Irish Readers discussion

Hi Vicky, I'm afraid I'm a little late. There was a giveaway on my novel "A Cruel Harvest" recently but it's ended now and the winners are picked. However I may do one again soon! Paul.

Hi guys,

My last giveaway ended too (Vicki did nab one though). However, I will have a new short story out in a week or two, and I will be doing another one then.

If anyone wants to check out the story that's out now, it's called If You Go Into The Woods.

If you want to read a sample, you can do so on my blog.

Dave

Ohh. Hey lads (Irish Authors) you guys should totes nomnom yourselves in the next Irish read. (: I mean if you win then we'll all be buying a copy! And like. There's no shame in self promotion!

Ha!

You should make us fill out some kind of tiebreaker.

Complete the following in fifteen words or less.

"I think you should read my book ahead of John Banville, Patrick McCabe, Edna O'Brien, George Bernard Shaw, Julian Gough, Kevin Barry, Emma Donoghue, and Roddy Doyle because..."

And then sit back and watch the debasement.

@ Vicki - Nice one Vicki. Sounds like you're working really hard to keep this group fresh.

Hi guys,

I released another short story this weekend - Transfection - a old school sci-fi story. To celebrate cracking the charts again (UK & US), I will be hosting a competition today on my blog. I'll post the details later.

Dave

o: paper version this time ?

David wrote: "Hi guys,

I released another short story this weekend - Transfection - a old school sci-fi story. To celebrate cracking the charts again (UK & US), I will be hosting a competition today on my blog...."

Nice one David. Best of luck with it. I'm looking forward to having a read.

Hi olittlebear - it's a single 5,700 word short story, so it's not economical to make a print version (in other words the cheapest I can make and sell a book for is around $10 and I don't think anyone is going to pay that for a short story!

Later in the year I will have a print version of my novel, and probably a short story collection, because there seems to be demand.

Thanks Keith.

The competition has now begun. I'm giving away 25 FREE copies of my latest e-book (and you can read it on any computer/smartphone/iPhone/laptop etc too).

To enter, go here:

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/transfection-spreads-across-the-planet-competition/

Dave

Transfection

Ohhh i love short story collections! o:

can't wait now! ^_^

I have one in this hardback collection that just came out in America.

Only problem is, because it's hardback, it's expensive with the shipping costs because of the weight. I think it comes to $55 which is around 39 Euro but that includes delivery and you do get 56 short stories! It's all their "best" of the year.

There will be a (cheaper) paperback version and an audio version later in the year (Autumn I think).

Dave

Thanks for telling us David and good luck with Transfection, but I'm not a big fan of e-books unfortunately.

That's okay Paul, neither am I!

I don't have a Kindle yet (too expensive here in Sweden), so I have to read on my computer. A short story is okay, but I can't read anything longer. It's just too distracting with the internet right there.

I have to decide between an iPhone and a Kindle. Might get the Kindle, purely because I lose phones so often.

Dave

I'd go for iPhone. I mean you can go online. talk to people. and read! kindle you can only read ...

Yeah, but that would kind of be the point. I have problems enough focusing on one thing without getting distracted.

LOL. if your attention span is that bad would a kindle really help though ? :p

Every little helps, believe me.

The only reason I ever got my first book finished was because I wrote it outside the house where I had no internet. Usually the pub.

"I have to decide between an iPhone and a Kindle. Might get the Kindle, purely because I lose phones so often."

Out of those two I'd definitely go for an ipad! I find it the perfect device for reading in bed, and you get (almost) everything else an iphone has but at a better size for reading. Great for reading everything else too, magazines / blogs etc.

The electronic paper on a kindle is great, but other than that it's just a single blade, the ipad is a swiss army knife.

I like the iPad, it looks very swish and does all sorts of things the Kindle can't.

But the way I look at it is, I spend enough time online without having another device that allows me to be online even more of the time.

My attention span is so scatty that I need minimal distractions when I am reading.

Dave

P.S. 40 mins left if anyone still wants to enter the competition

I hear you. My attention span is minuscule and it sometimes doesn't help having the Internet in bed with me.

No, I didn't mean it like that.

Down with that sort of thing.

The internet is a better lover than anyone could ever hope to have.

A few new writers have recently joined this group, so please feel free to plug your writing here.

Well, Sam, don't want to be backwards in coming forwards, so here's a plug for my quirky crime thriller PERIL, set in urban and rural Ireland with a drugs-related excursion to Amsterdam. It's a full-length e-book of 90,000 words and currently free on Smashwords for the summer:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
I personally don't have a kindle, I use Kindle for PC or Adobe Digital Editions. It does take a lot of self-discipline to not surf when the 'puter is open and I've written a little article about that here:
http://rubybarnes.blogspot.com/2011/0...

Cheers

Ruby

Hello all. My name is Peter Murphy and I recently published my first novel Lagan Love.

JJ Toner's my name. I recently published 2 books and a single short story, all as eBooks for Kindle etc. My latest eBook is a $0.99 thriller called St Patrick's Day Special. Set in Dublin, it features Detective Inspector Ben Jordan of the Organised Crime Unit. I hope to write more Ben Jordan books if this first one is well-received.

See www.jjtoner.net for more details.

@ JJ - I do love a detective story.

This is the prologue for my new book Armada with is out on January 5th. Hope you enjoy. Armada

Armada by John Stack

Prologue
18th February 1587. Fotheringhay, England.

Dawn arrived slowly, the dull winter sunlight moving stealthily through the single window into the candle lit chamber, its soulless grey rays drawing all colour from the room. The lady knelt in prayer seemed almost like a statue, her pale skin and white veil stark against a black satin dress. The castle was finally quiet after hours of constant noise and the servants kneeling behind their sovereign listened intently to her murmured words of prayer, catching only snippets of the words spoken in a mix of languages.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway and the servants’ eyes darted towards the door. The lady remained motionless, a brief pause in her incantations the only outward sign that she was aware of the outside world. The knock reverberated through the still air.
‘It is time,’ a voice shouted through the door. ‘The lords are waiting.’
‘Let them wait,’ the lady replied, turning her head slightly, ‘I have not yet finished my prayers.’
Her tone was one of command, steadfast and firm, and the voice outside did not protest. The servants looked once more to their charge, drawing courage from her composure. They bowed their heads as she continued her prayers, stifling their tears in a bid to preserve the solemnity of these final moments.
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, rose and turned to her faithful retainers. They had been with her for many years, some throughout her nineteen years of captivity. She spoke to each in turn, handing them tokens of her affection, keepsakes and purses that contained all that was left of her meagre wealth, before motioning to her personal groom. It was time.
The groom took down the crucifix from the altar and, holding it aloft before him, escorted his Queen from the room and along the corridor towards the great hall of the castle. The servants followed. As they neared the entrance the Queen turned to them one last time to bid them farewell. Her emissary fell to his knees and wept but she drew him up and embraced him.
‘Tell my friends I died a true woman to my religion,’ she said and again her retinue took strength from her, her lady in waiting adjusting the folds of the Queen’s dress one last time on the threshold of the great hall.
The vast room was in silence, save for the spark and crack of a fire in the huge hearth, but the eyes of three hundred spectators were turned to the Queen as she made her entrance. Steps led up to the black-velvet-draped scaffold in the centre. They watched her in awe, her grace and calm preserving the significance of the moment. A slight smile played across her face as she fingered the small crucifix and prayer book in her hands.
She moved to the low stool before the block, her eyes darting to the felling axe lying on the floor. Her expression never changed and she listened in silence as the commission for her execution was read aloud. A Protestant dean stepped forward to pray for her and for the first time the depths of her concealed emotions were revealed.
‘I am settled in the ancient Catholic religion,’ she said firmly, her tone resolute, ‘and mind to spend my blood in defence of it.’
The dean ignored her and fell to his knees to pray out loud for her soul. She turned away and began to pray in Latin, their words intertwining, each voice calling to the same God across a divide that had almost destroyed a realm.
In the silence that followed, the Queen sat on the low stool to disrobe. Her lady-in-waiting stepped forward. With trembling hands the servant removed the two rosaries bound around the Queen’s waist before drawing down her black dress. Underneath Mary Stuart wore a dark red bodice and crimson petticoat, the colour of blood. The lady stepped in close, her tear stained lips kissing a white cloth blindfold before tying it in place.
The Queen knelt down and reached out in blindness for the block, her hands tracing over its edges. She leaned forward, adjusting the position of her chin with the tips of her fingers. The executioner bent over and touched her hand, an unspoken sign to withdraw them, and she stretched out her arms, lowering her head to fully expose the back of her neck. The executioner stepped back, the weight of the felling axe light in his calloused hands. He drew up the stroke.
‘Into thine hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit,’ the Queen cried aloud, ‘Into thine hands, O Lord, I commend …’
The blade fell, striking her on the back of the head.
‘Sweet Jesus,’ she whispered and the executioner quickly swung again, this time his axe striking her cleanly on the back of the neck, ending her fate.
The executioner picked up the severed head and held it aloft, turning slowly before the crowd so all could see and bear witness, his loud voice booming across the great hall:
‘God save the Queen.’

Armada

Hi,

My first novel, The Istanbul Puzzle, will hit the shelves Jan 18th. It is being published by Harper Collins UK and we have 8 countries lined up for it so far.

Here is the Goodreads link and a review:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...

The launch will be on Jan 18 in Dubray Books in Grafton Street, Dublin, at 18:30. You are all invited! Wine will flow!

Laurence wrote: "Hi,

My first novel, The Istanbul Puzzle, will hit the shelves Jan 18th. It is being published by Harper Collins UK and we have 8 countries lined up for it so far.

Here is the Goodreads link and a..."

Cool, Laurence! hope to get up from Kilkenny for that!

You're on..grab me and come for a pint afterwards. So glad the whole word can't read these posts!

It's a date, L (let's not tell our wives!)

We're on! If you need a couch too let us know on the night!

Hi. I'm Bernadette Walsh. I'm Irish-American and married to a Dublin man, so can I still stay and play?

I write contemporary and paranormal romance. My first book, Gold Coast Wives, was published in November and my second book, The House on Prospect will be published on Monday by Echelon Press. Book 1 of my paranormal trilogy, Devil's Mountain, will be published in April and is set in both NY and Ireland.

Just to let folks know that I have my second novel out as an ebook. It's had several good reviews already. It's $2.99 but, for some reason, Amazon have marked the price down at the moment.



A contemporary psychological thriller set in the medieval Irish city of Kilkenny.

Early reader feedback on The Baptist:

'The writing is tight and very atmospheric. A chilling tale of real evil.'

'Dark and disturbing, but oh so good.'

'Dark and dingy, hot and steamy, everything you need from a novel in one swift download.'

'Well written and totally convincing, it provides an absorbing insight into the minds of some very strange characters. It's not without humour albeit of the dark kind.'

'Compelling and very, very different.'

'I was hooked right from the start and loved the dark and sinister quality of this tale.'

Hello, I'm Brendan. I'm a Dub, still living in Ireland. My first novel is published in paperback and on Kindle. It's called Broken Evolution. It's an international biotech thriller. Not much "oirish" about it except the author!

Hey, I'm Karen.

I teach journalism at university. I've authored five books, three memoirs and two social-political commentary. My fifth book - A SILENCE OF MOCKINGBIRDS: The Memoir of a Murder -- will be released in April. Crime writer Ann Rule has endorsed the book and CHILDHELP also has endorsed this work.

This true crime takes place in Corvallis, Oregon but the child's father is from Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland. I've met the family from Ireland, and interviewed them for the book. I sent a galley copy to the bookstore there in Kenmare. I would love to visit Ireland soon.

You can read more about the book here at karenzach.com or macadamcage.com. There will be giveaways of the book soon.


Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Karen Spears Zacharias

Hello Everyone,
I am Maurice Nicholson and live near Ireland's South coast, though I have spent much of my life living outside the country. I published my thriller on Kindle in October and it is beginning to collect some good reviews( nine 5 star reviews on Amazon). I include a link to the Goodreads page for the book - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...#
Here are a few comments from the Amazon reviewers
" In a style reminiscent of a Jack Higgins plotline, Call down the Hawk is a novel that grabbed my attention from the opening pages." Hipporider.

"This book is brilliantly written in so many aspects."
Marilyn Brand, Cinncinati

"A wonderful book that transcends genres."
R Lee Holz, Goodreads.

The book is available from Amazon and there is a free promotion day coming up this weekend. http://www.amazon.com/Call-down-the-H...

In the 1980s, Ireland was on the brink – the Celtic Tiger was yet to arise and change the face, and the faces, of Dublin with prosperity and foreigners. Volatile anger, shimmering myths and lachrymose poetry still ruled the night as rough-hewn workers and lost university students hefted pints in Grogan’s pub.

Stepping into the swirling blend of the old and the new is Janice, a younger painter from Toronto, who has crossed the ocean to seek passion in her life and her art. Her affair with Aidan, Ireland’s rising poet, leads her through the veil of the Celtic Twilight to a place of reward and danger.

Into the lives of Janice and Aidan and their more practical friends walks the mysterious Gwen, who may be far more than the beautiful seductress she seems on the surface.

Trailing Gwen like cigarette smoke in a tavern is the myth of the Lenan Sidhe, or lenanshee, a fairy spirit who inspires lovers to ever greater creative heights – at a price. Can the levelheaded Sinead, who has dedicated herself to seizing new career opportunities, of the kind and romantic Ronan, keep their friends from being swept away by the Ireland that dwells just beneath the surface?

Check out the trailer here http://youtu.be/qMXXtF50IbI

THe book is available here : http://www.amazon.ca/Lagan-Love-Peter...
or
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/L...

Glamour Ghost-Prologue
By Mindy Ross

August 5, 1962, was one of many hot summer nights in Hollywood. The temperature had risen well above seventy-five degrees, causing many doors and windows on Helena Drive to be left open. Three men, dressed all in black, arrived at the wrought-iron gate and slipped through easily. After parking a few yards away from the Spanish Colonial Revival House, two of them grabbed flashlights and made their way to the front door. Marilyn's housekeeper, Eunice, let them in. She had to--the jagged edge of a hunting knife against her throat convinced her that if she fought them she'd die a slow, agonizing death.

One of the men decided to keep Eunice "company" in the living room. "Don't let her out of your sight," the other man said. His voice was gruff and gravelly and intoned with a heavy threat.

In the master bedroom, Marilyn was sleeping on her stomach, completely unaware of what had gone on in the next room. She was nude and had her right leg entwined in a soft, percale top sheet. "Such a shame to die so young, and yet it has to be done." Before the man touched her, he stood beside the double bed for a moment, staring at the movie star, totally beguiled by her stunning beauty. The effect of her full lips and long lashes wasn't dampened at all by the glow of moonlight spilling in from the casement window. In another life, he would have worshipped her.

But that was not his purpose tonight. He had to remind himself that he was there on a mission for his boss and if he didn't fulfill it, he too would lose his life...

"Wake up, darling."

His gruff voice caused Marilyn to stir and groan, but then she fell back to sleep. He tried again and again to wake her up. To attack without warning would be the cruelest of deeds; even he couldn't bring himself to do it. Finally, he tried a low whistle and shook her. She opened her large eyes and looked at him confused.

When she didn't recognize him, she flipped over and tried to run. The man held her down with one grimy paw, aware that his penis was hardening as his fingers pressed her large, quivering breasts. "What I wouldn't give to make those breasts mine and mine alone. This platinum broad wouldn't do any naked posing for cameras if she were my woman." The terror in her eyes told him he had to get this over with quickly. There was no point in making an innocent woman suffer. He had no grudge against her. When she didn't comply with his demands, he took hold of her fragile body and flipped her onto her stomach. It was as easy as turning a pancake.

"Wow, this one is a fighter!"

His flashlight fell to the floor with a thump as he struggled to keep her from squirming right off the edge of the bed.

He finally subdued her, part way at least, by shoving his thick knee into the small of her back, pinning her to the mattress. "Now, you shut up! There's no point in fighting me."

Her body went limp and she sobbed into her pillow as he tried to hold her down and dig into his pockets at the same time. Damn it! He should have brought the driver with him. As if on cue, the driver suddenly darkened the doorway. With two of them in the room, the procedure could now get underway. Marilyn's head shot up, but the driver shoved it back into the pillow.

"Sit on her," the first man ordered, and then he dug deeper into his jacket pocket and pulled out a long white package. He tore off the wrapper and stuffed it deep into his back pocket so he wouldn't leave it behind.

Taking a deep breath, he parted Marilyn's buttocks and shoved the suppository inside. Her muffled cries shook him to his core.

"I don't want to do this, princess, not at all." He had just given her the equivalent of seventy Nembutol tablets, enough to kill a dinosaur. And as she fought and struggled to get loose, he knew she had only a minute or so left before the medicine would take effect. He truly hated this part of the process. He experienced no joy in watching a victim's last, panic-filled moments.

"It will be over soon, my sweet. Tomorrow you'll get the biggest headline you've ever had."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007...

Kindle edition-99 cents

Hi guys, I would LOVE to be the next Irish Read. My book, The Forced Redundancy Film Club was published on April 5 by Hachette Ireland and is doing well so far. It's about a group of people who form a film club after mass job losses at the corporate where they work. Over the course of a year they watch classic films like Breakfast at Tiffanys, Casablanca, Thelma and Louise, The Wizard of Oz, Cinema Paradiso and It's a Wonderful Life in each other's houses and their lives change in tandem with the movies they're watching. Do y'all think it's something you might be interested in? The Forced Redundancy Film Club

Just to let folks know that I'm running a Goodreads giveaway for 2 paperback copies of The Baptist, a psychological thriller set in Kilkenny. Dark, disturbing, violent and erotic.

Winners of my previous giveaways have been in the US and Denmark, it'd be great to also have an Irish winner!

Enter here:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Cheers
Ruby

Just a reminder that TODAY (Tuesday 5 June 2012) is the LAST DAY for downloading a FREE KINDLE COPY of my Novel "The Schmetterling Effect" from Amazon. For full details of the book, see my post of 30 May 2012 entitled INTRODUCTION AND FREE KINDLE DAYS in the INTRODUCTIONS folder.
To access the book, click on:
The Schmetterling Effect

Hello,

I would like to introduce you to my recently published book “A Recipe for Disaster” by John Henry.

The book is written for the widest possible audience though being Irish or with Irish roots is a big advantage.

I have included various snippets from the story on my Goodreads Profile so you can check if the style and humour are to your taste.

The book is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble as a paperback and on Kindle and Nook as an e-book.


Cover Blurb:

Joe Henry and his wife Susan began their rollercoaster ride through life despite the objections of both sets of parents. Add their mismatched social and religious differences into the mix and you have A Recipe for Disaster. Their life is a journey filled with joy and laughter, with a side order of misfortune and tears. Joe has a definitive talent for getting himself into difficult situations, whether at home or at work. Susan is a long-suffering wife and mother who can put up with many things but even she has her limits.

Joe’s antics as he avoids responsibility and glibly tries to talk his way out of trouble are laughable; or at least he thinks so. Cry with Susan as she deals with the messes made by her husband and attempts to keep the family on track. Set mostly in the Ireland of the 1960s and onwards, the Henrys are a unique and entertaining family that will provide you with hours of hearty laughter.

Just to let memebers know this romantic thriller will be free on these dates: July 11th. (The irony of that date will be obvious when you read the novel.)
Aug 14th and 15th.
Enjoy.
Regards David Rory O'Neill.

Beyond Grace's Rainbow
Hi everyone, if you would like to have a sneak preview of my novel Beyond Grace's Rainbow before committing to buying (a bargain at €2.99!!) the first few chapters are available to download free on Amazon, iTunes, kobo books and b&n.
It's received only 5 star ratings so far with some great reviews. If you do check it out I really hope you like it.
Thanks - Carmel

My hilarious Irish romcom, Dysfunctional Romance! will be available to download FOR FREE on Amazon Kindle tomorrow, Thur 30th & Fri 31st August only! Click here on those dates to avail:
UK: http://amzn.to/PIFHCZ
US: http://amzn.to/NR5zhd @Derick_Hudson
All I ask is for you to leave a (positive please!) review on Amazon.
Cheers,
Derick :-)

Only 4 more days for free books based in West Cork!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

My new release, THE CLEANSING, a psychological suspense thriller set in Ireland is LIVE!

http://amzn.com/B00SXX9APC