Malina

Discovered a lovely new cafe with bright windows and hanging vines. Worked on a piece of writing that was growing into a short story till I started a flash fiction version in a new voice and it flowed really well. Finished writing it this evening and I'm happy with how it came out.

Awards season is looming - or so I’m told
If you are nominating and have read my work, these are the novels/novellas that are likely eligible ☺️

Pumped for my first ever author event in the USA next week! I'll be joining this group of mega talented folk at Barnes and Nobles to sign books and talk with readers and possibly drink copious amounts of beer.
Hope to see some of you there!
@ryancahill.bsky.social @shaunalawless.bsky.social

Began reading the Words of Kings and Prophets while in Waterford. Very fitting because it's set in 1000 AD, the last year of Ivar of Waterford's reign, and his kin built the tower I visited. @shaunalawless.bsky.social

"Sun encapsulated in tree limbs like fruit. A whip crackle of thunder behind the tongue. A bluebird’s tail, stitched with rain. An approximation of the landscape that surrounds me." Gorgeous writing by Mizuki Yamagen.
‎https://www.smokelong.com/stories/between-chamisa-and-rengyo/

Has anyone read the work of Pádraic Ó Conaire? His first statue was too close to a pub, and some drunks lopped off his head and played hide and seek, hiding it in a new place every night! His new bronze statue is more robust, and was moved to the centre of Eyre Square. A safer spot!

Autumn forest shot through with gold!

The funniest thing happened today - I tried to subvert the ancient prophecy, but my own desperate contrivances ironically caused that very prophecy to come to pass! Typical.

Can you tell what book this is from my review opening line?

Science fiction fantasy cowboy friends to lovers middle age romance with disco dragons.

We will always face mountains before us, but you don't always need to struggle up.
Use dynamite to tunnel through.
Summon a giant eagle to carry you over.
Or disappear into the hollow earth beneath, and start a new life with the deep gnomes and mole people.

We’re Hearing Reports of an Incident in Amsterdam by Sharon Telfer There’s a weight to the petal, a rippled ice-cream thickness. Leaning as close as he dare, the wire scoring his ankles, he can follow the pressure guiding the brush, the swipe of t…

Wow, yes, it's amazing how much information that title carries. I also love Sharon's piece We're Hearing Reports of Am Incident in Amsterdam and how the title sets up the action that accelerates towards the end.
spelkfiction.com/2019/02/13/w...

Love the street art in Waterford.

I'd like to see more people using it :)

It's been very inspiring, thank you! And a few new pieces of writing are emerging from this time

Yes, indeed! I haven't tried putting a date in the title before but maybe I will sometime. I like how titles for very short pieces can be used to do a lot of heavy lifting.

Wow, cool! I haven't come across it before. I'll check it out 😊

‎"A harp made of bones, they say, will only ever play a single song." Enjoyed this chilling tale from Nico Martinez Nocito. @nicowritesbooks.bsky.social
‎https://factorfourmag.com/a-single-song-by-nico-martinez-nocito/
‎

Old fashion typewriter with the text - ekphrastic writing workshop, Monday August 18 11 am or 8 pm

Art & Flash, 18th August 11am or 8pm BST

This month's artist creates 'acoustic installations that use nature & the rhythms of everyday life to investigate the relationship between sound, space and movement.’

#ekphrastic #writingworkshop

🔗 www.anikacarpenter.com/ekphrastic-w...

As discussed in Beyond these Shores, well-placed words add flavour without having to write all in dialect.
‎Try bringing back some of this Victorian slang:
‎Got the morbs - temporary wretchedness
‎Gigglemug - a habitually smiling face
‎Half-rats - partially intoxicated
‎Orf his chumps - cranky

Mafficking - Victorian slang for getting rowdy in the street! 😄

Ragnall's Tower, at the tip of the
Viking Triangle in Waterford. He founded the city in 914 and ruled it as king. It is now the only building in Ireland named after a Viking. His name was later anglicized to Reginald.

"Marianne is standing outside, in the back garden among the cherry trees, with a laundry basket in her arms. She's wearing a white dress... He can smell the scent of laundry. Up close he sees Marianne's arms are lightly freckled, her shoulders a bright rose colour..." Sally Rooney, #NormalPeople

That's amazing!

And the magazine came with this fantastic bookmark!

Went into the lovely Charlie Byrne's bookshop for the latest issue of Crannog 😊
@irishwriterscentre.bsky.social

Nott, norse goddess of the night and rest.🌙 ✨️
Part of my norse goddess collection I'm thinking of doing ✨️

#art #illustration #nott #norse #goddess #viking #norsegod #norsegoddess #jötunn #giantess #mythology #norsemythology #myth #norsemyth #vikingmythology #vikingart #norseart #asatru

In the Nevada desert, the Seven Magic Mountains rise like alien candy. Towering neon boulders stacked by artist Ugo Rondinone pulse against the tan backdrop of sand and sky. Some say they look like prayer to color. Others say they shouldn’t be trusted. #WyrdWednesday

This sounds amazing!

Carved faces on the wall of Lynch Castle, Galway

Willowbrook Creative Writing Retreat

September 5 - 7 2025

A weekend of writing workshops and activities.
Suitable for those who have been published, to those dipping their toe in for the first time

Read more:
www.writing.ie/member-organ...

#writersretreat #writingcommunity