children, those who could read easily, and those perhaps who could not. This love was planted in my partner head, despite obvious reading difficulties, which meant that in later life, when there was a greater understanding of his condition, for the most part despite his early difficulties, he had an immense love for books and the stories within them.

I think I could write forever about teachers, and how they can influence you, because I do have two very distinct memories myself, both of which have stayed in my brain for a very long time, when believe me, an awful lot of other stuff has not.

The first was a temporary teacher we had in 1st year in secondary. I don't remember her name, but I do remember that she was very young, and very petite, neither of which are of any relevance in themselves. The part that is relevant however is how during her time teaching us history, we created a class project on Egypt. I remember it so vividly, studying and copying the hieroglyphics onto large poster pages, how wonderful the project looked when it was put up as an exhibit in the classroom, and others students and teachers came to visit it. I think right there, if the seeds had not been planted before, I realised how you could take something from your head and put it out there in a real and different way, and how working with others, sometimes you could create so much more. The second memory I have is also of an History Teacher, but he was an English Teacher too. After my 3rd year in secondly, due to family circumstances at the grand old age of 15, I needed to go out and get a real job. The following year I enrolled in night classes to do my Leaving Certificate, our final exam before college entry. Because the classes were at night, I met a great group of fellow classmates, many of them older than I, but I also met this teacher who has had a huge influence on my life.

Now I need to apologise here, because even though I know how important he was to me, I cannot remember his name. This is not a slight on him, I am hopeless with names in general. Anyhow (I knew I would have to get my fav crutch word in eventually), he was a very special man. He opened up the world of English to me in a way which no one else had done. I began to get excited about poetry, to understand Shakespeare, the tragedy of life, the beauty in a single word, I found meaning beyond the straight forward story within the front and back cover of a book, I learned about the layers in the creation of the written word, I learned to go beyond loving to read, I learned to love the language. At the end of this post is an extract from notes in my English journal, ones he dictated to us on the very first evening of our studies, in fact they are the only words he ever dictated to us, but I understand why he wanted to impress them from the beginning. I still have my journal from that time, I will keep it always.

Phew! That was a long one. I suppose what I'm saying is, teachers hold a special part of our formation, we often take them for granted, especially the good ones, and perhaps their influence is often not appreciated, but one thing I am certain of, their influence will never be forgotten.

If any of you have your own teacher memories, you can share them below by writing a comment. I don't mind how long the comments are, the length and content are entirely up to you.

For other post in this series - check out http://tinyurl.com/626pkrb

Extract from my Leaving Cert English Notes:

Introduction:

I am doing Leaving Cert English literature, in the course of the year, I shall be exposing myself to a drama, an imaginative novel, and some poems. I shall be asked to respond to the vision of the writer. No two people can have the same response. For instance, there is only one response to the question "What does two and two total?", but literature is an inexact science, and so there is not one answer, but as many as there are readers.

I am unique, I am as unique as my fingerprints, so that I see, feel things in an unique way. When it comes to the character in a play, or the character in a novel, or a poet's feelings, I can never fully identify. But I can observe with care the other person, and then transfer myself to his or her situation, and try to listen to my feelings there.