The state of the union

It has a been a long time since I blogged here, or anywhere for that matter. I have all kinds of excuses lined up about life taking over and work being busy and finding that I needed all my writing time for, well, writing novels. But the truth is, I got a little bored.

Looking back at my blog, now, I think I understand why. I started this site as a place to post news and perhaps muse randomly about writing, which I still think is fair enough but reading back my posts I feel they lacked a certain depth of thought. Mostly, they rambled on about what I'd been doing, a little like an online diary, which I suppose a blog is, except that I'm not sure how much of myself, as a writer or otherwise, I was really giving people here. It almost feels like lipservice.

So, now I'm back and I've been thinking and I might handle things here a little differently from before. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

I'm also planning to resurrect Frankie over at Starfish Soup. I've discovered recently that she does have something to say, after all. I think it could be fun. Watch out for new posts there very soonly. I have also decided I will make up words if I want to. I like it.

Niki x

Can't blog now, more heroes to meet...

I've not been a good blogger of late, I know that and I'm sorry. The thing is, I'm just not spending much time at all online at the moment. I'm reading loads, and writing plenty, but none of that writing has turned out to happen online (until today). My third novel is coming along and I'm also working on a script for The Killing Jar, which looks like it's found a producer, so all that's keeping me busy, busy, busy, as well as quite shiny and excited.

I've also had some fun this summer meeting my heroes. They are all heroes I've met before, but that doesn't take the shine off for me, they're still heroes. Chuck Palahnuik (one of said heroes) says in something I read once that you shouldn't meet your heroes, that they're bound to let you down by farting or belching. Well, I haven't heard any evidence of the above and, as I don't have much of a sense of smell, I wouldn't notice otherwise. So far, I've lucked out.

Of course, one of the biggest events of the year has been the 80th birthday of Alan Sillitoe, which has been celebrated in style. For the latest tribute, catch the next issue of Left Lion. They done 'im proud.

Most recently, I interviewed Irvine Welsh at the Broadway Cinema, where I used to work. I was quite nervous; I heard somewhere that he could be quite prickly in the wrong hands. Nothing could have been further from the truth. He was friendly, chatty and asked me about my books on more than one occasion! (Not during the actual interview - that would have been just wrong lol). I'd say you couldn't meet a nicer man. An editor at Random House once suggested to me that they felt the nastiness of someone's fiction had almost an inverse relationship with the personality of the writer. ie Nice guys write grim. So far I'm finding this adds up.

If you want proof of this, I'm interviewing Chuck Palahniuk soon. He's about the nicest guy who writes the grimmest stories. He comes so close to defining cult fiction, that's what his fans call themselves. If you fancy checking this out for yourself, it's 6pm, at the Broadway, Broad Street in Nottingham on Thursday 14th August. See you there. Don't fart!

N

Lowdham Book Festival - this Saturday

I'm at Lowdham Book Festival this Saturday, 1pm, in the Fiction Marquee, launching my new crime express book The Okinawa Dragon with Clare Littleford, who has also published one called The Quarry. Be nice to see you there.

And don't forget about Irvine Welsh at the Broadway. If you have any ideas for things I should ask him, post em here.

Nicola

Finding a voice and Irvine Welsh

I'd just like to point you here, in the direction of the anthology from my new students. They've worked very hard and I'm really impressed with what they've achieved. I definitely recommend it. Make sure you buy from the 'new and used' available part, so that you go direct to the publishers and don't need to pay a sourcing fee...

Also, I'm interviewing Irvine Welsh at the Broadway Cinema in Nottingham on 10th July. To book tickets and for more information see their website. http://www.broadway.org.uk/

Alan Sillitoe reviews to come soon :)

Toodle pip xx

Missing May

This May, I've been too busy living to blog. Too busy living to write very much even, though I've had lots and lots of inspiration recently and I am working on a script and a couple of stories, as well as what I hope will become novel number 3. I'm hoping to tie up some loose ends in the next week or so then get into some serious writing...

Meanwhile, Alan Sillitoe was made a Freeman of the City of Nottingham in celebration of his 80th birthday. Apparently, this does not mean he can walk into Squares or Yates's and demand a free pint, but that he has the right to herd sheep or cattle freely through the city without charge. I think he should do it. Just for the craic.

As a celebration of Alan's new status, as well as his 80th birthday back in March, I am re-reading his book of short stories The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, the title story of which inspired the name of this blog. I'm going to review each story as I go and post those reviews here.

TTFN...

The Verb

Catch me tonight on Radio 3's The Verb, together with other writers Aravind Adiga, Ardashir Vakil, Sinead Morrissey and Willy Vlautin, who also happens to be lead singer of Richmond Fontaine. It's a great show, with some insights on the portrayal of India in fiction, and on the relationship between music and words. If you're too cool for school and out on Friday night, you can listen again for up to seven days after the broadcast.

Nicola

Spaced...

There's a lot going on right now. Like Frankie, I am in Seattle, a business trip of my husband's that I've come along to help with. Meanwhile, I was on the radio today without even being in the country. How clever is that? You can listen again here as long as you get there in the next six days.

Someone pointed out to me last week that all the events going on should be up here and he was quite right, although I have been rather too busy doing them to have time for that blogging thing, you see. Anyway, here goes nothing...

I have a very interesting piece going out on Radio 3, the show called the Verb on Friday 4th April at 21.45. When I was commissioned on this piece, the producer suggested I may want to do something dramatic, or experiment with sound, so I set myself the challenge of writing a piece to be read with a piece of music. I'd already had a bit of a go at this, with the opening prologue to Starfishing, but I'd done that quite loosely because it was for print publication rather than recording, so didn't need to be an exact science. I chose a longer piece of music this time, seven whole minutes. It was the most challenging piece of writing I've undertaken in a while and took a whole day's work, with lots of reading aloud to check the timings. Finishing it was extremely satisfying and exciting.

Thursday 3rd April I'm at the Bookcase in Lowdham for my Notts launch of Starfishing. Frankie is coming along, and will be writing about it afterwards. She's having fun with this postmodern side she's discovered in herself and has no intention of crawling back into her book anytime soon.

Saturday 12th, I'm hanging out at the New Street branch of Waterstone's in Birmingham to chat to customers and sign some books from 11am till 3pm. Thursday 17th, 7:30pm, I'm talking and signing at Waterstone's Nottingham. Nottingham Central Library are having me on Monday 21st April at 2pm. 26th April is my appearance at the Cuirt festival in Galway, 5pm.

I also have a piece in this month's Left Lion and next month's Marie Claire so watch out for those.

I'm off to give in to my jetlag.

Nicola x