|
|
You are viewing the most recent 20 entries June 10th, 200909:31 pm: Old Wing Tsun Pics
I stumbled upon a new Wing Tsun Ireland website today and found some old pics of me in the gallery. It's been a year and a half since I trained but that seems to have been long enough to build a little nostalgia. So I thought I'd post some of the pics here. They're on the website in some weird slideshow thing and they haven't been retrieved perfectly, so the top of my head is missing in a few of them. If anybody knows how to do a better job, please let me know. You'll find the gallery here.   The above pics show mw and Sihing Nicolas Maraite training hard in Germany in October 2006. He kicked my ass most of that weekend, but I learned a lot from him and the other great instructors who were there.  The above pic is from November 2006 and it shows me helping out a student at a seminar with his form. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name.  Above, me at the November 2006 seminar. I look about ten years older now as Jack, my now two-year-old son, has since arrived and teamed up with my firstborn daugther Mya to throw me twice the parental challenges and worry. I think it's worth it, though.  And in the final pic (above) I'm looking just a tad psychotic. This was taken at the last Sifu Tausend seminar I attended in Dublin in May 2007. Good times.
May 20th, 200910:12 pm: FIREPROOF
It's been a while. I've a tonne of excuses, but I'll not share them. I need to get back to work, you see. But before I do, a quick note. Busy as I am, I'm going to have to get even busier. My agent, the mighty Al Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates, has just finished reading my first novel, the horror-comedy titled FIREPROOF. He likes it and wants to try to sell it. But first, I've to address his editorial comments. I'm going in!
April 11th, 200908:55 pm: Happy Easter!
 Lent's almost over. There's a bottle of Jameson on the kitchen worktop. The kids are in bed. I'm closing in on 1,000 words for today's novel-in-progress output. And best of all, the postman brought me a reason to celebrate today... The Art's Council of Northern Ireland have offered me a small award that'll allow me to ditch the dayjob for a month and live the life of a full-time writer! Feckin' sweet! So, I'd like to officially thank the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and their Arts Development Officer, Damian Smyth. The time is intended to help me complete the first draft of the current novel-in-progress (working title SHOT), and by God, I intend to do just that. 
March 17th, 200908:06 am: Happy Paddy's Day!
If you're an Irish drinker, have one for me today. I'm gonna have a dry St Patrick's Day.
Why?
I figure I'm more likely to hold on to my wife if I don't look like this guy in five years. But that's just me. All you heavyweights, have yourselves a ball.
Cheers!
February 26th, 200910:35 pm: Good News, Everyone!
 I don't know if it's the planetary alignment, karmic back-pay or just dumb luck, but this has been quite a month. Me and my da met Tony Devlin for a coffee at lunch time today and talked about our play, The Sweety Bottle. Tony is an accomplished actor who has branched out and founded Brassneck Theatre Company. Tony read, enjoyed and offered to professionally produce The Sweety Bottle in Spring 2010. We're gratefully taking him up on that offer. It's a long way off, but Belfast theatre (like publishing) is dependent on funding, and since The Sweety Bottle is a six-man show, they're gonna need a lot of cash. So, Brassneck plan to put on a one-woman show, a two-man show and then our play. If nothing else, this writing malarkey has taught me patience. When you think about the time it takes to write a novel, get an answer from a publisher or catch a lucky break, a year seems like nothing to me. But to sweeten the deal, they'll probably do a reading of the play in this year's West Belfast festival. August 2009. Doesn't seem too far away. Anyway, another lesson learned. Make sure the next stage play only needs one or two actors. 10:44 am: Fancy a Link (cross-posted from CSNI)
 I've been a bit busy the last few days putting the finishing touches on the screenplay. It's just been delivered to Northern Ireland Screen. One project down (for now), seventy-six(ish) to go. So, what's been going on in the blogosphere since I've had my head buried in the script? Well, I've been unforgiveably remiss in failing to mention Mike Stone's excellent news. He's only gone and announced that he's working with super-agent Nat Sobel! I've read the first of the YA trilogy he's putting together, and I tell you, this news was a long time coming. Congrats, Mike. Just remember, I need your help on this Irish mythology anthology, so no slacking off to work on your career. Declan Burke is on a roll over at Crime Always Pays. Today's post and yesterday's post both make for great reading. Today he's talking about reviewers and hints at their responsibilities, and yesterday he was trying to figure out if he could ever bring himself to not write. Pfft. Good luck with that, Dec. You're as hooked as the rest of us bitter, twisted fools. And finally, Reed Farrel Coleman put in a guest appearance at the Busted Flush Press blog. A very thought-provoking look at crime fiction reflecting in true crime. It fair gave me pause for thought. Brian McGilloway treaded familiar territory in a Crime Always Pays post quite some time ago. Something to think about, eh? But the mood is lifted slightly by the revelation of the cover for Reed's collaboration with Ken Bruen; The Tower. That'll do you for now.
February 17th, 200904:46 pm: The Wee Rockets
 Last year I attempted to sell my novel, Piranhas, without the aid of an agent. I came very close to doing this, but suffered quite a setback when the deal was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. Yeah, well, every writer has his sob story. That was mine. Life's moved on. Since then, I submitted to and was rejected from most of the publishers on the island of Ireland and a few in England. The reason was more often than not cited as cautious business practices in a recession.
So, in January, I got pissed off with all that malarkey and decided to change tactics. I started looking for an agent.
Well, it gives me great pleasure to announce that I'm now officially represented by Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates. We've hit the ground running and already I've applied Al's suggested edits and changed the name of the gang my novel is based on, and in turn, the book's title. Piranhas shall henceforth be known as The Wee Rockets, unless a publisher asks me to change it again.
Allan Guthrie is a highly regarded writer and a successful agent. He's also a hell of a nice guy, so I know I'm going to enjoy working with him. Watch this space. Maybe some day in the near future, I'll announce the sale of my Belfast street crime story, The Wee Rockets. February 16th, 200911:44 am: Lucinda
 The February issue of Three Crow Press went live yesterday. I've got a story in it. Lucinda. In the interest of full disclosure (am I using that phrase correctly?) I should tell you that this is not a crime story. It's a work of speculative fiction and it features in the, um, erotica issue of the webzine. Two sex stories in one month. Thank God my ma doesn't read this journal. I may have to think about expanding my themes... Oh, mine's not the only story in the issue, by the way. Lots of talent there. So spend a little time reading. But read mine first.
February 3rd, 200908:15 pm: I've Been Flat Out
 I don't think I'm ever going to be not busy again. But that's a hell of a lot better than being bored, isn't it? News in BriefMy story, Hard Rock, has just been published in issue 29 of Thug Lit. Won't ya go on over? I'm proud of this story, but I feel obliged to warn you; there's quite an ick factor at work in it. The premise is not one bit pretty. The Sweety Bottle stories I published in the Andersonstown News seem to have gone down quite well. And I might have some good news regarding the play I co-wrote with my father thanks to them. I wrote a third draft of my screenplay last month. I'll be meeting Northern Ireland Screen about it in a couple of weeks. Please, God, let there be only minimal changes required after this. There was a bit of a pep-talk for writers at the BBC studio in Belfast last Thursday. I went to it, and feel quite pepped actually. I think it'd be cool to write for TV, but judging by the amount of people who showed up for the discussion, it's not going to be an easy field to crack. Something to consider in the future. I'd love to get back to writing the novel I was burning through in November, but it's taken a backseat to a few more pressing matters. Soon, though. Soon. January 28th, 200908:36 am: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Ladies
 Click the above image to read. This is the sixth of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Ladies first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Monday 26th January 2009.
Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 24th, 200901:58 pm: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Rabbit
 Click the above image to read. This is the fith of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Rabbit first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Saturday 24th January 2009.
Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 22nd, 200902:04 pm: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Mexican
 Click the above image to read. This is the fourth of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Mexican first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Monday 19th January 2009.
Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 20th, 200908:29 am: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Missus
 Click the above image to read. This is the third of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Missus first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Saturday 17th January 2009. Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 16th, 200908:54 pm: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Mouse
 Click the above image to read. This is the second of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Mouse first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Monday 12th January 2009. Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 14th, 200909:58 pm: Tales from the Sweety Bottle - The Badge
 Click the above image to read. This is the first of a six-part series of stories based on Brennan family anecdotes. The Sweety Bottle was a Lower Falls shebeen ran by my grandfather in the seventies. The Badge first appeared in the Andersonstown News on Saturday 10th January 2009. Copyright ⓒ Gerard Brennan 2009
January 5th, 200909:58 pm: Back to Porridge
 I'm officially off the gravy train. The dayjob called me back today, and I dove into those spreadsheets and financial reports with hyper-enthusiasm. Sort of. Actually, I spent most of the day wishing I was home with Michelle and the kids, but I guess that's just the sign of a terrific break. I think my batteries are suitably recharged and I hope to get up to some serious writing this month. Will keep you posted. The competition Mike Stone (pictured left) conceived was drawn today. Since it was first announced over at Book Smugglers, they got the scoop. Mike and the lucky winner also had a little to say. For my part, thanks to all who entered via CSNI and my live journal account. You were all in, but you didn't win. Maybe next time, eh? Oh, and have you read the opening chapter of Piranhas yet? Why not?
December 30th, 200809:16 pm: New Year Post
It'll be nothing special. Just want to wish all a happy new one and then work on a few things for CSNI. Speaking of my crime fiction blog, that seems to have been one of my greatest successes this year. Funny, because I started it up with nothing in mind but to increase my web presence and track my crime fiction reading. In nine short months I've been sent a shitload of free books, almost all of them brilliant, and been in touch with so many excellent writers. I've gone out to more readings and signings to have something to write about and had some great face-to-face chats with writers I've been reading for years. I've also been interviewed in newspapers, on the internet and on the radio off the back of it. I'm wondering if this is all a sign. Maybe I should take the fiction writing a lot less seriously and just see what happens in the new year. It's worked for CSNI. On the writing front, I haven't finished a novel this year, but I have written and sold a number of short stories, written a stage play and a screenplay. And I won funding for the screenplay and was invited to edit both a non-fiction and a crime fiction collection, each of them crime themed. That'll do me, thank you, muse. This year, I've been frustrated by a big publishing disappointment, and a failure to sell Piranhas. But I've taken all my knocks on the chin and still have a glimmer of hope for 2009, despite the doom and gloom of the credit crunch/recession. I feel like I've learned to take my knocks, and though those rejections still sting, I'm getting over them quicker and learned that I need to keep on trying. As for the wee Brennan family life, my kids are great, my wife still loves me and this week of increased clan-time has helped me appreciate how lucky I am. In 2009, I plan to generally exude cool. Any writing achievements I pick up along the way... well, that'd be gravy, man. Happy New Year, peeps.
December 11th, 200811:00 am: Myths and Mobsters - Cross Posted from CSNI
 I’m getting this announcement in before my co-editor lets the cat out of the bag over at Book Smugglers. Yup, I said co-editor. That’d be Mike Stone. And we’d be editing a collection of short stories. Crime fiction stories, as if you had to ask. A while ago, I was contacted by Mark Deniz ( ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) markdeniz ), who runs the ever-growing small press Morrigan Books. He’d read some of my work and enjoyed what was happening over at CSNI. He also happened to know that Mike Stone is a good friend of mine, and as he’d wanted to work with Mike on a project for quite a while, he figured I might be able to persuade him onto this one. Morrigan Books aims to put out the very best in dark genre fiction, and who does dark crime fiction better than the Irish? Nobody, in my opinion. And luckily, Mark was willing to accept this opinion. It left one small problem, though. How to set this collection apart from Ken Bruen’s excellent Dublin Noir and Colin Bateman’s forthcoming Belfast Nights? Well, it’s Morrigan Books, right? Morrigan is the Celtic goddess of war. Why not ask for stories with an Irish mythology theme? Why not, indeed? We asked a bunch of writers and they all seemed intrigued. We’ve even received a number of stories already. Ken Bruen, Adrian McKinty, Garbhan Downey, Sam Millar and Tony Bailie have each sent us something. And I know Paul Charles has completed a first draft of his contribution and that Neville Thompson is working on his. We’ve also received positive interest from Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Arlene Hunt, Aifric Campbell, Lucy Caldwell, Ian McDonald and John McAllister. Me and Mike might even write something, but next to the talent we’ve attracted, we’d need to write something special to justify a place amongst it. So, what do you think? And if the whimsy takes you, could you suggest a title? Me and Mike are stumped. At the moment, Stuart Neville’s suggestion is in the lead; Myths and Mobsters (which I've swiped for the title of this post). Mike’s decided to run a draw in which you can win a paperback copy of his novella collection, Fourtold. Each suggestion will be entered into it and the winner picked at random. I’ll sweeten the deal by adding a crime fiction book from my collection. I’ll give the winner a choice of books after the draw. Leave your answer here, or over at Mike’s Book Smugglers piece. It should go live in about four hours. December 10th, 200801:32 pm: Quick Update
Jesus! Ten days into December and I still haven't fully recovered from the Nano thing. It kind of went to pieces in the third week when other things I couldn't avoid doing cropped up. What can you do? I did manage to make 25K words, which for me in a month is quite an improvement. Along with that, I managed to keep CSNI running regularly, wrote a short story for markdeniz's Gilgamesh Press imprint and had a meeting with NI Screen about The Point. I also got Piranhas rejected by one of the houses I thought it would be ideal for. It wasn't. And it took the wind out of my sales as a throwaway comment in the rejection letter caused me to freak out about my writing style for a few days. I got over it, but never fully recovered the momentum of the first two weeks. I did manage to attend all the Nano workshops run by Ian Sansom at Queen's University, though. A great experience. More on that later in the week, or month. We'll see. Right now, I've a lot of work to do on The Point and I'm looking forward to the Christmas break. I'm getting a week and a half off the dayjob. That'll be such a help if I can keep myself away from pies and booze. I don't fancy my chances. The novel, now referred to as Shot until a better title occurs, sits at 38K words. I'm going to take a week or two to decide where I want it to go, evaluate the characters and go over what I've written. Then I'll hopefully get another blast at it. Haven't decided wheter to tackle it or the screenplay first. Until I do, I've a few other things to keep me ticking over. Reviews and a secret project that won't be a secret tomorrow. Stay tuned.
November 27th, 200803:42 pm: A Noir Original? Me? Really? (Cross-Posted from CSNI)
 It’s been a good self-promotion week. Allow me to bask... Just two days ago, Stuart Neville described my short story, King Edward, as an example of Norn Noir. I’ve no argument with that at all. I think it’s a killer tag. Noir fiction from Norn Iron. Cracker. There were more kind comments at the story’s venue, A Twist of Noir, and an actual (quite positive) review of it on Eastern Standard Crime. This all pleases me. And speaking of Noir, a couple of submissions I made to Allan Guthrie’s Noir Originals have passed muster and are now available on the site. Click here to read my interview with Adrian McKinty, and click here to read the first chapter of Piranhas; the post-Troubles crime fiction novel I’m trying to house right now.
Powered by LiveJournal.com
|
|
