"To my mind, Goya is one of the most enigmatic and influential painters in the history of art. In the novel I wanted to explore behind the scenes, to discover something more of the man and of his work. What better perspective to obtain than that of the women who were closest to him in … Continue reading Video Extract of “The Painter’s Women” by Fionnuala Brennan
Reading when I write? by Colin O’Sullivan
"When something of literary merit affects you, then a sliver is naturally going to rub off on your prose." Read the full text here: Reading when I write?
Richard Kalich: How I Write
I don't have a method but... and it’s a big ‘but’... I can speak of a pattern that has repeated itself with all four of my novels. And the same will be true with my next. I see my novels metaphorically. By that I mean an image comes to me... and that image, that poetic metaphoric image, contains all I need … Continue reading Richard Kalich: How I Write
Craig McDonald: “Why I write: One true sentence.”
Why I Write A while back, the wonderful Jen Forbus was collecting six-word memoirs from various crime and thriller writers. The exercise was inspired, she wrote, by the line attributed to Ernest Hemingway (a frequent supporting character in my Hector Lassiter novels) that resulted from a challenge to craft an über short story. The result, … Continue reading Craig McDonald: “Why I write: One true sentence.”
Why do I write? by David Hogan
Why do I write? I write because I am a prisoner. I write because there exists, beyond the walls of my preconceptions and just outside the barriers of my inventiveness, another story. It’s not wholly personal or cultural or factual. It’s not religious or utopian. Nor is it political. It’s all of these things, or … Continue reading Why do I write? by David Hogan
“From the menial, I’ll build meaning.”
Why I Write by Jackie Mallon The sound is like a low growl. You mightn’t hear it but even when I look at peace, I’m making it. Then I itch and scrape. Is my stomach empty? Do I need a walk? A nap? A blanket? Kibble? Tranquilizing? Reading, yes, that calms me. For a while. … Continue reading “From the menial, I’ll build meaning.”
“There’s only that unbidden quest to make a sentence sing…”
Why I Write By Colin O'Sullivan I write because I have to. No message, no voice. I write for it demands me. Because I have no choice. I wake and think of writing, I go to bed the same. All day I think of writing, My antidote, my pain. Nothing matters but the … Continue reading “There’s only that unbidden quest to make a sentence sing…”
Richard Kalich: “I see the world metaphorically.”
Richard Kalich in conversation with Lucy Sweeney Byrne It is clear, when talking to Richard Kalich today, that he is a novelist whom, once you hear of him, you wonder to yourself how you haven’t heard his name before. He is not a writer one would describe as prolific. He has endured writer’s block and the terror … Continue reading Richard Kalich: “I see the world metaphorically.”
Praise for the opening line of HEAD GAMES by Craig McDonald
"From a much newer novel, Head Games by Craig McDonald, the first line is: “We were sitting in a backroom of a cantina on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, three drinks in, when Bill Wade reached into the dusty duffle bag he had tucked under the table and plunked down the Mexican general’s head.” The … Continue reading Praise for the opening line of HEAD GAMES by Craig McDonald
Betimes Books 
You must be logged in to post a comment.