Arlene Hunt – Writer

I have not been lazy, honestly, but rather alarmingly busy. Today ( finally) I finish the first draft of the new novel, still botheringly titleless. After which I will let it rest for a spell of about one week before attacking it with gusto and a ferocious edit.

Between now and that I will be at Elecric Picnic, waffling on Saturday about matters female with fellow bloggers from the excellent Anti-Room, and later with my colleagues on a crime panel. I’ve never been to Electric Picnic before so it should be interesting.

More good news comes in the form of Declan Burke’s anthology being given the green light. This collection should be highly entertaining and thought provoking and as such I am delighted to be a small part of it. I am extremely pleased for Declan as to organise so many contributors must be like trying to herd clouds.

All in all, stuff be happin’.

Hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer. If you’re not, get busy.

Arlene

If you want someone to review a book author Declan Burke is your man, what he doesn’t know about crime fiction you could fit on a the back of a stamp.

Take a gander here.

Book glorious book, baked roasted and pickled!
No wait, read, just read, no cooking of books, neither culinary or mob style. Declan Hughes and I were guest on the ever supportive TV3 talking about the about the advance of Irish crime across the globe. You can catch our chit chat if you click on this little old link.

Hello there crime-fiction lovers, just a quick one to let you know I will be on TV3 with fellow author Declan Hughes tomorrow morning around 9:25 am to discuss the explosion of crime writing and crime fiction reading within our fair island. Please tune in if you get a few minutes to yourself in the morning.

(Thanks to Tony for sending me a copy of this.)

L-R we have Stuart Neville, John McAllister, T.A. Moore, me, Tony Bailie, Brian McGilloway and the delightful Ger Brennan, main man and big chief behind Requiems for the Departed.

If you’re ever up in Belfast to pop along to No Alibis, it’s a truly great independent book shop.

Belfast is really pretty, I cannot believe I had never been. But, as I told anyone who expressed surprise, I am off to Kerry for the first time next month too. Verily I am ashamed of my lack of traveling around this fair isle.

But forget my shame and let’s indulge in my delight. First and foremost I would like to congratulate Ger Brennan for  the publication of Requiems for the Departed.  I think it was Brian McGilloway who mentioned last night that it’s hard enough trying to get one author to follow a time line, try doing that with a number if ‘em. But Ger did and did so brilliantly and I hope after all his hard work this book flies off the shelves.

A big thank you to David, and the much introduced Jill for a genial welcome and some fine wine, thank you very much folks. David’s shop, No Alibis, is an absolute gem and another solid brick in my belief foundation that independent books shops should be supported and cherished. The ceiling mounted Columbo alone is worth a visit (but you should buy a book once there).

It was great to catch up with Brian McGilloway and Stuart Neville again, and lovely to meet John McAllister, Tony Bailie and Tammy Moore.

I’d like to say thank you to all the people who took the time to come out and support the launch, it was lovely to meet so many of you and I am sorry it was only a flying visit. I intend to make a weekend trip up in the near future so that I can best enjoy the food and hospitality.
Thank you again for a wonderful evening.

Arlene Hunt.

Hey folks just a quick one as I am running- almost literally- out the door.

I will be in the Flora Mini Marathon on Monday and running to raise money for Debra Ireland. The link is below, any and all contributions woulld be most welcome as they are a terrific charity.

You can go to charity page here.

Take care.

A

I would be lying utterly if I said I like down time,  I don’t. I get bored easily and don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘relax’. However, currently I find myself so busy I don’t know which way is up. Being busy did not stop me from popping along to see Declan Hughes and Alan Glynn talk crime out in Dun Laoghaire or from stopping by The Gutterbookshop to throw my support behind Kevin McCarthy’s terrific debut, Peeler.

Next Monday I’ll run the mini Marathon for a charity, the following Thursday I am off to Belfast to the launch of Requiems For The Departed in No Alibis book shop.

See?

Busy.

Oh yes, and I’ve to write a book. Yes, a book, this book. The one I’ve been dithering over. The one with all the notes. ‘Mid july’ I airily mentioned completion to my agent.

Well it’s bloomin’ June, which means mid July approacheth. I need to stop dithering immediately. If not sooner.

Procrastination, thy name is Hunt.

Poor Opus, barely a bassety sprite ( he will only be 14 in October)  and poor old thing is going blind.

Fortunately he has always been a trooper about everything in life, so despite his worsening sight and the wobble in his back legs when he gets out of bed first, he still goes out for his tour of the block and goes up and down the stairs countless times a day. If he’s okay with being blind I can’t complain too badly. As long as he’s happy enough bombing about the place that is all that matters.

What I will complain about is my inability to write a synopsis. I’m mean how many years am I doing this now? Don’t answer that.

Being a Hunt through and through, the gift of the gab is not something I have ever struggled with. Condensing that yappity yip is a whole other matter.

‘Just a short page,’ Faith said to me this morning over coffee in The Rathgar Bookshop, ‘to have should we need it.’

Oh yes, it’s all good and well saying ‘just a short page’ to me, but what does it mean?

How am I supposed to shorten an entire unwritten novel into a short page and still make it zing? I’ve reread what I wrote earlier, it does not zing, it flaulumps, and I think we can all agree flaulumping is not zinging. Nope, I am afraid it is 1000 words of leaden poop.

I will look to the basset on this matter. Perhaps I am relying to much on one sense and not the others? Perhaps if I stop squinting angrily at the screen the answer to my minuscule task will slap me up side the head in a flurry of inspiration.

How hard can it be?

Don’t answer that either.

On his thirteenth birthday, the basset found he was  drawn inexplicably to flame.

It’s a fine bank holiday Monday here in Ireland. The sun is shining and in the distance the drone of lawnmowers induces a slight drowsy lethargy within me. I would like to go down to the patio and sprawl amongst the bumblebees and roses, book in hand, sunglasses perched atop my head, the dog snoring under my chair.

But alas I will do no such thing. I have a new book to write and  – since it steadfastly refuses to write itself – this requires me to put in at the very least four hours of solid work. The sun shine will have to wait, the bumblebees can bumble in peace, the dog remains in my office ( he could go down himself if he wishes, but he won’t).

But at least I can start my working day on a high note.  It is with great pleasure I find that I am featured on a list of Irish crime writers to look out for, many of whom I admire greatly.

This pleasure is further heightened by yesterday’s piece in the Sunday Independent by Declan Burke.

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of crime fiction as well as being a writer of the same. I am quite cheerfully a nerd like fan. A quick glance over my shelves reveals the extent and longevity of my passion for the genre, from very early Wambaugh, PD James, Dexter, Chandler, Lee Burke, Mankell, Ellroy, Christy, Pelecanos, Crais. But now those names are joined by a different crew. Now, more and more often the names of Connolly, McGilloway, Hughes, Burke, French, Bateman and Bruen stand tall and firm beside the thaumaturges from across the waters.

It is a fine pleasure to be included with such folk, and makes days like today,  when lounging in the garden is out of the question, tolerable and indeed preferable.

The sun will wait, the words will not, and hopefully later this year I will have another novel to slot onto the shelves beside those of my friends and colleagues.