Tuesday 24 September 2013

Back to blogging. 2013 and beyond...

To say I've been neglectful of this blog over the course of 2013 is something of an understatement. I apologise for that. Many of you reading this have probably kept track of my movements through Twitters and Facebook and for the continued support I'm genuinely thankful.

I've decided to start blogging again for a few reasons, the main one being the need to write itself. I won't bore you with the whimsical nature of it all, I'm just out of practice writing text which isn't 140 characters or status updates. So I'll start with a few announcements to get the ball rolling again...


  • INTERVIEW!
I sat down with my dear friend Heather McGarrigle on her Patchwork Quill blog a week or so ago to chat about writing and self publishing. To read what I had to say on the subject as well as talking about Amelia Black and Sebastian Hogg and also to visit her brilliant blog just click here...  http://thepatchworkquill.com/2013/09/13/the-pq-qa-agr-moore/



  • READING EVENT!


The amazing staff at Ryan's Bar have asked me back for the second year in a row to host a family reading event as part of Belfast Restaurant Week 2013. It's next Saturday, October 6th 2013, it should be kicking off at 3pm and I'll be reading from my free short e-book (still available to download folks!) I released earlier in the year, A Gurumapa in the Wood, and will be giving away a limited number of printed copies to any reader interested in taking it home as a bedtime story.

All the details are at this link here... http://visit-belfast.com/whats-on/event/lunch-book-reading-with-local-author-agr-moore-1 Bring the kids and come on down, if nothing else the food in Ryan's is terrific.


Free books!

  • HIGHLIGHTS OF 2013...SO FAR...

I've had a lot of really proud moments this year in regards to my writing, with hopefully more to come, but I thought I would highlight two particular moments which stand above the rest. First was being asked to take part in a huge family reading event during the 2013 Belfast Book Festival. Huge thank you to Hugh Odling-Smee and his team for asking me to do it, was a real honour as it's not something I think I particular deserve yet. Huge thanks to the children and parents on the day who lent me their ears to hear Amelia Black's story were fantastic.

Photo taken by Alana Fraser
The only thing that could top that happened around a month ago. I got an e-mail from the mother of a girl who attended my first reading in Ryan's Bar last year, who loved The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black so much she asked her mum to make her an Amelia Black birthday cake. An...Amelia...Black...birthday cake. 

I still have trouble trying to comprehend how that makes me feel. All I know is it makes me very proud. 

You know it's funny, I've written three books (we'll get to the third in a moment) yet I've never truly thought that the stories have made that much of an impression on anyone - through a mixture of muddled self confidence and light hearted self-deprecation. Of all the amazing literary creations there are in the world, the Harry Potters, Percy Jacksons, Katniss Everdeens, Hungry Caterpillars, Spot the Dogs, Cats in the Hat, she chose my Amelia Black. That's just unbelievable. 

All I can say is I hope she had a fantastic birthday and the cake tasted as amazing as it looks. 

Photo from the Eclectic Cake-Box 

  • BOOK STUFF
I find it's always best to think ahead. I currently have two projects in the pipeline I'm not ready to talk about yet but besides that, I finished the first draft of my third book earlier this year. It's still not how I would like it to be but should be here around Summer 2014. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'll know what it's called but if not here is a rough, rather botched Photoshop, mock up of the logo by me...

This is why I employ outside illustrators...

Not much else to report for now but I hope to get back into the way of blogging nonsensical ramblings once again. Thank you for reading as always.

A.G.R.