CloudNine

I finally got round to finishing my blog post for Seren Books about my time in Paris this year. If you'd like to read this feature, it is still the latest post on the Seren blog: http://www.serenbooks.com/blog/in-hemingways-footsteps-jaki-mccarricks-tells-us-about-her-summer-in-paris Just as I was getting back to work on my novel, I suddenly thought of a new idea for a TV series (as you do). I am calling the project X TOWN and have just submitted the pitch for this to my agent. The piece follows the lives of a bunch of people living in a border town in Ireland and sees how they have weathered five years of recession. (A logline for the piece could be  Pure Mule meets The Ice Storm .) These folk are 'the left behind' and some of their lives have been wrecked by the bust  - in many, often quite subtle ways. I look at the new gender imbalance in X TOWN (title comes from the Xerox sign as you enter the town of Dundalk from the Inner Relief Bypass), a result of the 'ma...

The Scattering | We Love This Book

It’s been far too long since my last blog posting. The last three months have been tough, as my father was very ill and I had to sort out his care. Anyway, with dad now in hospital, I can get back to a little writing. I have so much work yet to do on my novel – so that will be at the fore of my mind, hopefully, for the next few months. Though I also want to publish a first poetry collection so will have to keep very focused. The Scattering continues to bring me lovely responses from readers and I was really happy to read from the book at a number of venues this summer. I will read again in December – probably at Waterstones in Drogheda. In August, Seren Books published a story from the book, '1975', in a 9-story anthology, Seren Shorts, and more recently they published ‘Blood’ as a free-to-download e-book. So there are lots of ways to read The Scattering now – ebook, book, a couple free-of-charge downloads. Whatever way you read it – enjoy. I have also much to ...

Just back from my stint as Writer-in-Residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris and, boy, do I have a lot of outstanding work to do! For instance, this September, Chicago-based theatre company, Artemisia, are to give a public reading of my play, Belfast Girls, so I have much to do with regards getting organised for this (some new script work included). Then there's my first radio-play, Kindred, which is to be recorded shortly in the UK by the Wireless Theatre Company. I am also halfway through a much-promised (to a brilliant new director) new play and I must get this done. And that's not even to mention my almost-completed first novel - which I am just itching to get back to. So, without further ado - below is a quick roundup of the reviews for my first collection of short stories, The Scattering. The book was Inpress Book of the Month for April and was launched in three places this year - Dundalk, Cardiff and London. I read from the book in a number of places ...

Saturday

Copies of my debut collection of short fiction, The Scattering , arrived in the post last week. I dedicate the book to my father so it was lovely to show him this – though he is unable to read at the moment as his health is poor. He could vaguely see the title and thought it said ‘the sting’. Now I will have Paul Newman in my mind whenever I think of this collection. I've posted photos of the book here - with little statues of the Buddha and Ganesh to guide the book on its journey into the wilds!   I am currently reviewing some novels and this is very time-consuming - though I've read some marvellous work. Also, I am continuing to find new layers for my forthcoming novel (which I thought I had finished and find I haven’t at all). I am hoping to finish this in Paris during my stint as writer-in-residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in April.  My band, CHOICE, is gigging this summer so I will post a gig list here soon. Enjoy the spring. The Scatter...