Friday 7 December 2012

Come one and all and hear the tale...

It's here! It's finally here!



“Come one and all and hear the tale of a little boy named Hogg...”


On the dullest day since records began, there was a birth. The birth of a boy named Sebastian Hogg. An unfortunate child born into a home deprived of hope and full of bitte
rness.


All this changes when he meets a mysterious stranger who takes him on a road trip full of wonder and excitement. From folky musicians to vaudeville tricksters, Sebastian is opened up to a rich and vibrant world he had never thought possible with a real sense of danger lurking around every corner, and where the consequences of actions could impact on the very fibre of existence.


At its core this picturesque fable tells of the power of an unbreakable friendship between two innocent beings and its impact on their lives and those around them.


Moving, uplifting, at times dark and macabre, a tale where magic and science collide in the most marvellous way. Come with me and hear the tale of A Boy Named Hogg.

Thank you,



Sincerely, A.G.R. Moore.

Available to buy on Amazon Kindle and related Kindle apps for £2.06 :: HERE!
And for non e-book lovers, you aren't left out, here it is in glorious paperback for £6.99 :: HERE!

Monday 19 November 2012

Look...

Coming to all good Kindles this Christmas. Hopefully not just mine...


Sunday 18 November 2012

A Boy Named Hogg - Cover, Synopsis and Release Date revealed

After teasing and occasionally dropping it into many conversations over the past six months, I'm finally at the closing stages of readying the release of my second book titled A Boy Named Hogg. A story that started with nothing but one single name and spun off into something completely removed from what I originally envisaged, but as a result became something far more personal than I had ever imagined also.

Huge thanks to Anna and Caoimhe for their help in making this stage of my writing adventure a reality with the beautiful cover art and proof reading/editing duties this time round. Forever grateful for their help.

So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, whimsical dreamers and ever so keen readers, for better or worse, I present to you all you need to know about A Boy Named Hogg...

Cover art by Anna Henderson


“Come one and all and hear the tale of a little boy named Hogg...”

On the dullest day since records began, there was a birth. The birth of a boy named Sebastian Hogg. An unfortunate child born into a home deprived of hope and full of bitterness.

All this changes when he meets a mysterious stranger who takes him on a road trip full of wonder and excitement. From folky musicians to vaudeville tricksters, Sebastian is opened up to a rich and vibrant world he had never thought possible with a real sense of danger lurking around every corner, and where the consequences of actions could impact on the very fibre of existence.

At its core this picturesque fable tells of the power of an unbreakable friendship between two innocent beings and its impact on their lives and those around them.

Moving, uplifting, at times dark and macabre, a tale where magic and science collide in the most marvellous way. Come with me and hear the tale of A Boy Named Hogg.

Sincerely, A.G.R. Moore.

Release date: Friday December 7th, 2012
Formats: Kindle (and Kindle app) & Paperback
Price: TBA

Opening chapter can be read from an earlier blog post right...HERE.

Wednesday 26 September 2012

My first reading event!



Yes, through some act of insanity and the lovely persuasive words of the people at Ryan's Bar I'm giving my first ever public reading in Belfast next Saturday, October 6th. On the day I'll be reading three or four chapters from The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black, as well as judging a short story competition and colouring in on a few of the illustrations. I'll be giving away copies of the book in paperback and other bits and pieces as prizes.

Huge thank you to Gerrie from Ryan's Bar for asking me to do it. Should be a great day! Come one and all, if not for hearing me ramble then for the lovely food!

More details found here... http://www.gotobelfast.com/whats-on/event/book-reading-with-agr-moore-

Hopefully see you all there on the day.

Sunday 5 August 2012

One year on...


And what a year it's been. 

On this day one year ago I self-published The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black, on the internet for the first time. What originally started as an experiment, an ambitious project, eventually, by the time of its completion became an obsession, a passion, something I've started to revolve my life around. When jobs are few and far between and personal tragedies engulf the world around me, this kind, curious, wonderful soul kept me going, gave me hope. Been the cause of many a sleepless night and many times screaming in frustration at the computer, but what you going to do...

Though my journey with Amelia Black is far from over - the sequel is currently in the works - I just wanted to take the time to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to anyone who has supported me. It's been an bizarre and overwhelming experience. If you've bought the book, enjoyed the book, tried the Kindle sample, wrote reviews, interviewed me, had me on the radio, stocked the paperback, marvelled at Gillian's incredible illustrations. Thank you. 

And so the journey continues. 

I've mentioned this a few times over the past few months but I have been preparing my second book, A Boy Named Hogg for publication. Eventually. Possibly late September. Possibly earlier. Possibly slightly later. Either way it's finished and is definitely coming. Like Amelia Black before it I've decided, for at least one more time, to self-publish the book.

Providing where you go on the internet, the concept of e-publishing is understandably a very prickly subject. If you use it as a get rich quick scheme then you probably deserve to fall flat on your face. I originally did it because it felt like the best option available to me at the time, yes I probably jumped on a bandwagon, my sales are humble at best.  I don't like to get involved in the politics. I just love to write, how it gets out into the world is the last thing on my mind. 

It's a hard slog, sometimes insanely frustrating but so far it's been incredibly rewarding also. I wouldn't have traded the experiences I've had, the people I've met, the bizarre opportunities that's been presented to me for anything. From here on it's up to me how I take them and move forward. I'm not going to gush and say dreams come true or stay positive and it'll all turn out for the best. I'm just saying, by my own admission, it's a slow process but I'm in it for the long haul because somewhere along the way I've had a lot of people put their faith in me and one day I hope I can repay that. 

And to you readers, both old and new, I finally present the first chapter of my upcoming fantastical folk tale, A Boy Named Hogg. I hope you welcome these characters and their stories into your hearts the same way you did with the ones which populate the world of Amelia Black. 

Thank you,

A.G.R. Moore.

***

ONE

A BEGINNING

Was it love?
“Nothing more than empty lovers through a window,” she replied.
Some people may tell the tale differently but rarely with the level of truth as it was through my own eyes. Who am I you ask? My role in this story is not important. Think of me as a curious observer, nothing more.
            In the beginning, William Arthur Hogg was a shipbuilder’s son. And like his father before him he too became a shipbuilder, living modestly in a small house in a rough part of an old town on an old street called Willow Lane.
He married at the age of twenty four to a young woman by the name of Rosamund Duffy, or simply Rosie for short. How they met doesn’t matter, nor whether it was really true love. Regrettably their honeymoon period lasted approximately two days, sixteen hours, twenty five minutes and forty three seconds. This was the moment William found out the famous shipyard was closing, and he was now without a job.
William tried and tried, and with all the good intentions in the world he could not find another job. Nobody wanted to employ a young man of limited schooling for anything of real substance and a decent wage. Those good intentions and positive feelings became increasingly bitter and increasingly darker as the months went by.
This feeling of misery was compounded by the news his fearful, beautiful wife departed upon him one dreary and dejected afternoon. A piece of news normally received with gleeful joy and unrivalled happiness. Yet for William, this news was met with dread, resentment and an unsurpassable amount of anxiety.
He was soon to be a father.  
It was the morning of April 11th. It’s often remembered as a date which echoed through history as the most unremarkable day, since records began. The records were wrong.
The hospital was St. Raphael’s. The midwife’s name was Mildred Warbler.  The timeless smell of disinfectant still echoes through time as potent as it was the day the baby was born.
“Steady now deary,” said the midwife, calmly. “You’re now mother to a healthy baby boy.” Rosie cried with joy upon seeing the baby’s face. “Isn’t he a cute one,” said the Midwife, earnestly. “Now don’t think I say that about all the newborns, ‘cause I don’t. He looks like a special ‘un. I’ll go get the father. I’m sure he’ll be utterly thrilled!’”
“No, don’t...” said Rosie.
“Oh...?”
“He’s not here,” she explained, steadily. “He’s...working.”
“Well he’s got to pay the bills I suppose, after all there’s an extra mouth to feed now isn’t there?” said the midwife, with a hearty chuckle.
Rosie said nothing to correct her.
Instead she gazed upon the baby once more, which gazed straight back at her, barely able to open his eyes. She smiled profusely, yet sadness prevailed at the sobering realisation William was not present to share the momentous occasion. The woman knew well the child was conceived on a night, shrouded in desperation. He was just born into a mess.  The child’s name was Sebastian Hogg. Being just a tiny newborn, right now, he doesn’t quite know this but this is his story.
This is the story about how he saved the world. 


***

Thursday 17 May 2012

Kreativ Blogger Award


Damn that charming little scoundrel Matt Sloan. I try to avoid these things and he goes ahead and throws my name into the mix for a Kreativ Blogger award - what that is. No, no, that's rude. I love him really I do. In the words of dear ol Mary Poppins, "If I must, I must..."

The Rules:
1. Thank & link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the ten questions.
3. Share ten random facts/thoughts about yourself.
4. Nominate seven worthy blogs for the Kreative Blogger Award.

The Questions:
1. What's your favorite song?
Cool answer: Dig for Fire by The Pixies. Real answer: ... probably I Just Can't Wait To Be King from The Lion King. 

2. What's your favorite dessert?
Jelly and ice cream. 

3. What ticks you off?
Working in retail for this long I'm going to have to say general ignorance. And bad time keeping. 

4. What do you do when you're upset?
Not as much as I probably should actually. There's a nature trail behind my house I go for a walk down listening to John Williams soundtracks. That usually chills me out or inspires me to do good. 

5. Which is your favorite pet?
My cat Albert. 

6. Which do you prefer: black or white?
Black. Amelia or the shade, it all works. 

7. What is your biggest fear?
That would be telling. I wish it was clowns because that would probably be more manageable. 

8. What is your attitude mostly?
Try to be a polite, nice bloke.

9. What is perfection?
To be financially secure and loved. Oh sure, loads of material items and a huge house would be awesome too. 

10. What is your guilty pleasure?
I've got a lot of pleasures, but none I overly feel guilty about. Least none I can think of at this moment in time. 

The Random Facts:

1. At several points in my life I genuinely believed - in all seriousness - I would become Batman. 

2. Goalkeeper for a 6-a-side football team called The Tony Danza Football Extravaganza.  

3. Have a degree in Archaeology. I did consider it a possible career route for about five minutes, but was disappointed to discover it wasn't all shooting Nazis and finding lost treasure in the middle of the Amazon. 

4. When I was 14, my mates and I had a backyard wrestling federation. My persona was The Giant. I was also a mean...sometimes articulately awkward commentator.  There's video footage out there I pray will never see the light of day. 

5.  I was the singer of two bands. One was a nu-metal act called Asylum. We use to enter the stage wearing white make-up and fake blood. Then we recruited two new members, changed our sound to 'experimental noisecore' and called ourselves The Nexus - look the myspace page still exists! Some of the best days of my life were with the wonderful people in that band. 

6. Think I tried to write about three or four books before I embarked on writing The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black. Amelia Black was actually suppose to be a simple picture book about a girl and a monster in a far away land, then I thought about it too much and what you see today was the result. 

7. I'm into all the animated works of Walt Disney way more than any grown man should ever admit. 

8. Grew up on a street Van Morrison wrote a song about... 

9. Infrequently partake in a film podcast called Panic Shots, talking nonsense next to two much more educated and interesting souls, Laura Shearer and Ross Thompson. It's on iTunes and everything. 


10. There are only nine interesting facts about me. 

The Nominations:

I've no idea...I'm linking it back to Sloan! 

Sunday 29 April 2012

The Storyteller // Flash-fiction // Unexpected Fairy tales

I've most likely totally missed the point of this competition, but thought I would give it a try. If nothing else I've got a head start on where my next book, after Amelia Black 2, might go. Or might not. That's a weird and wild thought which is currently too far in the future right now... 


So yes, Anna Meade (@ruanna3 through Twitter, seemingly lovely lass I started following recently), has laid down the challenge of an unexpected fairytale. It should contain 350 words max. With the deadline only hours away as of publishing this blog post I thought I would contribute something I've been pondering for a long time now. So my wonderful readers, a tale simply called The Storyteller...



Claudius sat down in the bus shelter. It was a bright day. It was a new day. Much like it was the day it happened to him. His eyes had seen many things; the world had changed so much. He rarely would look in a mirror, but only needed to see the countless wrinkles in his hands to know.

Now was the time to pass it on.

            “Mommy, mommy, when’s the bus arriving?” He looked up to see a woman and a little girl, no older than seven, sit down beside him. He politely smiled at them both.

            “It’ll be here soon, dear, now sit down,” said the mother.

            “Oh, okay.” The little girl swayed her head, then looked towards Claudius and boldly said, “Hello!”

            “Hello there,” said Claudius.

            “That’s a big beard!” said the girl.

Claudius could do nothing but laugh, “Yes, it is.”

            “Penny! That’s very rude. I’m so sorry, sir.”

            “It’s no trouble at all, honestly,” he said. Little Penny edged closer towards Claudius, becoming curiouser and curiouser. Claudius held tightly to the ivory head of his walking stick.

            “What do you do?”

            “Me? It’s a secret,” he replied, giving a knowing wink.

            “Secrets? I like secrets, I’ll keep it, I promise!” she jumped up and down and gave a charming smile.

            “You have to promise.”

            “I promise! I promise.”

            “Okay,” he whispered. “I’m a storyteller.” The little girl and the mother looked baffled, never hearing such a wild title before.

            “What’s a storyteller?” asked Penny.

            “A father, a brother, a wizard, a hero, a villain, an adventurer and above all a dreamer. Someone who can see hundreds of lives yet live just one. Someone who can spark a revolution. All with a little imagination.”

            “Wow!” said Penny.

Claudius brought out his golden pocket watch. The time was 1.05pm. “I don’t have much time but if your mother allows it I’ll tell you a story. I warn you though, once told it can never be untold. Once I’m done you must tell it to others.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Are you paying attention? Good. Now, once upon a time...” 

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Amelia Black in The Looking Glass & The Lucky Seven Game


I mentioned in one of my last blog posts that a chapter extract of The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black would be featured in the first issue of Dublin based children's literature magazine, The Looking Glass. Well after days of waiting eagerly by the door, the jolly postman finally delivered me a copy - as displayed in the photo above of course.

It's a great read and seeing all the other talented writers featured does make one feel ever so slightly intimidated.  Huge thanks to Elena and Joanne for featuring the work of Gill and I in it. If you want to support the publication definitely pay their Facebook page a visit over here :: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Looking-Glass-Magazine/120504311392360

The Lucky Seven Game

Now, if you follow other writer blogs about you'll have noticed this doing the rounds. My next book is only a few months away - potential illustrations and couple more edits pending - and thought it would be fun to give the first extract from A Boy Named Hogg. So here it is...seven lines, from the seventh line, from page seven of the new book.

“Hello, I’d like to be your friend.”
“Hehe! Awk, you are just too sweet,” said the stranger, softly. Sebastian suddenly felt at ease, giggling more happily and more innocently than he ever had done before in his all too brief lifespan.
A thunderous crash came suddenly from the other room, and William and Rosie were shouting once again. Sebastian wasn’t fazed, in the slightest. His attention was still fixated on this mysterious stranger in his living room. 

As you can see that reveals pretty much nothing, but as the months go on I'll filter bits and pieces of the plot and some sort of launch plan. I'm starting to become really excited by it, and I hope when it's published you will too.

More to come.

A.G.R.

Thursday 5 April 2012

The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black now available in No Alibis bookshop!

Sitting proudly next to Herge's Tintin books. If that isn't a dream realised I don't know what is...

After putting it off for god knows how long, I finally worked up the nerve to pop into one of Belfast's leading independent bookshops, No Alibis and enquire about stocking the book in their glorious little emporium. As you can probably tell by the photo above it was a success! So yes, as of today the book is on sale in No Alibis for the same price as it is on LULU.com at £6.99.

So if you haven't yet got a copy of the book and happen to live in the Belfast area please support your local retailers and grab a copy. Or if you don't want to, that's okay too! Bit hurtful, but I guess I'll get over it...ahem, anyway, at least pop down to this glorious bookshop, located on Botanic Avenue near Queen's University, and show your support! http://www.noalibis.com/

Quick line of other topics of interest while I'm here...

  • My next book, A Boy Named Hogg is still on course for a Summer release. Can't really discuss too much yet but as always watch this space. 
  • The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black recently featured in a new Dublin based Children's literature magazine, The Looking Glass. If you're in a position to purchase a copy, please do! Once I get mine I'll post a few photos of it on the blog! Support the lovely ladies putting it together at their Facebook page here ::  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Looking-Glass-Magazine/120504311392360
  • Thanks for the lovely comments on Twitter and Facebook regarding my lovely Flash Fiction piece, Quentin and the Picnic. 
That's it for today from the mindless ramblings of myself. Thanks for reading. 

A.G.R.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Quentin and the Picnic // National Flash-Fiction Day

So the build up and celebration of National Flash-Fiction Day has begun in my glorious homeland of Northern Ireland - go "Like" it on Facebook here. I'll concede right now it's something I'm genuinely awful at. However, it just so happens I have a little children's book I've been playing about with for the past wee while, in between redrafting A Boy Named Hogg and writing The Unseen Trials of Amelia Black. So in the spirit of it all I'm going to put the whole thing in its current draft online for all to read along with a teaser illustration by the lovely Elissa Elwick.

If this ever sees the light of day as an actual children's book, there's a good chance some of the text will have changed and the illustrations would be much more expansive and hopefully present itself as a beautifully crafted wee book. For now though, if you have a little one curious, peering over the laptop/tablet screen, by all means sit them on your lap and entertain them with the jolly little tale of when a mouse, a robot boy made of tin and a kind, furry, monster, who's not really a monster called Quentin Muldoon went on a picnic...




There once was this monster,
This kind, furry, monster,
Who’s not quite a monster,
Named Quentin Muldoon.
And one day this monster,
This kind, furry, monster,
Who’s not quite a monster
Named Quentin Muldoon...
WENT ON A PICNIC!
But that day, that monster,
Named Quentin
Was lost,
So lost it seemed,
He stepped right on a house!
And who lived in this house?
Who was it indeed?
It’s was Mouse having biscuits,
And drinking some tea.
But that Mouse with a house
Welcomed Quentin with glee,
He whispered, “Don’t panic.”
“I know where to be.”
They travelled far...
They travelled wide...
They travelled...thin?
They also travelled within...
And while travelling within,
They met Mouse’s friend,
A curious little thing...
A boy robot made of tin.
Nervously he asked, “Can I come too?”
“Of course!” cried the mouse.
“We have plenty for you!”
“But where should we go?” Quentin did ask.
“A beach,
Or a park or
A very large ark?”
“Best not,” Mouse said it was so.
“One’s rather busy, and one’s full of bark.
And since when was the last time,
Did you glance at an ark?”
“Well, what about this graveyard?” declared Quentin Muldoon
“But don’t it have ghosts and horrid ghouls too?”
“Don’t fear,” said Mouse. “They can’t hurt you!”
“Okay,” said the boy robot made of tin.
“I trust you more than my great granny’s bin.”
So that kind, furry, monster named Quentin Muldoon
And that Mouse with a house
And the boy robot made of tin
Sat in a peaceful graveyard
For their picnic din din!
What did they eat?
Oh, all sorts of treats!
Some cheese for Mouse,
Goats, Stilton and Brie.
Some oil for robot boy,
He drank mer-ri-ly.
And what about dear Quentin, you may well say...
He had marshmallows with chips,
And orange juice coloured blue.
Why blue you ask?
Frankly I haven’t a clue.
Then look what popped up,
A ghost and a ghoul.
They both said, “Hello,
Any ecto-plasmic gruel?”
“I dare say we don’t,” said Mouse with a sigh.
“But next time we visit we’ll be sure to say hi.”
Quentin brought out his watch,
And said “It’s time we must go.”
So they waved their waves, and gave good to their byes,
Mouse went to his house, and the tin boy went back within.
While Quentin Muldoon flew up into the air,
With a huge big grin!
THE END

Monday 12 March 2012

Senseless rambling at 2am...

I'm currently sitting in front of my computer screen, in the dead of night, collecting a trolley full of thoughts. None of them particular exciting I must admit, no new stories, no rewrites, no new film to gush on and on about. Just bits and bobs really. It is a Monday night after all. If all the exciting thoughts were collected on a Monday, the rest of the week would seem somewhat dull in comparison. Anyway I digress...

I was just doing my usual rounds of the interwebs before I retired to bed to continue reading more of George R R Martin's epic fantasy saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, when I stumbled across this wonderful video on Youtube...


Now obviously if Star Trek and/or Wars etc isn't your cup of tea, the idea of space travel might seem like a bit of a wet blanket. Frankly speaking the sheer idea of exploring the stars above utterly terrifies me as much as it insanely excites me. But the video makes a good point, when did the human race stop being ambitious? Stop...dreaming. Stop wondering what 'tomorrow' might bring us. Yeah sure technology is more prettier, faster, efficient. Hell, we've got a third generation iPad coming round the corner! I'm able to catch reruns of Neighbours on demand when I bloody well want! I can send e-mails from my phone! Thanks to the magic of the Kindle I've more books now than I'll read in a lifetime! It's the stuff my dad would've replied to as, "the mind boggles."

Yet tomorrow shouldn't be about making life easier. Tomorrow should be about pushing the boundaries. In 1969 NASA landed men on the moon for the first ever time. Landed on the f*cking moon!! How is it in 2012 that idea seems as equally insane as it might have been to H.G. Wells when he first published War of the Worlds in 1898?! Yes there's something of a mix up in the world finances but will we ever have a world leader with that kind of vision for the future? Be nice to see it in my lifetime. Sadly it ain't easy being that idealistic, no matter how hard you try to be. And yes, at 2am in the morning I don't really know where this senseless ramble is going either...

I'll end on this though. One of the greatest pieces of life advice I ever received was during my journalism training in 2010, when I got the chance to work at the Belfast Press Association. The editor told me two simple things which have really stuck with me. The first simply, "Be ambitious. Aim as high as possible no matter how silly it might seem to others." The second was particularly poetic, "Be open minded about everything. If you don't you'll be a cynical asshole by the time you're 30."

Time for bed...

Wednesday 8 February 2012

BBC ARTS EXTRA INTERVIEW + QUICK BOOK UPDATES


I actually have things to put on this blog! Wow, good times. So last week I was just shooting out the door to meet my dear friend Heather McGarrigle (check her blog too! http://thepatchworkquill.blogspot.com/) for a spot of lunch in The Potted Hen in Belfast - great meal it was too - when, out of the blue, I got a phone call from a lovely lady at the BBC named Ruth Sanderson asking me down to talk about e-publishing and Amelia Black on the show, Arts Extra. Bricking it though I was, it was a tremendous experience and the kind words from both Ruth and the host of the show, Marie, really gave me a confidence boost in regards to my work.

So would like to say a huge thanks to them for having me, when far more knowledgeable sorts probably should have been asked. The snippet from the show itself is embedded at the top, and the main theme centres around Ewan Morrison's (also featured on the show) article he did the day previously for The Guardian which is featured here :: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/30/self-e-publishing-bubble-ewan-morrison

Quick update on book related stuff while I'm here...

  • My second book titled A Boy Named Hogg is now in its third drafting phase and progressing quite nicely. Aiming for a June/July release.
  • The Unseen Trials of Amelia Black has officially begun. Been so much fun returning to it again, after a year away from it.
  • Also possibly have a wee children's picture book story in the works involving a mouse with a house, a boy robot made of tin and a kind gentle monster, who's not really a monster named Quinten. It's not far off completion but I'm currently not 100% what I will do with it.

Sunday 15 January 2012

New year, Oh The Places You'll Go...

I realise how bloody awful I am at posting on this blog, compared to my dearly beloved film blog. Just never really know what to type here. Determined to make an effort this year though with random ramblings, photography plus updates and press bits on my books. Plenty of exciting stuff to come this year in terms of writing.

Plans for 2012? Besides attempting to make a living from this gig, June will hopefully see the release of my second book currently titled, A Boy Named Hogg. While I polish that, I can confirm the sequel to The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black is in the early stages and with a prayer may see the light before the end of 2012. And maybe my first venture into children's picture books. Maybe...

For now though I'll leave this first post of 2012 with some cause of optimism. A video from Burning Man festival 2011 of all of Dr Seuss' beautiful poem, Oh The Places You'll Go as told by the eclectic performers and attendees. Truly heartwarming and inspiring.

TTFN (Ta ta for now...)

A.G.R.