Peadar Ó Guilín's Blog, page 25
December 15, 2011
Heartless Published Today: Read it for Free!
Heartless
If you like secondary world fantasy, you won't find a better venue for it on the web than Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I am really proud that they are publishing my story Heartless. Yup, you can read it here!
It's not the sweetest of tales, but I managed to sneak a few crumbs of comedy in there amidst the gloom and I'll be interested to see if anybody spots them.
Hurray!
Yet More TV
The first two episodes of Enlightened really impressed me. Even on HBO, it's rare to see such nuanced characterisation, plotting and comedy. I hope they can keep it up.
If you like secondary world fantasy, you won't find a better venue for it on the web than Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I am really proud that they are publishing my story Heartless. Yup, you can read it here!
It's not the sweetest of tales, but I managed to sneak a few crumbs of comedy in there amidst the gloom and I'll be interested to see if anybody spots them.
Hurray!
Yet More TV
The first two episodes of Enlightened really impressed me. Even on HBO, it's rare to see such nuanced characterisation, plotting and comedy. I hope they can keep it up.
December 14, 2011
Мои твиты
Ср, 10:38
: Reading, Watching, Playing http://t.co/krct06C6
Reading, Watching, Playing
Reading
I had a terrible November for books, finding nothing to my taste. I yawned, popped zits, complained. I did a bit of Nork-dodging. But I read little, and that, my friends, makes for a very poor writer indeed.
I seem to have lucked out, however, with my latest acquisition: Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan.
This is a Viking Saga, very much in the mold of Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King* with its descriptions of short, brutal lives and horrific, earthy magic. M.D. Lachlan (the word "Lachlan" is so close to the Gaelic for Viking, it has to be a pen-name) concentrates more on the sorcery and less on the battles than Cornwell and he/she does a wonderful job of it.
I haven't finished it yet. Indeed, I'm only about half-way through, but, so far, so excellent.
[image error]
Watching
Boardwalk Empire Series Two continues to bear sweet, bloody fruit.
Murder on a Sunday Morning is a wonderful documentary about public defenders in the US trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice.
Playing
I am strangely addicted to a little game on my phone called Roll in the Hole. It's been a while since I have spent time in this manner, but what can you do? It's got a panda in it...
*Yes, I know The Saxon Chronicles are the ones about the Vikings, but I'm talking about the spirit of the thing.
I had a terrible November for books, finding nothing to my taste. I yawned, popped zits, complained. I did a bit of Nork-dodging. But I read little, and that, my friends, makes for a very poor writer indeed.
I seem to have lucked out, however, with my latest acquisition: Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan.
This is a Viking Saga, very much in the mold of Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King* with its descriptions of short, brutal lives and horrific, earthy magic. M.D. Lachlan (the word "Lachlan" is so close to the Gaelic for Viking, it has to be a pen-name) concentrates more on the sorcery and less on the battles than Cornwell and he/she does a wonderful job of it.
I haven't finished it yet. Indeed, I'm only about half-way through, but, so far, so excellent.
[image error]
Watching
Boardwalk Empire Series Two continues to bear sweet, bloody fruit.
Murder on a Sunday Morning is a wonderful documentary about public defenders in the US trying to prevent a miscarriage of justice.
Playing
I am strangely addicted to a little game on my phone called Roll in the Hole. It's been a while since I have spent time in this manner, but what can you do? It's got a panda in it...
*Yes, I know The Saxon Chronicles are the ones about the Vikings, but I'm talking about the spirit of the thing.
December 6, 2011
The Drowner and Pseudopod
My story The Drowner, which I read aloud in Reno at WorldCon and later, in Belfast at TitanCon, is to become a podcast. This will be my second appearance on the wonderful Pseudopod. All hail their slimy appendages!
I am especially grateful to the guys at Albedo One for whom I wrote the story and who published it earlier this year.
*Probably!
I am especially grateful to the guys at Albedo One for whom I wrote the story and who published it earlier this year.
*Probably!
December 3, 2011
Phone Alone
Many of you reading this know that I have a smartphone addiction. It's stronger than I am, but so far, I have just about avoided robbing grannies in order to fund the habit.
Until a few weeks ago, I was the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy SII. Objectively speaking, it's the best smartphone out there at the moment. It has a beautiful screen; zippy internals; a nice camera and so on... But you know what? I never loved it the way I loved my first SmartPhone -- the Google Nexus One. The chemistry just wasn't there.
I thought it was because I was older now. Your first SP is always going to be special. You check cinema schedules; you program your TV when you're away on holidays; you upload photos to the web on the go. Oh yes, happy times indeed! So, when you get a new device, it's a little underwhelming to discover that while it performs faster and more prettily than your ex., none of its tricks are particularly new. "Wow" has been replaced by "nice".
And then whispers began to appear on the interwebs about another Nexus device. I confess it, dear reader, I confess that my heart beat just a little faster at the mention of the "N" word, and I was afraid I was about to waste money I couldn't afford on yet another phone, scant months after my previous insane purchase.
Luckily, as the specs for the new Nexus emerged, I realised that it wasn't going to be "all that". The processor in my 6 month old SII was actually faster. The Nexus was to lack an external SD slot -- had the Googlers lost their marbles entirely? The camera was to lose three whole megapixels to weigh in at a mere 5MP.
So no. I didn't need to get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus after all. My habit would not keep me awake all night trembling with unaffordable desire.
Then a strange thing happened. An opportunity presented itself to get this new phone for free. An upgrade I shouldn't have been entitled to arrived in my in-box and I jumped at the chance.
I've had the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for a week now. There have been horrendous bugs. There have been disasters. Bad photographs have been taken. But you know what else? The chemistry is there. For no reason I can put my finger on, I absolutely love the Galaxy Nexus and I want the whole universe to know it. We're together now. We'll always be together.
So, back off, bozo!
Until a few weeks ago, I was the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy SII. Objectively speaking, it's the best smartphone out there at the moment. It has a beautiful screen; zippy internals; a nice camera and so on... But you know what? I never loved it the way I loved my first SmartPhone -- the Google Nexus One. The chemistry just wasn't there.
I thought it was because I was older now. Your first SP is always going to be special. You check cinema schedules; you program your TV when you're away on holidays; you upload photos to the web on the go. Oh yes, happy times indeed! So, when you get a new device, it's a little underwhelming to discover that while it performs faster and more prettily than your ex., none of its tricks are particularly new. "Wow" has been replaced by "nice".
And then whispers began to appear on the interwebs about another Nexus device. I confess it, dear reader, I confess that my heart beat just a little faster at the mention of the "N" word, and I was afraid I was about to waste money I couldn't afford on yet another phone, scant months after my previous insane purchase.
Luckily, as the specs for the new Nexus emerged, I realised that it wasn't going to be "all that". The processor in my 6 month old SII was actually faster. The Nexus was to lack an external SD slot -- had the Googlers lost their marbles entirely? The camera was to lose three whole megapixels to weigh in at a mere 5MP.
So no. I didn't need to get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus after all. My habit would not keep me awake all night trembling with unaffordable desire.
Then a strange thing happened. An opportunity presented itself to get this new phone for free. An upgrade I shouldn't have been entitled to arrived in my in-box and I jumped at the chance.
I've had the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for a week now. There have been horrendous bugs. There have been disasters. Bad photographs have been taken. But you know what else? The chemistry is there. For no reason I can put my finger on, I absolutely love the Galaxy Nexus and I want the whole universe to know it. We're together now. We'll always be together.
So, back off, bozo!
November 28, 2011
The WexWorlds that Was
I'm back from Wexford. Boy, that place is lovely when it gets its Christmas Lights on. Go! Definitely go and pay that town a visit. Nice people too. The organizers treated us guests like superstars, and while that might not have been appropriate where I was concerned, I lapped it up all the same.
Big thanks to Michelle Morrison, Eoin Colfer, Nick Roche, David Donohoe, Kevin Weaver and many others for kindness shown to a particularly strange stranger. I am also grateful to the Wexford Book Centre, one of the nicest shops I've ever been in.
Finally, a tip of the hat to![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380921443i/3272792.gif)
lostcarpark
and his secret sidekick for a lift all the way home.
Next year, if I get to go back, I'd love to take part in their Cáca Milis cabaret. I missed it, but it sounded amazing.
Will you be there? A little bird told me they would be really happy to add some Irish female SF novelists to their line-up, as they were acutely conscious of the absence this time around. I told them I knew several and would be delighted to put them in touch. But I bet there are plenty I've never met too...
Big thanks to Michelle Morrison, Eoin Colfer, Nick Roche, David Donohoe, Kevin Weaver and many others for kindness shown to a particularly strange stranger. I am also grateful to the Wexford Book Centre, one of the nicest shops I've ever been in.
Finally, a tip of the hat to
lostcarpark
and his secret sidekick for a lift all the way home.Next year, if I get to go back, I'd love to take part in their Cáca Milis cabaret. I missed it, but it sounded amazing.
Will you be there? A little bird told me they would be really happy to add some Irish female SF novelists to their line-up, as they were acutely conscious of the absence this time around. I told them I knew several and would be delighted to put them in touch. But I bet there are plenty I've never met too...
My tweets
Mon, 14:34
: RT @kwnewton: attention science fiction fans! WorldCon 2012/Chicon 7 is having a Cyber Monday Membership SAlehttp://chicon.org/membershi ...
Mon, 14:37
: RT @GetReading_RHCB: @DFB_storyhouse #AmandaCraig in The Times #MagicBeans 'an entrancing collection of classic fairytales... elegant li ...
November 24, 2011
My tweets
Wed, 22:02
: New German Covers; Wexworlds Reminder http://t.co/ae9oQc7B
November 23, 2011
New German Covers; Wexworlds Reminder
SEHR GUT
Look what I found. The first one is the translation of The Deserter. The second is the third, count 'em, third German cover image for The Inferior. They both look kind of... adult.
WEXWORLDS REMINDER
Lucky me, to be attending the fabulous Wexworlds SF festival this weekend. I'll be doing a reading from The Inferior at The Wexford Book Centre. I love the town of Wexford and I'm really looking forward to meeting the other guests*. They are:
Alex Scarrow, Eoin Colfer, David Donohoe, Kevin Weaver, Nick Roche.
If any of my flist are there, I would love to see you too, if only for a cup of coffee.
*Of course, I've had the pleasure of meeting some of them before.
Look what I found. The first one is the translation of The Deserter. The second is the third, count 'em, third German cover image for The Inferior. They both look kind of... adult.
WEXWORLDS REMINDER
Lucky me, to be attending the fabulous Wexworlds SF festival this weekend. I'll be doing a reading from The Inferior at The Wexford Book Centre. I love the town of Wexford and I'm really looking forward to meeting the other guests*. They are:
Alex Scarrow, Eoin Colfer, David Donohoe, Kevin Weaver, Nick Roche.
If any of my flist are there, I would love to see you too, if only for a cup of coffee.
*Of course, I've had the pleasure of meeting some of them before.
My tweets
Tue, 19:42
: RT @wexfordcoco: Looking forward to the @wexworlds festival kicking off this Friday - full programme http://t.co/3WoLGLl3
Tue, 19:44
: RT @wexworlds: For adults/y/a. Nick Roche comic book workshop, exhibit,Alex Scarrow talk wexworlds cabaret peadar o Guilin talk star w ...
