For a limited time The Good Son is available on kindle for just £1.89.
I think there’s also a deal on the audio book – I read it myself.
Blog
George Saunders & me on BBC Radio 3
How Short is a Short Story?
This event was recorded at BBC 3’s Free Thinking Festival last weekend. It is a highlight of my career to share a stage with one of my writing heroes – George Saunders. You can listen to it here for the next 30 days. I also got to interview George after the event so look out for that.
As part of the festival Jenn Ashworth, Kirsty Logan and myself write some (very) short stories and you can listen to them here. The stories were commissioned by New Writing North and Word Factory.
Here’s what BBC3 said:
George Saunders, Kirsty Logan, Jenn Asworth and Paul McVeigh discuss writing fiction short and long with presenter Matthew Sweet.
Acclaimed American short story writer George Saunders talks about travelling in time to explore Abraham Lincoln’s life during the American Civil War when the President’s beloved young son died. These historical events have inspired Saunder’s first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, whilst his short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, McSweeeney’s and GQ.
He compares notes on the art of the short story with Paul McVeigh, Jenn Ashworth and Kirsty Logan, who’ve been commissioned by New Writing North and the Word Factory to write Flash Fiction on this year’s Free Thinking Festival theme of The Speed of Life.
Kirsty Logan is the author of books including The Gracekeepers and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales and a range of short stories.
Jenn Ashworth’s books include Fell, The Friday Gospels, A Kind of Intimacy and Cold Light and a selection of short stories.
Paul McVeigh has won prizes including the Polari prize for his debut novel The Good Son. Born in Belfast he is co-founder of the London Short Story Festival, writes a blog and has represented the UK at events in Mexico and Turkey.
Recorded in front of an audience as part of Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival at Sage Gateshead.
The stories commissioned for the Festival are available to listen to as an Arts and Ideas podcast available for 30 days.
My New Story on BBC Radio 3 – Hurry!
The Speed of Life – Short Stories: Jenn Ashworth, Paul McVeigh & Kirsty Logan
Stories on the theme of this year’s Free Thinking Festival, commissioned by New Writing North and Word Factory.
Last weekend I travelled to Gateshead to record a short story for BBC Radio 3 along with Jenn Ashworth and Kirsty Logan. You can listen to or download these 3 short stories (total 25mins) for the next 25 days only on BBC IPlayer here.
Later tonight you can listen to the BBC 3 event we recorded with George Saunders ‘How Short is a Short Story?’ too.
I hope you enjoy.
Presenter Matthew Sweet, Jenn Ashworth, George Saunders, Kirsty Logan & Me
The House That Made Me only 97p/99c
The House That Made Me: Writers Reflect on the Places and People That Defined Them – only 97p on kindle & 99c USA. Edited by Grant Jarrett, this anthology has an exclusive essay from me called ‘Scars’ and work from these amazing authors…
Lee Upton, Tim Johnston, Antonya Nelson, Ru Freeman, Me, Meg Tuite, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Grant Jarrett, Julie Metz, Ellen Meister, Pamela Erens, Jeffery Renard Allen, Alice Eve Cohen, Porochista Khakpour, Laura Miller, Justine Musk, Jen Michalski, Kris Radish, and Roy Kesey, all for less than a pound/dollar!
Pick one up while the promotion lasts.
The Good Son Reprint
Wonderful news. The Good Son is going into its third reprint. What with the Polari Prize win, the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion and the inclusion World Book Night in April, we had to print more books. We could put all the good news, prizes and great new endorsements on the cover, the latest being from the amazing Johnathan Coe, author 11 novels including The Rotters’ Club and What a Carve Up!. Here it is in full.
“Paul McVeigh’s debut new novel is everything its fans say it is – funny, raw, sometimes distressing, always wonderfully entertaining. The young Mickey Donnelly is a superb creation, his thoughts and feelings bubbling onto the page in an immaculately-rendered voice, droll, cheeky and authentic. McVeigh renders a child’s view of a very adult nightmare with bewitching empathy. You will love every moment of it.”
You can see the new cover here. Exciting!
The Gloss Magazine Interview
Writer’s Block With Paul McVeigh – an interview with me in The Gloss Magazine.
I talk about The Good Son new writing projects, what I’m reading and places I’ve lived.
This is me on loving London…
“Above all, though, it was the lure of anonymity that attracted me to London. To go to a place where no-one knew you and you could be whoever you wanted to be. Who you were meant to be. Do whatever you wanted with whomever you wanted and where, marvellously, no-one gave a fiddler’s fook about you and your doings. I left London while I was still in love with it, knowing I’d always come back.”
The Good Son: Winner of The Polari Prize
“One of the most engaging protagonists of the year” Lisa McInerney
“It’s a triumph of storytelling, an absolute gem.” Donal Ryan
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe
Last Free Tickets Released Feb 17 for George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Kirsty Logan & me
Last Free Tickets Released Tomorrow Feb 17 for George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Kirsty Logan & me talking to Matthew Sweet at BBC 3 Free Thinking Festival. Here’s the information from the website…
BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival: How Short Is A Short Story? Sat 18 Mar. 10.15-11.15am
With US author George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Paul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan
Acclaimed American short story writer George Saunders talks to Radio 3 presenter Matthew Sweet about travelling in time to explore Abraham Lincoln’s life during the American Civil War when the President’s beloved young son died. These historical events have inspired Saunder’s first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, whilst his short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, McSweeney’s and GQ.
He compares notes on the art of fiction long and short with Paul McVeigh, Jenn Ashworth and Kirsty Logan, who’ve been commissioned by New Writing North and the WordFactory to write Flash Fiction on the Festival theme of The Speed of Life.
Kirsty Logan is the author of books including The Gracekeepers and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales and a range of short stories.
Jenn Ashworth’s books include Fell, The Friday Gospels, A Kind of Intimacy and Cold Light and a selection of short stories.
Paul McVeigh has won prizes including the Polari prize for his debut novel The Good Son. Born in Belfast he is co-founder of the London Short Story Festival, writes a blog and has represented the UK at events in Mexico and Turkey.
You can hear the specially commissioned stories for the Festival on the free Radio 3 headphones available to borrow in Sage foyer.
Matthew Sweet is author of Inventing the Victorians, Shepperton Babylon and The West End Front. He is a columnist for Art Quarterly and Newsweek and presents Free Thinking and Sound of Cinema on BBC Radio 3 and The Philosopher’s Arms on BBC Radio 4. He was series consultant on the Showtime drama Penny Dreadful and played a moth from the planet Vortis in An Adventure in Space and Time on BBC2.
In association with New Writing North and the WordFactory.
For your information…
- A second batch of tickets will be released at 12noon on Friday 17 February.
- A restricted number of tickets will be available on the day on a first come first served basis.
- Please take your seats 10 minutes prior to the event start time otherwise you may lose your place.
See you in Paris… March 3&4
Will you be in Paris on March 3 & 4? I’ll be part of festival at the Centre Culturel Irlandais alongside Declan Meade (editor of The Stinging Fly), Mike McCormack (winner of The Goldsmith’s Prize), Paul Lynch (winner of Prix Libr’à Nous) and Lisa McInerney (winner of The Bailey’s Prize).
It will be great to catch up will old friends and see Paris again. A city I nearly lived in once… another story.
It’s especially great to go after my recent shortlisting for an award in France; the Prix du Roman Cezam Inter-CE. And after the lovely review in Le Monde…
“Paul McVeigh has written a first novel of beautiful generosity, poignant in the delicate manner in which he evokes the brutality of an era. A striking fresco, mixing historical upheavals and hardships of a family shattered.”
I hope to see some of you there.
Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival w/ George Saunders
Well, I can’t believe it! I’ve been a huge fan of George Saunders for a number of years and even got to interview him in London just before it was announced he won the inaugural Folio Prize (you can read the interview here). Now New Writing North have invited me to share the stage with him at the Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival 2017 in Gateshead on March 18th. The panel event will discuss the short story with authors who have written both short stories and novels (George’s first novel will be out soon!). The incredibly talented Kirsty Bennett-Logan and Jenn Ashworth will be there also. The event is free which I hope encourages lots of people to come along .
George Saunders at our interview
As part of the festival I’ve been commissioned to write a new story on this year’s theme of ‘The Speed of Life’ to be used during the weekend and to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3. I’m very excited as my first BBC Radio commission was my first big writing break. What’s wonderful about this is, that along with New Writing North and the BBC, Word Factory (of which I’m Associate Director) is also a partner. Lovely synergy. Thanks to all for this opportunity.
PS You can catch me at Word Factory teaching and reading on March 25th.
To find out more about the festival’s weekend of events click here.
‘Un bon garcon’ Shortlisted for French Award
“Paul McVeigh has written a first novel of beautiful generosity, poignant in the delicate manner in which he evokes the brutality of an era. A striking fresco, mixing historical upheavals and hardships of a family shattered.” Le Monde
Some exciting news. Un bon garcon has been shortlisted for the Prix du Roman Cezam Inter-CE in (you’ve guessed it) France. 10 books have been chosen and readers from all over France will vote for their favourites.
It’s great to know that readers in France have been reading Un bon garcon and enjoying it so much they’ve nominated it for this award.
So rub your rabbits foot, cross your fingers, say a prayer… what do the French do for luck? – and maybe I’ll be the winner.
Oh that gives me a thought…. to celebrate my shortlisting I’m giving away a copy of Un bon garcon. All you have to do is answer the question…
What do the French say is good luck if you do it with your left foot?
Write your answer below and I’ll pick a winner at random a week from today.
Paul McVeigh 