Witching Season...

Her Kind

Winter Book Tour 2019

20th  Sept        CULTURE NIGHT
Interview  with  Liz Walsh in Kilkenny Libary

29^th Sept          FICTION AT THE FRIARY
Run by Danielle Mc Laughlin & Madeleine D'Arcy. The final Sunday of every month in Cork- fun, fiction, jelly beans,  hula hoops, open mic & free book raffle. 
info: here

                             

6th Oct              DROMINEER/NENAGH 

The Witch within the Walls - Nenagh Castle - 4pm
Niamh  will be chatting to Sarah Moore Fitzgerald. Music from singer Dylan Rooney, and cellist Gráinne Higgins
 Tickets = here

Dylan Rooney, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Niamh Boyce

15th Oct            EMBASSY BOOK CLUB
Special Reading with the Embassy Book Club
Embassy of  Ireland, Brussels
tickets : here

16th Oct            SNUG HARBOUR
Karl Dehmelt & Niamh Boyce on stage in Brussels
Snug Harbor is created by Sofie Verraest, hosted by Muntpunt Library, the Muntpunt Grand Cafe, Mont Saint  Eugene, the Brussels Writers' Cirlce & Waterstones
details : here

Niamh Boyce, Karl Dehmelt

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19^th Oct               KILDARE READERS FESTIVAL
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Panel in The Riverbank, Newbridge, with Niamh Boyce, Stacey Halls, & Martina Devlin
Whether it’s horror fiction or historical non-fiction, Witches and Wiccan culture have provided rich material for authors throughout the years.During the season of Samhain, we will be discussing witches within the canon of literature. 

Tickets: Here

26th Oct          IMAGINE LITERARY FESTIVAL
From Fact to Fiction Writing Workshop in Waterford
Details: here

9th Nov             LEAVES FESTIVAL

Conversation, music and readings in Portlaoise  - John Sheahan & Niamh Boyce with Dermot Bolger.
Booking: here

14th Nov           Dublin Book Festival: National Library of Ireland
Writing Ireland's History 
Niamh Boyce, Patricia O'Reilly, Eibhear Walshe & Nessa O' Mahoney
Booking: here

23rd Nov         Workshop: Freshford, Kilkenny
details on  the way... !

Novel Fair 

I'm one of the Irish Writer Centre's Novel Fair judges this year. I would really encourage anyone interested to enter. I wasn't going to send my novel  in 2012  but a writer friend pushed   encouraged me - and I posted it at the last minute. My novel The Herbalist became one of the  winners that year, and was published by Penguin Ireland the following Summer. So go for it! There's not much to lose, and shortlisted writers get critical feedback...  more info Here

Historical Novels Review

Her Kind is featured in the latest issue of Historical Novels Review, the monthly magazine from the Historical Novel Society.... its a very insightful piece by Bethany Latham - who touches on the heart of the book - the mother-daughter dynamic... 'Sorcery, religion, politics, greed, privilege, power – all pale in comparison to what one finds at the heart of this story: that natural connection, the love of a mother for her child.'

the full article can be read HERE

Bibi Baskin reviewed Her Kind today on The Today Show with Maura & Daithi

 'I couldn't put it down.'

The Flemish Connection

Her Kind is based on the Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler- the infamous Flemish moneylender that lived in 14th century Kilkenny. I have been amazed and delighted with the interest in the novel, and the story behind it, especially the connection with Flanders, and the Flemish woman who made such an impression. 

Jose Kytler's Grave Stone

A lot of people who have read Her Kind, have been very curious about the existence of ancient Flemingstown.  The fact that Kilkenny has long been made up of an English town and an Irish town is well known, but not quite so well known is that there was once a third town - the town of the Flemings.  

Extract 'Her Kind' 

The Flemish settlers arrived -‘not long after the English invasion,’ (John A. Prim) and built their own separately walled town, with its own towers and gates. It's referred to in ancient documents as Flemings towne, or the ‘town of the Flemings. They were a colony of traders, fullers, cooks, brewers and weavers – who were invited over for the advancement of art and improvement of trade by the early inhabitants of Kilkenny. Well established by the 14th century, it was built where Switzer’s Asylum, (St James Asylum) existed. I would love to know where the town gate ended up, Prim recounts that it was moved and re-erected at New Key (his spelling)...its a location I'm not aware of, perhaps a Kilkenny historian out there can help us with that.. it features strongly in Her Kind, so it would be very exciting to locate the ancient gateway. 

  

In the meantime, in St Canice's cathedral, the grave slab of the prosperous merchant Jose Kyteler - can still be seen today. He died in 1280, and his slab is inscribed in Norman French requesting 'Stop and say a prayer, you who pass by here'.  His daughter Alice would go on to be the most well remembered of those Flemish Settlers, she would go on to become notorious. 

I was interviewed on Arena by Sean Rocks recently - we talked about Alice Kytler, Sorcery trials & Her Kind - put on the kettle, and have a listen HERE

Irish Writers Centre Workshops

I'm delighted to be back teaching in the Irish Writers Centre this Spring - I love teaching there - I first set foot in the Centre as an inaugural Novel Fair Winner, and ended up being published by Penguin Ireland as a result. That was The Herbalist, and my new book Her Kind (about the Kilkenny witchcraft trial) will also be published by Penguin Random House next April. I am teaching two courses, one runs over a few weeks, and is aimed at beginners, or those of you beginning again. The second reflects my interest in turning fact into fiction, as my two novels were both based on real life trials....   

Six Week Starter Kit
'This course is suitable for those new to writing, or interested in getting back to writing. Fun but focused, the core of this course will be weekly writing exercises. Through these, participants will create, and shape new fictions. These might grow into flash pieces, short stories, monologues, rants or chapters. Each writer will work towards completing their piece over the course of the six weeks. Basic character development, voice, point of view, story and setting will also be discussed.' 
To book - click here 


From Fact to Fiction (One Day)
Do you have a story you always wanted to tell? Something that really happened but you don't know how to handle the material? This workshop will explore how true stories can inspire a work of fiction. Participants will look at character, voice, setting, first draft, research, 'how much truth, how much fiction,' and revision. The course is suitable for both beginners and those who have been writing for a while. All you need is a pen and notebook.
To book - click here

The Book Show - Historical Fiction

Both of my novels, The Herbalist and Her Kind (available for pre-order here!) were based on legal trials from another century. The Herbalist was inspired by the case of Don Robert Rodriguez de Vere in 1940's Athy, and Her Kind explores Kilkenny's infamous sorcery trial - the case of Dame Alice Kytler. 

My interest in hidden stories, in excavating silenced voices has led me to write books are often seen as historical, or more recently as bio-fiction. Like most writers, I just write what fascinates me, and am sometimes surprised at the labels attached to the finished book. This is just one of the subjects discussed on The Book Show tonight. 

The show is hosted by novelist and poet, Nuala O Connor. The guests are Paul Lynch, Andrew Miller and myself. We'll be discussing historical fiction, language, research and whether historical fiction has an image problem! Listen in, at 7pm or catch the podcast later.

For more - check out The Book Show Website. 

Helena Duggan & the specs that inspired a novel

Helena Duggan is a writer from Kilkenny, a medieval, haunted city in the south of Ireland.  A Place Called Perfect is her first book. I met Helena many years ago on a writing course. Our group got on so well, that we still meet regularly and hound each other to keep writing:) 

  

Hi Helena! What inspired you to write A Place Called Perfect?

the original glasses!

I always wanted a pair of round rimmed glasses. Most people think when I tell them that I must’ve loved John Lennon or Harry Potter, and while Harry Potter is definitely on my list of favorite people - neither is the reason for my love of round specs. It was actually James Joyce who sparked my interest. I’d love to say I'd admired Joyce’s work from an early age, but truth be told, I didn’t know who he was outside of the fact that he was a man in a painting my mother owned and he wore the coolest glasses. Years later I saw a similar pair in an antique shop in Australia and I bought them convinced I would change the lenses and wear them myself. That never happened. The more I carried the glasses the more I began to think about their last owner. I wondered if he or she were dead and surmised they were as I the glasses were antique. I began to think about that person and their life. Maybe their memories had become locked inside the lenses and if I got rid of them - I’d be throwing away the last pieces of that person. This idea set me on the path to Perfect.


Perfect is a fascinating place, is it based on anywhere in particular? What was it like creating a world?

It’s based on Kilkenny. I hadn’t started out basing it here, it just kind of happened organically. I needed a family name and I chose Archer. It’s prominent in Kilkenny’s history, and it lent itself to both good and evil characters. Then I needed a place where part of the town could be hidden inside the other part without anyone noticing. Kilkenny’s High street sits above Kieran’s Street and its stone walls. I began to play with the idea of extending few walls here and there and locking Kieran Street inside the rest of the Town. This worked well as did the underground passages, cobbled roads and medieval graveyards of Kilkenny and slowly Perfect began to take shape. It was never a concise decision just something that happened really and I wasn’t aware that I was creating a world until it was created, otherwise I’m not sure I’d be able to do it ;)

And, last question Helena! Who is your favorite writer?

I love Roald Dahl, I read his books loads when I was younger and loved his language and how he made up his own words. Most of what I remember while reading his books is laughter. I think I laughed a lot and that feeling has stuck with me. I also really love JK Rowling's Harry Potter books. I haven’t read any of her other works. I think Harry Potter has stuck with me because she created a totally believable story right from the beginning, none of the seven books feel contrived and the whole idea which was huge has very few plot holes. Her world feels real to me!

About A Place Called Perfect… Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time?

But Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on – she keeps hearing noises in the night, her mum is acting strange and her dad has disappeared.

When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have been stolen away...and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!

You can buy your copy HERE  at Amazon - or all good bookshops

How To Write A Novel Event

Have you ever wanted to write a novel? How do you get it out of your head and onto the page? How do you handle structure, dialogue and plot? And once it’s written, what is the best way to get it published?

In tandem with the major ongoing series in The Irish Times, two award-winning young Irish writers join Sinéad Gleeson of The Irish Times for an intimate discussion in one of Kilkenny’s most beautiful 16th-century houses. Colin Barrett, who was born in Canada and grew up in Mayo, has just won the 2014 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award for his first collection of short stories, Young Skins, published by the Stinging Fly Press in Ireland and Jonathan Cape in the UK. Niamh Boyce's debut novel The Herbalist won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2013. She was the Hennessy XO New Irish Writer of the Year in 2012 and her unpublished poetry collection was highly commended in the Patrick Kavanagh Award 2013. Free but ticketed, this event is on Saturday 9th August at 11.00 - you can book Here. Sinead Gleeson's How To Write A Book'' series has been running in the Irish Times over the past few weeks, here's this weeks feature on editing . I was interviewed for the 'research edition'which you can read here.



Radio Drama Writing Workshops

 

I really want to do this workshop. At only  €25 per person for a full weekend workshop, its an excellent opportunity to really learn the craft of radio drama, it covers radio script writing, performance, sound, recording... its hosted by the wonderful people at Sessions House Arts Centre in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny

They don't say what the class limit is, but I reckon at that price it will be booked up fairly quickly.

There are two dates are available -

5th/6th of October - 10-5pm  or 19th/20th of October - 10 -5pm

Radio Drama and Performance Workshop

'A radio play will be devised, developed, scripted and performed, specifically for and about The Sessions House Arts Centre, the old Court House and Gaol in Thomastown, Kilkenny. 

Incorporating the rich history of the building, participants will devise a short piece for radio which they will subsequently perform and record under the facilitation of playwright, Gillian Grattan. The workshop will explore the following; script writing, editing, acting, creating sound effects, character creation and development, microphone technique and the physicality of radio acting.'

Content: 

• Development of a story and plot which directly relates to Sessions House.
• Devising and writing of the script or scripts.
• Performance of the piece by participants for recording.
• Sound effects which will be sourced by participants as the project will be recorded in the traditional style: ie: no computerised effects.
• Music, an original piece to be devised by participants.
• Recording the piece, in a professional studio setting
• Performance of the piece to an audience in November at Session House.

For more information contact Mary 087 682 8904.

Write So!

The Set Theatre (isn't it gorgeous?)

Tonight, for one night only! A Kilkenny based, creative writing group present an entertaining mix of original works (I'll be reading a poem).

If you'd like to meet a desperate housewife in the flesh, find out the truth behind the toilet paper industry and learn about the underground funeral dating scene.... come on over!

8pm at The Set Theatre, Langton House Hotel, John Street, Kilkenny.