I believe in signs from God. And I think recently I’m getting some.

I feel truly blessed by divine auguries to have received this gift of a review today. A few months back, Fahed Rahman from Audiobookish podcast contacted me to ask if I would be interested in having the audiobook of Unfortunate Stars featured on an episode. He and his co-host Poppy Knight have just issued their review now. Do have a listen!

I would like to thank Fahed and Poppy for reviewing both book and narration with such empathy, perception and care and appreciating that this story lends itself perfectly to voice narration. They loved listening to the linguistic trickery which I enjoyed writing (and that hopefully Greg Patmore enjoyed narrating – he did it with aplomb!) It gladdens my heart that they were moved by the story and that they recommend the audiobook to their listeners. Thanks so much and God bless 🙂

S4E5 – The Timewaster Letters Compendium by Robin Cooper (Robert Popper) – Audiobookish

Episode Notes We discuss The Timewaster Letters Compendium by Robin Cooper (aka Robert Popper) as read by Robert Popper, Dawn French, Peter Serafinowicz, and Jonathan Keeble. The massive best-selling Timewaster Letters books featured the wonderfully silly letters of Robin Cooper (a.k.a. Friday Night Dinner creator Robert Popper) in which he shared his madcap ideas – and even madcapper inventions – with everyone from the British Halibut Association to the Peanut Council. The resulting replies, as well as Cooper’s replies-to-these-replies, had a nation in hysterics.   Letter-writing was never the same again….  And now, exactly 15 years, 5 months and 26 days after the first Timewaster Letters book hit our shelves, you can listen to these hilarious letters, as they’re brought to life in this Audible exclusive by comedy giants Dawn French, Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper. The Timewaster Letters Compendium brings together The Timewaster Letters and Return of the Timewaster Letters along with exclusive audio content. There’s a new Introduction by Popper, a chat with Serafinowicz reflecting on the 20 years since Popper sent off his first fateful letter. Plus, a world exclusive – The Cement Murder Mystery, the first thriller story penned by Robin Cooper himself and read by Jonathan Keeble. We don’t want to make promises, but it might also be the worst-written story of all time. You’ll also get to hear a selection of Popper’s world-famous prank phone calls, in which he poses as the hapless and hopeless Robin Cooper.  Robert Popper is a writer, producer and performer, best known for creating the Channel 4 smash hit comedy_ Friday Night Dinner_, as well as the award-winning spoof BBC2 science show Look Around You. He has also worked on many of Britain’s top comedy shows including Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, The IT Crowd and Stath Lets Flats, as well as writing on South Park.  This episode was brought to you by Alexandra Park BJJ – visit their website to book your free trial class. https://www.alexandraparkbjj.co.uk/ Support Audiobookish by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/audiobookish Find out more at https://audiobookish.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-8a93af for 40% off for 4 months, and support Audiobookish.

1. S4E5 – The Timewaster Letters Compendium by Robin Cooper (Robert Popper) 27:47
2. S4E4 – The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak 40:53
3. S4E3 – A chat with Tharusha Gunawardena
4. S4E2 – And Away… Author by Bob Mortimer 33:33
5. S4E1 – Einstein the Penguin by Iona Rangeley 27:08

Today I read some of the saddest words I’d come across, from a gifted and generous practitioner of the arts whose ability and intelligence I hold in high esteem: I don’t know if I will ever write again.

The reason for this was burnout – but not from overwork. It was emotional exhaustion from the frankly abusive environment within which so many writers, poets, artists, performers and musicians in Ireland are forced to work. Whether through employment of stigma through review abuse, hostile behaviour towards vulnerable minorities, straight, flat-out racism, sexual harassment, abuse of harsh defamation laws to silence those who speak up, bullying and nepotism in arts bodies and the commentariat, or the constant, constant gaslighting that these closed groups perpetuate against victims because they’re terrified the same thing will happen to them, so of course it’s all our imagination – whichever of these malevolent forces is chewing and spitting out brave people, strong people, gifted people, I’m absolutely fucking sick of it.

I’m sick of seeing good people’s careers derailed and destroyed. I’m sick of those who speak up and fight getting stonewalled and ignored. I’m sick of diversity initiatives that are not worth the paper they’re written on because abusers in the arts scene still retain their power. I’m especially over abusers infiltrating their way into organisations designed to speak up against bad behaviour, either by having publishing power over people in the organisation, or appropriating the cause themselves.

So, what are we going to do about this? How are we going to get our joy and freedom back? I’m saying “we” because there are a lot of us who have been wrung dry by this system. I’ve found my peace, though, and I’m writing again.

I don’t want to fight and overcome toxic systems. I don’t want to plough my energy into conflict with an order that has no real incentive to change. My desire is rather to break free from these feelings of alienation. I want to love writing again.

And I do.

So, in the style of Joanne Harris, 10 Things I Did to Get My Joy Back.

I haven’t felt much like sharing my thoughts recently due to the dreadful news of war and wickedness about, but there’s a Goodreads giveaway of Kindle copies of Lucia’s War in progress, from today until the 17th. Only open to U.S. readers unfortunately because that’s how Goodreads rolls. I’ll be trying other platforms later. See below for details and to enter! Meantime I’ll be knitting more beanies in blue and yellow ::sigh::

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Lucia’s War

by Susan Lanigan

Giveaway ends March 17, 2022.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

When Ben Fox and his lovely team on Shepherd.com contacted me with a promotion opportunity for White Feathers and a request to list five favourite books on a topic of my choosing, I was delighted to oblige. Featuring Lia Mills, Martine Madden, Ruqaya Izzidien, Sebastian Barry and Adam Hochshild.

Here is the link – enjoy 🙂

The best books about WWI which don’t have the same old story

In the wake of the dismal rhetoric surrounding the Kate Clanchy affair, which dragged on for months, I noticed that mainstream media in the UK were wilfully misunderstanding sensitivity readings, or, as I prefer to call them, expert reads. The reality is so different from their endless whinging and moaning about freedom of speech and censorship and “removing offensive material from the text”, that I had to say something.

With Lucia’s War, the choice was obvious from the beginning – all the research in the world could not supplant inside knowledge of the culture and milieu Lucia grew up in. Many thanks to Vanessa at writing.ie for allowing me to ventilate my thoughts.

The article is here – I hope you enjoy!

Just a few days ago, the Chick Lit for Life podcast released an episode where they talk about White Feathers! For those unfamiliar with the format, it is the creation of the genius LC Lewis, who manages to voice six fictitious Irish zoomers chatting about books written by female and non-binary authors. (I have no idea how the hell she plans out these tangential conversations, while managing to get in some impressive research!)

They started out with Marian Keyes’s back catalogue, then moved on to Jane Austen, at which point I discovered the podcast’s existence and was so in pain from laughing at their Mansfield Park episode that tears were rolling down my cheeks. And then when they moved on to Pride and Prejudice and mentioned “Mr Collins cruising for bitches”, I had to retweet that with high praise.

A few series back (I forget which year because, well, pandemic) The Girls covered Lucia’s War, and now they have turned their attention to White Feathers. There is a special place in my heart for the protagonists of my debut and hearing them being discussed made me feel quite emotional. Listen out for:

• Where Catherine and Grace might have been coming from and the need for survival that drove their motives. I had done a fair bit of research but the depth to which The Girls discussed it was impressive. (I modelled Catherine on Phyllis from Dermot Bolger’s The Valparaiso Voyage – that character scared the crap out of me!)
• One of the girls being ambivalent as to whether, as per her Kindle notes, “Mr Shandlin is a complete ride” or “red flag much?” His dispatching of fledgling Brexiteer Rhona Lewis’s argument against to learn any “foreign” literature is highly praised though – “That was fire. Seriously, Katie, I thought you’d be bet into this bloke!”
• “We haven’t even got to the war bit yet! But when we get to the war bit, we need to discuss Sybil on her motorbike, OK?” Sybil on the sidecar of Roma’s motorbike shouldn’t be sexy but is.” Also that Sybil and Roma are a wonderful success story and Sybil is the actual best friend that every girl needs to have. Or would be if she wasn’t so rich.
• McCrum: “if you’re well enough to give me lip, you’re well enough to go and kill some Germans” 😀
• Portrayal of distressing PTSD and breakdown being a bit close to home, “he went all Natalie Portman from Black Swan”. I was interested when they said that people disappearing with no evidence of being there “would fuck up your reality”. It gives a new meaning to his angry declaration to Eva, I’m alive, I’m real. Who is really being addressed?
• hashtag GermansInWorldWarOneArePeopleToo

Have a listen and enjoy!

I didn’t publish anything new in 2021, so it’s easy to feel that it wasn’t a productive year. Part of that is because I was leaning into my day job quite a lot (it is related to customs and the UK, so…) and also getting involved in political initiatives. But this year was not a completely bare cupboard when it comes to achievements so I’ll list them below:

1. White Feathers was published in Bulgarian – it was a great buzz to see the translation and physically hold it in my hands!
2. My short story was shortlisted for the Mairtin Crawford Award, much to my delight, but I was gutted it didn’t make the final 3! Would have loved to have seen it published. But I am hoping that if it has that much power, it will find its way. It’s not a story that pulls punches, and it might make literary people squirm 🙂
3. In February, the audiobook of Unfortunate Stars was released, and I love how Greg Patmore narrates it so beautifully and brings out the spirit of this delicate story of love and friendship between men.

Also, as the year comes to a close, I just learned of a beautiful tribute to Lucia’s War on Facebook (it’s a video) by Clare Glynn-Chitan. What kind words Clare, and I’m glad Lucia kept you company 🙂

Happy holiday season and happy Christmas 🙂

Well it is that time of year again, and if you are stuck finding a present for a friend or relative who loves entrancing stories, intelligent historical fiction and a bit of war – and by an Irish writer – why not buy them a copy of White Feathers or Lucia’s War, both available in paperback? (Or both, if you’re feeling it)

How about this quote to inspire you:

This book has a bit of everything. The most powerful thing it does possess; soul. Good, old-fashioned, soul. Beautifully crafted, immaculately researched and lovingly produced. Place this novel on your best piece of furniture, as it deserves to be displayed prominently, and admired regularly.

Margaret Madden, writing.ie

There is a limited number of paperbacks of Lucia’s War remaining on sale at independent bookshops in Ireland. As well as the wonderful outlets mentioned in the link (many of whom have reduced postage if buying within the ROI) I can also recommend Cobh Gifts shop where there are several copies still available. White Feathers is available at the outlets specified on the book page, including the publisher site. Both books are also available on Amazon.

I will be discontinuing the trade paperback of Lucia’s War in January and switching to a smaller paperback, so it’s last chance to get it before Edition 2 arrives!

Thanks and have a good one 🙂

(Note – Sorry for the disappearance. Rewrote the article slightly. Please note that every comment I make about the company in question is derived from testimony that is publicly available on record from employment tribunals, coroner’s courts, newspapers and the Press Council.)

The above text is from the Irish Times apology to the Communications Clinic, a PR firm run by influential PR maven Terry Prone and her son Anton Savage, dated Saturday Dec 2, 2011. Reading it was one of those watershed moments in my life. From then on, I was deeply, irrevocably radicalised against a particular Irish polity and society.

The apology was in response to an article written anonymously by Kate Fitzgerald, who died in August 2011 and whose article was posthumously published in September in the paper. At the end of her life, Kate was a PR consultant at the Communications Clinic but she was so much more than that. A passionate debater, admired and loved by many, a political advocate and a stalwart of Democrats Abroad (her mother is American), she was in the eyes of contemporaries destined for success in spite of spells of severe mental ill-health which she dealt with as best she could.

This day, the first Sunday of Advent in 2021, marks a decade since Kate Fitzgerald’s identity became known and the Irish Times redacted several paragraphs of her article, specifically those pertaining to allegations about her then employer’s behaviour towards her at work and its obligations under employment law when it came to mental illness, recovery and accommodating same. (It’s worth noting that the interviewers for her next position, a position she died before she could start, were deeply impressed by her presentation and professionalism and were about to hire her on the spot.)

The paper has never apologised to its readership for its apology to the company, even though this caused widespread offence and hurt and was subject to a Press Council Complaint. The Communications Clinic, although it has settled another Employment Appeals Tribunal action an employee took against it for bullying and poor treatment has never troubled itself to make a public statement about the loss of their employee, Kate Fitzgerald. Having read some articles about what happened and various witness accounts in the above public records, the lack of compassion and common decency shown here, if true, disgust me – and Prone’s appalling response to enquiries about the Tuam babies scandal in 2014 suggests that the witness testimony is not off the mark.

And knowing what they did, the Irish Times apologised to these people. And said the above text at the head of my piece.

At the time, I wrote this piece and others, but when my first novel came out, I was advised to stop. I deleted a few entries as a result. But while life has moved on and people have moved out of, and into my life, I have never forgotten Kate’s story. How she, an outsider, a foreigner of sorts, could never be good enough for Them. How even with her intelligence, her radiance, her acumen – They still defeated her. Because They were insiders and she was not and so all that radiance and intelligence and charisma didn’t count. And now we are deprived of someone who could have made life better for us, and stuck with individuals who have already – I think I can safely argue from the above – made our country’s discourse a fair bit worse.

Rest well, Kate Fitzgerald. I promise to never stop being awkward.