Hi there
things are changing in my writing world! I’m thinking I might awaken this fiction blog and start adding stories here again.
I’d love some feedback to see if this blog still has followers and if you’re interested in hearing from Fictitious Amo again.
You can comment here, Tweet @amowriting, pop into the Facebook page or drop me an email – amowriting@gmail.com
Hope you have a great Christmas, and I hope to connect with you again in 2018!
Amo x
Well the day has finally arrived. This is my last post on Fictitious Amo.
The new home for me and all things fiction is now live.
I’d love you to head over to the first blog post and find out what it’s all about – there’s a freebie too 🙂
Click here and off you go….
Thanks so much for reading and commenting here – I look forward to catching you on the other side!
A x
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
The perfect day to highlight some great writing going on in the Emerald Isle
I was more than a little chuffed to be asked by Ken Armstrong take the baton of ‘The Blogging Tour’ from him and pass it forward. There are a few of these pass-it-on blog thingummies (yes that is the technical term) and this one is where writers with blogs, write a bit about themselves and the work they are doing.
I remember the first time Ken slapped my wrist on Twitter. I was so delighted that he responded to my tweet – didn’t really care that he was admonishing me. 🙂 Actually it was good advice he was giving me. It was early days for me on Twitter and he taught me well.
His blog is one of my faves and has been since I found it more than 3 years. I think I like it cos it’s real. There’s the odd bold word but not just for the sake of it. He shares some very honest and emotional stories and memories. Ken is funny and sincere. He takes no nonsense and if as a writer you don’t learn something from him… well I’ll eat my hat.
His blog is called Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff Go have a look whenever you can.
(PS I don’t know about you but I think he has a Simon Cowell thing going on – but don’t tell him I said that or I’ll be in big trouble… 😀 )
So who have I got for you…?
Carolann Copland is the founder of Carousel Creates; a picturesque writers’ centre in the Dublin Mountains, offering writing experiences to writers of all ages and lifestyles. A primary school teacher, writing between Dublin and the South of Spain in her spare time; Carolann is happiest when she is sharing her passion for writing.
Her novel Summer Triangle is published by Emu Ink and her second novel Dominoes will be published in October 2014.
Carolann’s Website
Carolann’s blog
Twitter @CarouselCreates
Katie Keeley has been writing a lot longer than I have. I remember as a kid she used to show me stories that she had written about all sorts of wonderful lands and characters. (She’s my niece btw, I didn’t just follow her around… 🙂 ) She’s 24 and when she’s not busy writing children’s stories she works in a crèche full time. She also reads, A LOT of fantasy and fairy-tale books which she credits her vivid imagination to. As well as having a passion for writing she also has a passion for photography and can get snap happy quite a bit.
Katie’s blog
Twitter @katie_cait
Stacey Covell is a writer of literary fiction, flash fiction, poetry and the occasional blog post. She likes to ask questions and explore. What if we tilted our perspectives and looked at the world from that view? What would things be like/look like then? Living in Ireland for the past 10 years, she is simultaneously a writer, wife, mother & cross cultural mentor.
Stacey’s Website
Stacey’s Facebook Page
Twitter: @staceycovell7
And then there’s me…
1) What am I working on?
I’ve so many things on the burner – my problem is getting stuck back into things as I’ve had a difficult couple of months.
I’ve got a first 50k draft of a novel that I worked on during NaNoWriMo last November. I have a second novel rolling around my head. Really need to get that down on paper.
But the major project for 2014 is to get another collection of short stories together to publish before the end of the year.
The Long and The Short of it… Volume 2 🙂
You can find info about Volume 1 here.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Wow what a question?!
I don’t know really. I’ve always said that my stories are very ‘normal’. No Jack Bauer cliffhangers – no bodice ripping love scenes. I just write ordinary stories about ordinary people. I try to give a happy ending or even an aspiration towards a happy ending. A chance for tomorrow to be a bit easier than yesterday.
I’m sure that’s not unique tho…
3) Why do I write what I do?
I can only write what I know. The stuff I write has to be believable – by me first. I believe in hope and second chances. I believe that restoration is possible and forgiveness changes things. So I write that stuff – hopefully to inspire or even just encourage readers that things can change for the better.
4) How does my writing process work?
Carolann, who I mentioned above, introduced me to Free Writing. It’s probably the most powerful part of my writing process. It is certainly the most productive.
I try to free write regularly and just write what ever is in my head. Almost every time I come back and there is something I can use. One time I had NO ideas and as I wanted to keep writing I just wrote a shopping list. That made me think of someone finding someone else’s shopping list and what would happen if they bought the stuff on it.
That was the beginning of ‘Corned Beef Sandwiches on Brown Bread’, a story that went into The Long & The Short of it and turned out to be very popular.
When it comes to edits and rewrites – that is another thing. I’m not good at 3rd and 4th revisions. I get bored easily. When it comes to editing novel length stuff I know that’s gonna be a problem.
* * * * * * * * * *
So there you have it. Please do pop over to see what Ken, Carolann, Katie and Stacey are up to won’t you?.
This is one of the last posts here on Fictitious Amo as the all new website will be launching soon. Very excited to get that up and running. It will probably be sometime this week.
I’ll let you know where to find me and I hope you’ll join me there 🙂 x
I have to say thank you and I’m sorry!
The last couple of months have been difficult for me with some sad stuff going on; but I want to thank all the contributors to the Christmas story collection. The response was fantastic and I ended up with more stories than I needed. What I loved most was that writers of most stories became readers of the others. I hope all the authors feel greatly encouraged by the feedback.
It’s been a pretty amazing year and a half here on Fictitious Amo 🙂 So much has happened since I wrote my first every fictional tale and posted it here. I’ve loved the journey along Writer’s Road and the soon I’ll be swapping Fictitious Amo for an all new website. Most of the posts will be coming over with me – so there’ll be plenty to see and plenty more to come.
I’ll let you know what it happens and hopefully you’ll come and join me there. There’ll be lots going on – and I won’t be leaving 2 months between posts either…
photo credit: rubyblossom. via photopin cc
Well hello everyone!
Have you missed me? I’ve been buried under the craziness of NaNoWriMo AND getting my book ready to launch. NaNo story is almost there. Almost 42k as of last night, so on the home stretch now.
But the very exciting news is that ‘The Long & The Short of it’ my first collection of short stories is out and there and published and real and you know… PUBLISHED 🙂
It’s a fantastic feel to have the book out there in the world.
You many recognise a few of the stories as a number of them have been on the blog. But they’ve been polished up and some of them have a different ending… There are also some brand spanking new stories too – that never made it to the blog.
The launch was a fun night. The book was launched by novelist, story-writer and story-teller Catherine Brophy. It was wonderful to have her and many other friends that I’ve met on my regular visits to Carousel Creates; a wonderful writers’ centre in the Dublin mountains, where much of the raw material for these stories was written.
Emer and Brian from Emu Ink were there, and as usual were working hard. I’m so grateful to them for all they have done to get this book published.
I’m looking forward to a second launch of the book in Kilcullen; the beautiful village which has been home for the last couple of years. On December 6th at 7.30pm in Kilcullen Library, local author Martin Malone will launch the book. I’ll read some stories from it, but it will be a group effort as some of the members of Kilcullen Writer’s Group will also read. And you never know, there might even be a song or two…
Anyone who can make it is very welcome 🙂
If you’d like to get hold of a copy of The Long & The Short of it, you can click here to order it in paperback, find links to any e-version you fancy & you can even rent a digital copy for 30 days from Emu Ink.
I hope you enjoy it. I really do!
Now, back to NaNoWriMo with me… 🙂
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