ceLEStial books

Welcome to Niamh Murphy ! 1. If you could have dinner with two of your own characters in real life, who would you choose and why? I found this to be a particularly tricky question to answer! Then I realised that, although I love hosting a good dinner party, I don’t really write the type of characters who would be interested in being invited, they would be too bored and eager to leave so they could get on with their next adventure! But right now, I’m writing a fantasy novel about a band of characters on a quest, there is the reluctant hero, the brave warrior, the cunning ranger, the friendly wizard, and the thoughtful healer. I would like nothing more than to join them around their campfire on a starry night and listen as they each tell their stories. 2. You write books across a plethora of genres. Of all of these, do you have a particular favourite? The next one! I am always excited about moving onto the next thing and by the time I finish a project as big ...

When I first started reading my way through the world of "lesfic" about a year ago, one of the first novels recommended to me was Lise MacTague's Depths of Blue . I read it in one sitting, which is unheard of me these days because my young children make that very difficult to do.  As such, I was most pleased when Lise agreed to share some thoughts with me for the next author Q&A.  1.     What's the last novel you read? Was there something memorable about it? The most recent novel I’ve read was A Close and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. It’s a fascinating sci-fi novel about an AI who gets taken from the ship she was used to running and put into a human body. The body is mechanical but indistinguishable from a human from the outside. She has to come to terms to inhabiting a different form. At the same time, we get another story told from the point of view of a girl who was genetically created and raised to be a factory worker. She escapes from her circums...

If you haven't read E.J. Noyes's debut novel Ask, Tell then my message to you is...read it! I don't tend to gravitate toward romance novels, but I started this book and finished it in the same day because it wouldn't let me stop reading. E.J. is a fellow Australian like myself and so I was really pleased to be able to steal some of her time for this interview. 1. Let's start off with the important stuff. Beer or wine? Can I say gin? No? Okay… I live in Queensland where beer is mandatory, particularly in summer. I’d go for an ice-cold amber ale, like Ruby Tuesday.   2. If you could have a meal with one of the characters in Ask, Tell , who would it be and why?   I think Sabine’s sister, Jana would be seriously fun to spend time with. I imagine the (boozy) meal would start with deep discussions about movies and music and philosophy, segue to whispered observations about fellow diners and probably end with her chucking food at someone. Th...

This blog is starting to move into some exciting new territory with my first ever author Q&A. I'll be trying to do a few of these over time, hopefully they will compliment the book reviews I undertake and help us to engage more with both emerging and established writers. The first couple of author interviews will be for some fantastic writers being published through NineStar Press , given this is the same publisher my sci-fi novel will be released by in 2018.  I'd love to talk to some other writers soon though! _________________________________________________ For my fellow Australians, you can buy the Kindle edition here. _________________________________________________ What's one book you remember reading in high school? What stood out for you during or after reading it? I absolutely loved reading as a kid, both before and during high school. Honestly, it was one of my main go-to forms of entertainment growing up, and it was always the thing ...

Ask, Tell by E.J. Noyes My rating: 5 of 5 stars "I live with constant noise and dirt. I live with the omnipresent smell of diesel, dust and aircraft fuel. I live with other people’s blood on my uniform." I started and finished this book in a day because it demanded my attention. The historical context, characters and wonderful writing refused to let me go. Noyes clearly undertook a mammoth amount of research. Her protagonist, a surgeon living and working in Afghanistan at the height of American intervention, is completely believable. I was totally engrossed. Sabine struggles with what so many people have struggled with: she's a person who is otherwise comfortable with being a lesbian, yet having to work within a system that forces her to repress her identity or face dire social, familial and financial consequences. The fact that she's a talented doctor who saves peoples lives every day is overlooked by an institution obsessed with rules, in thi...

Thanks to the marvel that is Twitter , I have 'met' several wonderful writers in recent months. One of the most responsive of these has been Tamara Boyens . Her novel, Under Dark Sky Law , looked like something that I would enjoy reading.  It was a little bit tricky to find a hard copy in Australia (I don't own a Kindle....maybe I should), but the author herself helped me find a vendor.  Given that I would, ideally, love to finish a writing novel that's worth reading one day, it makes sense to share some of my reading adventures along the way. I don't get to read nearly as much as I would like (children + full time teaching), but it's one of the most important activities I engage in. It feeds my soul and helps me learn more about good writing.  The last book I read before this one was Kindred by Octavia Butler. Gorgeous! But I feel that because novels such as Kindred have received a lot of attention and reviews (as they should!), it's bett...