The Good Son in Short Story to Novel Essay

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Congratulations to novelist Susmita Bhattacharya who wrote this essay for a competition and wasn’t longlisted BUT it has been published by the internationally prestigious LA Review of Books. Just shows you – never give up on a piece you know is good, it just needs to find the right home! And sometimes the new home is better than the intended one 🙂

The essay talks about the link between the short story and novel in specific work including my novel The Good Son which came from a short story as well as Virgina Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway.

The Good Son 3rd Editon

Winner of The Polari Prize
“Both dancing and disquieting, complex and vivid, I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Lisa McInerney
“It’s a triumph of storytelling, an absolute gem.” Donal Ryan
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe

Off to France I go!

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Today I fly to Paris to begin my French trip. Tomorrow I will take the train to Nantes, on Wednesday to Quimper and back to Paris again on Thursday for my final event.
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I’ll be discussing The Good Son and meeting French readers as part of the Prix du Roman Cezam which Un bon garcon (the French translation of The Good Son) is shortlisted.
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I was in Paris recently for the New Writings, New Styles Festival at the Centre Culturel Irlandais reading from The Good Son. It’s lovely to return for Un bon garcon.
Wish me luck!

un-bon

“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

Belfast Book Festival: Interviews, Workshops & Reading

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I’m at the Belfast Book Festival this year, starting with the first event of the fest… I hope to see some of you there.

Wed 7 June 12.45: Interviewing Cairan McMenamin about his debut ‘Skintown’

Sat 10 June 10am-1pm: Workshop – Turning a Short Story into a Novel

Wed 14 June 12.45: Interviewing Ethel Rohan about her debut novel ‘The Weight of Him’

Fri 16 June 8pm: Reading at Polari Literary Salon at Sunflower Pub

Sat 17 June 2-5pm: Workshop – Everything a Debut Novelist Needs to Know

Cork World Book Festival

 

Crossing Borders printed in Belfast Telegraph

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My essay, commissioned by the Writers Centre Norwich for the International Literary Showcase ‘Crossing Borders’ was picked up by The Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland’s most popular newspaper. I  thought it was just online but was shocked and honoured to see they had included the whole thing over two pages in their print issue.

Belfast Telegraph

There has been a terrific response in the North and the South of Ireland and also in the rest of the UK.

I hope you can read it. Let me know what you think.

I’m MCing Taking the Mic – Northern Takeover

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I’ve MCed a fiction night with authors I knew. I’ve filled in once in an emergency at a Word Factory in London. I’ve never MCed an open-mic event – but there’s always a first time.
Here’s the details. Hope to see some of you there.
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“This month we’ll be taking our much loved open-mic night to the Crescent Arts Centre Belfast for Takin the Mic – Northern Takeover (and read more here).
The event will be MCed by writer Paul McVeigh and we’ll be curating a number of fantastic spoken word performers including Abby Oliveira as well as the usual open mic performers.
We want to bring as many people with us to Belfast and to facilitate this we’ll be organising a free bus which will departing from the Irish Writers Centre at 5pm on Friday 26 March.”
Details
Bus from Irish Writers Centre
Date: Friday 26 March
Time: 5pm
Takin the Mic – Northern Takeover
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast

 

A few things to note: 

– Five mins per performer – poetry and fiction
– BYOB
– Slots are on a first come, first served basis
– Performers should sign up in advance via Eventbrite (free) – or contact Kate at events@irishwriterscentre.ie

My Essay on Northern Ireland

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Writing about politics in Northern Ireland is a risky business and with every sentence you suspect you’re polishing a rod for your own back.

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This is a short essay I wrote for the International Literary Showcase about Crossing Borders – my thoughts on my nationality prompted by the 1916 centenary last year.

Here’s a short snippet from the introduction…

“Last year Ireland marked the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This disastrous rebellion was the spark that led, a few years later, to Irish independence. Freedom was to come at a high price: a peace treaty with the British demanded part of the island remain under their rule which caused a bitter civil war that tore the country apart. The Pro-Treaty side won. A rift had been carved into the psyche of the newly freed Irish, and on the land itself, when the border between North and South was drawn.”

Head over here to read the full essay.

This piece was commissioned as part of the International Literature Showcase’s ‘Crossing Borders‘ series.

Vive La France! 3 dates in May

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On Monday 15th May I fly to Paris and then to Nantes and Quimper over the next few days. I’ll be discussing The Good Son and meeting French readers. The trip is in celebration of Un bon garcon (the French translation) being shortlisted for the Prix du Roman Cezam. Here’s where I’ll be… I hope some of you can make it

Tuesday the 16th : NANTES : meeting in the library “La Manufacture” at 18.30

Wednesday the 17th : QUIMPER : meeting in the library “des Ursulines” at 18.30

Thursday the 18th : PARIS : meeting with the employees of the bank Crédit Agricole at 17.30

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“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

27 May, Talking Translation: International Literature Festival Dublin

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Talking Translation – Writing and Rewriting: Writers and Translators in Conversation

Brunch with guests including Paul McVeigh, Rasha Khayat, and their translators Hans-Christian Oeser and Sinead Crowe. The event will feature a discussion between the participants about their work, separately and together, providing some insight into the mysterious workings of the writer–translator relationship and their common search to give voice to contemporary fiction. Brunch will be served in a relaxed and informal setting, offering the opportunity to listen and speak to these remarkable writers and ‘rewriters’.

Organised by the French Embassy in Ireland, the German Embassy Dublin, the Goethe-Institut Irland and Literature Ireland within the framework of the French- German cultural funds.

Date Saturday, 27 May

Time 10:30AM
Venue Drury Buildings
Price €5

World Book Night: Free Books

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2000 copies of my debut novel ‘The Good Son’ are being given out all over the UK this week as part of the World Book Night 2017 celebrations. This is such an honour. And to think I volunteered giving out books on World Book Night twice, now my book gets chosen. You couldn’t make it up.

I’ve already seen books being given out in Manchester and Carlisle in colleges and libraries.


You can copies this weekend at Gays the Word in London.


You can also pick up copies in Brighton where The Good Son was the City Reads in 2016.

I’ll give out more information when I get it.

Grab your free copy!

Teaching: Cork World Book Festival April 21

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Turning a short story into a novel.

In association with Cork World Book Fest 2017

Triskel Project Space

€50 per person. Spaces limited. 11am to 4pm
Have you a short story that is crying out to be a novel?

Paul McVeigh developed one of his short stories into his award-winning debut novel ‘The Good Son’. He will share his process and give lots of feedback on your ideas.

Come prepared to work hard.

I hope to see some of you there.

Cork World Book Festival