A kick up the writerly arse

I have a vay lovely friend called Fionnuala, who one of these days is going to be the most famousest writers in the universe because - trust me - her writing is that good. I mean I actually thought she was big Mazza in disguise for a while... only better.

Anyway, writing aside (and our plans for a WW Irish girls world domination type thing... like the Spice Girls only with more chocolate) she has become a very supportive and lovely friend and today I was having yet another "everything I write is shit and my life is shit and yadda yadda yadda" moment and she sent me a funny email - a vay funny email and I'm to share it because it made me laugh and anything that makes me laugh at the moment is just fine in my book!

‘So Claire……why do you think your book is shit?’
‘Because I’m just not sure it’s me…’

‘I’m hearing a little denial here Claire. Do you think you possibly just want to start writing the next one?’
‘Er, maybe’

‘And what makes you think that one won’t be shit?’
‘It won’t be. I’ll make it funny. I do funny better…..easier. It’s all about the worst year of my life and..’

‘Aaah, so you want it to be easier. Well I can understand that – you work full time, have a busy day, have a young son to look after. I can understand the attraction of easier’
‘Er I think it would also be better?’

‘Why’s that?’
‘Just would’

‘How old did you say you were Claire?’

The wonder that is Luisa Plaja... and other writer stuff

You may have seen my post about Luisa Plaja and Split by a Kiss, well looky here, you can pre-order it on Amazon.
And it's fab. In fact I've ordered a copy my own self even though I'm not a 16 year old girl because it is just like so cool and all. (See me, trying to be all cool and down with the lingo.)
So do yourself a favour... ORDER IT!

And while you are in an internet frenzy I also love Belinda Whitehead who has written the most amazingly atmospheric book "Kilifi" which publishers will no doubt be snapping up soon. Belinda was the first person to really welcome me to the Write Words writers' community and she has written a wonderful article for the the Guardian about her time volunteering in Africa, so read it and be impressed.

Thirty and bricking it

IT WAS payday today so I treated myself to a couple of new books- among them the short story collection published by Poolbeg to celebrate ther 30th anniversary.

I figured that since I am now an official member of the Poolbeg stable it was worth my while to get a complete overview of the competition in terms of my stable mates. (Not that any of us look like horses, mind.)

Anyway, the whole buying the book process has set me into a bit of a flurry of panic. These women are great- they are at the top of their game and then there is me, with my wee book trying to look and sound like a confident woman of the noughties.

I have to say though I've already started to get a taste of the support network that exists among the Irish authors contigent. I have received lovely supportive emails from Sarah Webb and a couple of lovely kind words from Himself. Along with my Write Words chicks, they are offering buckets of support which is lovely and I'm also spending loads of time at Write On- a site for Irish writers.

Hopefully this is stagefright and it will all ease in time and I can go back to being 30 and fabulous.

Big up Mr. Perring

IN A mutual sharing of respect I would like to big up Mr. Nik Perring , a fellow member of the Write Words community, where I also hang out.

Nik has written (and published) the wonder 'I met a Roman night, what did you do?'- a kids books well worth a read.

He also remains ones of writings truly really nice guys- always willing to offer support and advice to those of us a little further down the ladder.

And if you ask me, he's quite cute too!

Check out his website, buy his book or stop buy Write Words for a chat. You know you want to.

Bros are the boogie

I must admit to having an addiction to the Blog of Keris Stainton (who I consider a kind of friend as we email occasionally, which means when she is famous I will point and her books and say: "I've emailed her AND she emailed me back")
Anyway, while reading over her past entries I came across her hilariously funny 100 things about me section.
Way deep down, near the bottom, she references the fact she *kind of* stalked Matt Goss from Bros during her teenage years. This has elevated her to some kind of goddess stature in my estimation because she actually got to meet the man I lusted after throughout my teenage years.
How I longed to run my fingers through his blonde buzz-cutted hair and across his waxed and smooth chest.
On occasion I would adopt a London accent because, you know, I could (sort of) and pretend I was from Lewisham whence from he hails.
It was a truly naff London accent and I'm not very proud of my geeky teenage behaviour.
That said, if I were to meet Matt Goss today on the street and if he asked me back to his for a bit of dirty lovin', I so would. (For oldtimes' sake, of course).Anyway, many thanks to Kezza for this blast from the past.

Oooh, do you think if in 2009, he might be on Strictly Come Dancing too???

Shameless plug for BAFAB!

As requested by the lovely and exceptionally talented (and agented) Keris here is a plug for Buy a Friend a Book month!

This week on Trashionista: BAFAB will be fab!

Diane Shipley and Keris Stainton, co-editors of Trashionista, the book news and reviews site whose motto proclaims, “We read books like they’re going out of fashion!” are excited to announce Trashionista’s participation in this October’s Buy a Friend a Book Week (BAFAB).
From October 1-5 2006 on www.trashionista.com, you’ll find exclusive guest blogs from best-selling chick-lit authors (stop by to find out who!), interviews, and seven (and counting…) book giveaways. Plus, find out what books we’d buy for our friends, and why!
It goes without saying (doesn’t it?!) that of course you’ll also find all of the usual great Trashionista content: book reviews (focusing on women’s fiction, chick-lit and memoir) and book news (focusing on anything hot or controversial in the book world in general) all delivered with intelligence and a sense of fun. Please stop by from October 1-5 for BAFAB week, Trashionista style- and help make it a week to remember!

More about Trashionista:
Trashionista gets to grips with the wonderful world of female fiction. We take an unbiased look at beach reads, bestsellers, new releases and old favourites -and we actually read the books before writing about them. At Trashionista we don't believe that 'chick lit' is a dirty word - but if a book is trash, we'll let you know!

To contact the editors email editor@trashionista.comM