A Window Display: A Book-Moment in Time

On my way from my car to the supermarket entrance, I regularly stop to look at the window display in Book Haven in Knocklyon to see what new titles they have on show. Naturally, I am often tempted to go in for a better look (and to feel and smell!), and I frequently purchase a new book before I buy my groceries. Food for the soul and spirit is every bit as important as food for the body, I would argue.

Imagine my delight yesterday morning, when I stood in front of the window, only to see 'Love, Lycra and Tattos' sitting up proudly in between Florence Knapp's 'The Names' and Hector Ó hEochagáin's 'An Irish Word a Day,' with an announcement attached 'Local Author.' It is humbling for me to see my book rubbing pages and book corners with other books of authors I admire and who inspire me.

Authors with low-profiles such as myself are forever grateful to the bookshops (mostly small independent ones) that are willing to take a chance and to stock books from those of us who are not widely-known. I know that Rathfarnham Bookshop, Woulfe's Bookshop in Listowel and Worm Books in Schull have currently got 'Love, Lycra and Tattoos' on their shelves. A huge thank you to their owners. If any of my readers/subscribers see it anywhere else, I would love to hear about it and sharing a photo would be even better!

I was facilitating a workshop yesterday with the lovely ladies in The Well in Tallaght and, in a conversation with one of the writers, I heard myself once again repeating my mantra, 'If you want to write, you need to read.' Writers should read widely, and be open to reading outside your usual comfort zone. But, if you know that you definitely want to write in a particular genre (for example memoir, crime, sci-fi, fantasy), you should focus on reading as many books as possible from authors who write in that genre. This is not for imitation purposes, rather it is for inspiration.

It was about eight years ago now that I started reading short short stories, namely flash fiction, and through that exposure, I began reading novellas-in-flash (also known as a NiF) from authors such as Amanda Saint, Michael Loveday, Debbi Voisey, Mary-Jane Holmes and others and I was inspired to give it a go. A novella-in-flash, such as the one I have written as the first part of my new book, is a collection of linked, very short stories (flash fiction) that together form a longer narrative, exploring themes and characters in a piecemeal, yet cohesive, way. Each chapter is usually no more than 1,000 words long. If you are interested in learning more about the form or reading some novellas, this is an interesting article by Michael Loveday.

Interestingly, I met a lady last week who had just finished reading my book and she said that the fact that the chapters were short was one of the reasons she loved it. She told me she is just gradually trying to get back into 'a reading habit' and she found the short chapters very accessible and great for reading in bed, apparently! It is thrilling to get feedback, comments, questions about the book, the stories, my writing process, the characters, the settings, so please feel free to comment and to ask questions in the comments below. I will do my best to answer them.

I was also chuffed to learn that a local bookclub are going to read my new book in April or May. I will be happy to attend their discussions and to answer any questions they may have. If any other bookclubs are interested in an author discussion about my book, I would be more than happy to oblige if at all possible.

A lot of people ask me, 'What books did you buy lately?' 'What are you reading now?' As it happens, I bought a copy of Hector's new book as a Christmas gift for my daughter-in-law who expresses an interest in learning and speaking more Irish, and I downloaded Florence Knapp's book on Audible before Christmas, but I haven't had a chance to go on a solo long car journey in recent weeks and I haven't started it yet. Tomorrow is the day! I will be driving down to Doolin to attend the Doolin Writers' Weekend. I will finish Mary Minnock's excellent 'Homesick' before I reach Portlaoise and I will listen to 'The Names' for the rest of the journey there and during the journey home on Sunday. I am switching between reading two physical books. The first is 'Broken Country' by Clare Lesley Hall which I am reading for my bookclub in Helsinki and the second is 'Redhead by the Side of the Road' by Anne Tyler, one of my favourite authors. Tyler transforms the mundane, everyday lives of her characters (who mostly live in Baltimore) with her sharp insight into the human condition. Her writing inspires me to keep writing and to 'write better.'