tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371909652011-09-28T20:17:49.040+01:00Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.comBlogger2561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-27505843436535170842010-12-29T01:21:00.005Z2010-12-29T01:27:32.781Z

Given that some months have passed since I wondered out loud about the future of this blog, and I haven't posted since then, I think the time has come to put this thing out to pasture. Since the last post I've published my second novel in America, almost finished writing a third, and even gotten married, and none of that made its way onto here. The only activity around here lately has been the

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-89612899312320614652010-09-19T18:48:00.004+01:002010-09-19T22:16:24.076+01:00

My good friend Moonrat announced recently that she was retiring her blog, Editorial Ass. Hers was one of the most entertaining and useful publishing blogs on the Interwebs, and I learned a lot from it. Likewise Miss Snark's blog, which was retired about two or three years ago, but is still archived online, and any aspiring author should make it a priority to read through its hundreds of posts. I

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-58796258825637054612010-06-24T21:59:00.004+01:002010-06-24T22:07:07.917+01:00

The paperback edition of THE TWELVE was officially published today by Vintage Books, and they're doing a big old marketing campaign to get it out there. Part of that campaign is the lovely poster pictured here which should be appearing in train stations all around Britain and Ireland right about now.To celebrate this fact, how about a contest? It's simple: if you see one of these posters on

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-54050656487826280302010-06-04T14:12:00.003+01:002010-06-04T14:28:36.319+01:00

I'm giving away five signed pairs of proofs of the Vintage paperback edition of THE TWELVE and an advance copy of its sequel, COLLUSION. The special paperback edition of THE TWELVE is a very limited run and has never been for sale, and you can also get to read COLLUSION two months before anyone else!To enter, you need a Twitter account to answer a very simple question: Which major literary prize

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-86212564245895561542010-05-17T22:46:00.006+01:002010-05-30T19:24:50.295+01:00

Dear Amazon Stalker,I've been watching you work for a while, but until today I felt inclined to let you labour in peace. No author likes getting one-star reviews for their books, but we all realise it's part of the job description, so we don't let it bother us. Unless, that is, someone like you starts posting negative reviews for the same book over and over again using different screen names.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-89257542013285996662010-04-08T21:42:00.003+01:002010-04-08T22:01:16.139+01:00

Requiems for the Departed - Irish Crime, Irish Myths.It has been said before, that every story has already been told.Maybe so. But if you've got the gift of the gab, you can tell the same tale as often as you like and still give it a life of its own every time.Requiems for the Departed flaunts that gift seventeen times over with top shelf stories from Ken Bruen, Maxim Jakubowski, Stuart Neville,

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-41748362993509196632010-04-08T01:33:00.006+01:002010-04-08T01:49:16.730+01:00

I did a live radio interview today with Wendy Austin on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme. I've long since gotten over any nerves that I might have had in earlier radio appearances, so even when we couldn't get the microphones to come on in the remote studio (I was in Armagh, Ms Austin was in Belfast), I didn't panic. You can hear the results here, if you so wish.Anyway, right up front, Wendy

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-1180636300777163872010-01-17T20:47:00.004Z2010-01-17T22:21:12.354Z

There's a publishing industry fact that blogging agents and editors have been telling us all along, and in all my six months in print I have learned this to be true: Publishing is a very, very small business. Everybody knows each other. And everybody talks to each other. If a junior editorial assistant at Harper Collins knows that Famous Author X has gas problems, you can be sure that a senior

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-91598809858891061542010-01-11T18:41:00.005Z2010-01-11T19:03:43.644Z

I first met Laura Hruska in March 2009 when I called into the Soho Press office, near Union Square in New York City, to discuss my debut novel which she had acquired for her respected independent press. She was a lady of senior years, and slight build, but had a fierce intelligence about her that burned so bright you couldn't fail to see it. She was also clearly a deeply passionate publisher, and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-84758971896778516462009-12-04T22:31:00.003Z2009-12-04T22:55:28.209Z

It's been the most hectic autumn (or fall, for my American friends) of my life, following the most hectic summer of my life, all as part of the maddest year of my life. Therefore blogging has not been as high on my list of priorities as it perhaps should have been. There have been many things I should have blogged about, not least of which being the follow-ups to my US tour post, or most

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-37816635133426571732009-11-22T22:53:00.004Z2009-11-22T23:04:26.238Z

At long last, at least three weeks late, here are the winners of the Ghosts Of Belfast twitfic contest. I'm very pleased that my favourite scary tweet was also the most popular amongst voters, but more of that in a second. I had originally planned to choose the top five tweets, then select one as the outright winner based on votes, but as it turned out there were eight finalists with a clear

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-17209663992209611752009-11-17T21:53:00.003Z2009-11-17T22:17:56.862Z

Finally, more than two weeks late, here are the ten finalists for the #GhostsOfBelfast twitfic contest. For those who missed it, the idea was to write a scary story in a single tweet, including the hash tag #GhostsOfBelfast so I could find it. There were hundreds of entries, but due to a glitch with Twitter some of them were lost. Apologies to those whose tweets fell through the cracks, and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-38254558362984751492009-11-11T22:35:00.002Z2009-11-11T22:40:12.980Z

So, Twitter is a big bag of arse. When I launched the #GhostsOfBelfast TwitFic contest just over a month ago, I assumed the entries would be available for searching in perpetuity. Apparently not. Therefore, I propose the following:If you entered the #GhostsOfBelfast contest, just tweet the hash tag #GhostsOfBelfast one more time before midnight on Saturday, and I will spend Sunday finding all the

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-30037930058511531262009-11-04T10:31:00.004Z2009-11-04T10:47:07.359Z

This Saturday evening, I'll be talking with a certain James Ellroy on stage at Belfast Waterfront. By sheer coincidence, Mr. Ellroy just happened to be reading at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, Colorado, on the day I flew in to see Betsy Dornbusch. So Betsy, her husband Carlin and I all trooped over that evening to see the Demon Dog in the flesh.James's monologue and reading was as

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-21352255725645395042009-10-27T00:09:00.008Z2009-10-27T00:25:09.963Z

So, it’s been a while. As you may be aware, I’ve been on a jaunt across the United States of America to promote THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST, and as of this writing I find myself in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Tech Center in Denver, Colorado. Outside it’s snowing, and inside there is an entire world of bizarre. But I’ll come back to that... I landed in New York just less than two weeks ago, and I’ve

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-91286525839531820922009-10-10T22:45:00.002+01:002009-10-10T22:53:11.608+01:00

Just a very quick post to say that I am amazed at some of entries to the #GhostsOfBelfast contest. The way some people can paint a picture in those 124 characters is really something to behold.And I'm not just saying that. Seriously, use this link to search Twitter, and use the "more" button to see all the entries. There is some very, very good writing going on there. I already have some

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-69628610735735775482009-10-08T21:34:00.002+01:002009-10-08T22:05:55.051+01:00

...in Indianapolis, attending Bouchercon 2009, and getting ready to debate Irish fiction and nonfiction with the lovely Ruth Dudley Edwards, whose AFTERMATH is one of the most powerful, disturbing and uplifting books you'll ever read. On the following Saturday, I'll be partaking in some speed dating of the literary kind - I, and bunch of other fresh-faced newbie novelists, will have just a few

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-71155015508752057162009-10-01T11:00:00.005+01:002009-10-01T11:59:01.635+01:00

So, today is October 1st, and by debut novel THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST is officially published in the USA by Soho Crime, the respected independent New York press. I'd like to thank all at Soho, including my editor Laura Hruska, marketing director Ailen Lujo, and publicist Justin Hargett - you've all been a pleasure to work with so far.Don't forget, there's a chance to win one of five signed copies of

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-79582147058599106802009-09-28T21:10:00.006+01:002009-09-28T21:37:59.156+01:00

As you may be aware, THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST will be published in the USA by Soho Press this Thursday, the 1st of October. I'll be embarking on a US tour (details here) to celebrate the launch, so please come and say hello if you're near any of the venues.The other thing that happens in October is, of course, Halloween, when our thoughts turn to the ghostly and ghoulish. We all have our own

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-22571684999769240722009-09-10T11:26:00.004+01:002009-09-10T12:09:32.663+01:00

There have been a brace of reviews in the build up to the US publication of THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST. Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist have all put a good word in for me, as follows:"[A] stunning debut ... This is not only an action-packed, visceral thriller but also an insightful insider’s glimpse into the complex political machinations and networks that maintain the uneasy truce in Northern

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-43600558161856714962009-09-01T23:59:00.004+01:002009-09-02T00:56:41.490+01:00

A couple of interesting articles were brought to my attention today, both concerning the ongoing genre fiction vs literary fiction debate. The first was sent to me by the very nice lady who gave me a most kind review for The Twelve in The Observer back at the star of July, literary agent and critic Nicola Barr (who is actively seeking Northern Irish writers, let it be known). It was an opinion

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-62061028021901994012009-08-30T15:44:00.004+01:002009-08-30T16:13:32.959+01:00

The Demon Dog of American Literature, James Ellroy, is coming to Belfast to put the spotlight on his newest masterpiece, the incendiary BLOOD'S A ROVER. The event, organised by the redoubtable David Torrans of No Alibis, will take place at Belfast's beautiful Waterfront Hall on Saturday 7th of November. Tickets will be available from the Waterfront's box office as well as No Alibis, priced at

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-51468967997467237392009-08-25T22:21:00.005+01:002009-08-25T22:49:13.280+01:00

Now that Declan Burke has put the Crime Always Pays blog out to stud, someone has to come up with cheesy puns for blog titles. It might as well be me.Anyway, it's been a while - just over three weeks, in fact - and a busy three weeks it has been. Most of my time has been taken up by finishing the sequel to THE TWELVE (a.k.a. THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST), and giving it a very quick spit and polish

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-83208071013505947012009-08-03T22:19:00.004+01:002009-08-03T23:07:23.039+01:00

As per my previous post, I visited London last week for a few days. This was a spur-of-the-moment thing; I could have done the interview at the BBC World Service just as easily from Belfast, but I wanted to make the trip and do the interview in person, and meet some of the good folks who have been working on my behalf. I hadn't intended to cause a fuss, but all of a sudden meetings and dinners

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-85672436286896655922009-07-24T20:39:00.004+01:002009-07-24T20:51:31.295+01:00

I'm off to London this week. Among my activities will be an interview for the BBC World Service's Strand programme, which I believe will air on Wednesday (a link to the iPlayer version will be provided as and when).I will also be doing some drop-in signings at various bookshops around the Big Smoke, and the plan is to be at the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's between 12:00 and 12:30 on Tuesday

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-84161269131084300252009-07-15T22:09:00.010+01:002009-07-16T11:29:21.044+01:00

I'm back in the world of blogging after a short break. This has been a hectic period, and after my thirty day blog marathon, I needed a bit of a rest. So, here's a round up:New Reviews of THE TWELVEA review appeared in today's Metro newspaper, which is one of the most widely read dailies in the UK. They said: "Stuart Neville's blistering debut thriller is a walk on the wild side of post-conflict

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-76541430560928478172009-07-06T22:39:00.002+01:002009-07-06T22:41:59.290+01:00

I didn't get hold of it until today, but a very nice review of THE TWELVE appeared in the Daily Mail on Friday as part of their 50 summer reads feature. THE TWELVE was their #1 thriller of the season, and they had this to say:"If you read only one thriller on your summer holiday, then make sure it is Neville's stunning debut. It's an astonishing first novel, set in today's Northern Ireland, and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-24904051833316354332009-07-05T22:40:00.000+01:002009-07-05T22:41:22.732+01:00

A fantastic review appeared today in The Observer newspaper, written by Nicola Barr. She said: "THE TWELVE is a brilliant thriller: unbearably tense, stomach-churningly frightening. This is the best fictional representation of the Troubles I have come across, a future classic of its time. Stuart Neville has finally given Northern Ireland the novel its singular history deserves." Read the full

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-41717198080010842009-07-03T22:05:00.006+01:002009-07-03T22:28:08.510+01:00

I have now fulfilled my commitment to blogging every day up to publication. I think I did pretty well, all things considered. I only missed one day, and that was because I just plain forgot. And this post compensates for that one, seeing as I'm not really obliged to blog today. And I don't think the content of my posts was too bad. Sure, there were some fillers, but there were also some more

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-28420511600133079462009-07-02T22:57:00.005+01:002009-07-03T11:13:53.466+01:00

So I got published today. Which is nice.To be honest, today was a little bit like birthdays are when you get past thirty. It's a day much like any other, but you know there's a milestone at the back of your mind, that today isn't really like other days. But you still have cornflakes for breakfast, and you still get annoyed cos your internet isn't fast enough, and so on. My epiphany moment was

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-84243074630878328522009-07-01T23:17:00.002+01:002009-07-01T23:36:53.705+01:00

Tomorrow, I will be officially published. I'm pretty sure I won't feel much different tomorrow than I do today; I've kind of had my epiphany moment when I first saw my book on the shelves of my local Eason's. I have no real observatiions to make, I'm afraid. Instead, here is an interview that was broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster earlier this evening:Interview with Marie-Louise Muir on Arts Extra.On

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-55070028591193061082009-06-30T12:04:00.006+01:002009-06-30T13:32:51.385+01:00

To celebrate the fact that I am two days away from my official publication date, I'm giving away two signed copies of THE TWELVE, and as an extra special prize, the two winners will also receive one of only fifty paperback copies that will ever be produced of my short story collection, THE SIX. These limited edition paperbacks will be signed and numbered, and will soon be collector's items.To be

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-18060658483212806422009-06-29T22:51:00.004+01:002009-06-29T23:01:20.162+01:00

I promised a proper report on Friday's joint launch with John Connolly at No Alibis in Belfast, and I'm going to do my best to summarise things here. It might be a bit ramshackle, but two days on my memory is a little hazy. There was so much happening, so many people I met, that I'm now struggling a little to keep it all straight.Anyway, I arrived at Belfast's famous Europa Hotel (the world's

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-37561230726065396442009-06-28T18:06:00.002+01:002009-06-28T18:12:15.209+01:00

I was intending on blogging properly about my launch night, honestly, but fate has intervened in the form of a surprise invite to a barbecue with some good friends, namely James and Louise, and their two little ones.As an aside, the topic of my musical background came up in conversation with David Torrans of No Alibis the other night, so I thought I might share a piece here. It's an acoustic

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-17039248260311129572009-06-27T20:55:00.010+01:002009-06-27T21:21:29.583+01:00

I'm sorry, I'm just too tired to write up a proper post on yesterday's launch of THE TWELVE at No Alibis in Belfast. I'll hopefully have mustered the energy to come up with a full report by tomorrow. In the meantime, I shall leave you with a few photos from the last twenty-four hours.First up: On my way to Belfast, I stopped in at my nearest Eason's at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-35261395987687848192009-06-26T14:38:00.002+01:002009-06-26T14:39:44.314+01:00

This evening I shall launch THE TWELVE at No Alibis bookstore on Belfast's Botanic Avenue, along with John Connolly, who will be reading from his new best seller, THE LOVERS. I'll try to video some of the goings on, but no promises how that'll turn out.So, I'm off to Belfast. Wish me luck.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-38015951718194712972009-06-25T22:39:00.001+01:002009-06-25T22:41:11.985+01:00

This time tomorrow, the launch will be over, and I hope to be in a pub or restaurant somewhere near Botanic Avenue, eating steak and drinking beer. Now I'm off to practice and annotate the passage I'm going to read...

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-76708065999583999722009-06-24T23:26:00.002+01:002009-06-24T23:39:25.927+01:00

I did not heed the advice I'd read so many times: do not pay attention to Amazon sales ranks because you'll only drive yourself crazy.Well, I paid attention, and now I'm driving myself crazy.It's not that long ago that I was in the millions, occasionally making jumps into the hundreds of thousands, then a couple of weeks ago I seemed to settle in and around the 150k mark. Then all of a sudden I'm

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-71079660473220943412009-06-23T23:42:00.002+01:002009-06-23T23:48:47.830+01:00

So, the US tour is all booked up and confirmed, hotels sorted, and flights bought. I have to admit, I'm excited. And for various reasons.As a musician, the one thing I always wanted to do was go on tour as a rock star. That didn't quite work out, but I get to do the next best thing, which is an author tour. Which is like a rock star tour, but with less drugs and guitars and debauchery and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-5096996534878697572009-06-22T23:42:00.002+01:002009-06-23T00:01:00.221+01:00

It's coming up on midnight, and I've been sat on this chair (aside from meal, toilet, and exercise bike breaks) since around 9:45am. And how much progress did I make on the new novel?None. Nada. Sweet Fanny Adams.Not that I'm complaining, really. I got a lot of promo stuff done today, not least of which was revamping my home page and getting THE SIX, my free downloadable short story collection,

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-9218075316668218862009-06-21T23:41:00.004+01:002009-06-21T23:45:02.184+01:00

Just a quick filler post this evening. My short story collection THE SIX is almost ready, and I hope to have it online within the next twenty-four hours. There are new reviews appearing all the time, including the string of 5-star comments on Amazon, and a stellar write-up at Eurocrime.co.uk that is scheduled for this week - highlights are: "Grabs hold and doesn't let go ... frighteningly assured

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-30760230236902168332009-06-20T20:24:00.004+01:002009-06-20T20:35:51.001+01:00

I posted on Twitter this morning about having watched Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night, and that I hadn't disliked a movie so much in ages. There were a few comments on my Facebook wall in response, so I thought I'd elaborate here, and tie it in to another topic that's been floating around the Interwebs in recent days.Sometimes a film is poorly made; sometimes it has a turgid

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-85694416553439750662009-06-19T18:37:00.005+01:002009-06-19T18:46:06.561+01:00

As I've already mentioned, I have a small short story collection coming up. It will be available as a free e-book download from my website at some point next week, but there will also be a limited run of fifty signed and numbered paperback editions printed. Some of these have already been promised for little promos I've been running here and there, but a few will also be given away here and on my

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-86668869203209812602009-06-18T23:48:00.003+01:002009-06-18T23:57:59.413+01:00

People who have read THE TWELVE will have seen a reference to a book titled YOSL RAKOVER TALKS TO GOD. The character Marie McKenna tells Gerry Fegan about it as she discusses the futility of hate. It seems relevant given recent headlines from Belfast. An excerpt can be read at the New York Times website. Let me know what you think.Update: for some reason the above link bounces you to a subscribe

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-87339611755006023162009-06-17T22:23:00.003+01:002009-06-17T22:45:25.389+01:00

This post is inspired by a comment from Aerin Bender-Stone over at Facebook where she asked what a typical day is like for me as a writer.Now, I'll preface this by saying I'm not really a full time writer. I've still got a web design and print business, but I've taken a leave of absence while I work on the sequel to THE TWELVE. Up to about two weeks ago, I had my days mostly free for writing, and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-67762041632255825572009-06-16T21:47:00.003+01:002009-06-16T21:57:58.052+01:00

You may notice a pattern developing here. A more substantial post one day, a link or two the next, and so on. Today's link is a bit special, though...Declan Burke's review of THE TWELVE originally appeared in last weekend's Sunday Independent, but I'm linking to Dec's own blog version. I have to say I'm very, very happy with my first official press review, so many thanks to Declan. Incidentally,

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-39033278349362069222009-06-15T23:29:00.004+01:002009-06-16T00:18:35.185+01:00

This post was inspired by two things. One of them was this very snotty and condescending piece at Esquire magazine's website, which masquerades as a review. Jason Pinter did a better job of critiquing this critique with his own much more intelligent piece.The other was watching the movie Cloverfield over the weekend. On the surface, Cloverfield seems the very model of an Event Movie, a film

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-5294917742695508082009-06-14T22:15:00.004+01:002009-06-14T22:21:48.055+01:00

Just a couple of links this evening, but they're both goodies, I think.First, an article about yours truly appeared in The Observer today. Hopefully, a review of THE TWELVE will also appear in the newspaper's REVIEW supplement at some point over the coming weeks.Second, I've added a new feature to my website: deleted scenes from THE TWELVE. The bulk of them are about Gerry Fegan's early life, and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-906708205352597022009-06-13T19:58:00.002+01:002009-06-13T20:04:38.976+01:00

In recent days I have been answering questions about the politics of THE TWELVE. I suppose that was inevitable, given the nature of the story, its setting, and its characters. As I stated in an earlier post, I never intended THE TWELVE as a polemic. It was just a thriller that happened to be set against Northern Ireland's peace process. But everything in Northern Ireland is political, so there's

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-48335288665891797252009-06-12T22:20:00.003+01:002009-06-12T22:31:49.928+01:00

Bit of a filler post today, I'm afraid. Well, it's better than nothing, plus I'm saving the good stuff for the weekend.First, the audio of my interview with Malachi O'Doherty is now online, which opens with our rather bemused sounding reaction to a bus driving past. The interview was conducted in a car parked close to Botanic Gardens, which was fun, and it seems it gives the proceedings a nice

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-46280515103772746592009-06-11T20:23:00.004+01:002009-06-11T22:01:20.029+01:00

Publicity is a funny thing. Although the distinction between publicity and marketing is, on the surface, pretty clear, I do sometimes struggle with whom to contact on certain issues. What I do know about publicity, though, is that it has a tendency to come out of the blue. Like Christmas time when my PR Hilary Knight put out a fairly straightforward press release about the local-boy-made-good

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-65695513370487465932009-06-10T22:12:00.003+01:002009-06-10T22:44:46.855+01:00

Today's post is about the big speech at the end of the book, the one where you get all teary and thank everyone from your old English teacher to God. I didn't agonise over my Acknowledgements page a great deal; I had a good idea of who I wanted to thank, and why, pretty early on.The main part of the list fairly obvious. I thank my agent and editors, and although this is to be expected, the thank

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-90194128119317418362009-06-09T22:55:00.003+01:002009-06-09T23:04:39.650+01:00

This blog-post-per-day thing will be a doddle if reviews keep coming in. Especially if they're as well written and thought out as this one from an Irish bookseller.And here's another all the way from the US of A. It's good to know THE TWELVE travels pretty well - it's always been a concern that people from far off places may not get the socio-political aspects, but that seems not to be an issue.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-1331252934006877442009-06-08T23:38:00.005+01:002009-06-09T00:04:31.078+01:00

You know what the hardest thing about daily blogging is? Remembering to bloody do it. Anyway...Early reviews for THE TWELVE are starting to creep in. Here are a few highlights:Just today, Gerard Brennan posted his thoughts over at Crime Scene NI. Gerard mentions, as a few people have, the genre hopping aspects of the book. Yes, it's a thriller first and foremost, but there are paranormal and

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-65044345227585478192009-06-07T19:10:00.003+01:002009-06-07T19:15:21.557+01:00

First of all, thanks to the ever vigilant Josephine Damian who spotted that I didn't post yesterday. And why did I not post? My hectic schedule? Lack of inspiration? Illness?I just plain forgot. Sorry.Anyway, this post is just to let my UK readers know there'll be an interview with yours truly, conducted by Adrian Magson, appearing in the July edition of Writing Magazine. Apparently, it should be

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-64256094775751704672009-06-05T19:14:00.003+01:002009-06-05T19:36:54.051+01:00

On Wednesday, Betsy Dornbusch (aka Sex Scenes at Starbucks) made her 1000th blog post. I'm very flattered that it featured a review of THE TWELVE (which incidentally got its first Amazon review today - five stars, thanks for asking). I was going to use a link to Betsy's piece yesterday to fulfil my once-a-day obligation, but that was waylaid by the arrival of the actual finished book in the

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-90792165101450433282009-06-04T20:18:00.006+01:002009-06-04T20:35:17.576+01:00

Today I had planned to post a link to a wonderful review on a dear friend's blog, but that has been postponed for one day due to...A FINISHED COPY OF THE TWELVE!I was out on an errand this morning, and came home to find a padded envelope stuffed into my letterbox. It had a Harvill Secker address label attached. It was quite bulky. It was approximately the size and shape of a trade paperback book.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-90226786316374243642009-06-03T23:33:00.003+01:002009-06-03T23:44:06.677+01:00

A couple of you have commented on my previous post, pointing out how fine I'm cutting it if I want to meet my daily target - so here I am, getting in just under the wire. A caveat, however - I promised quantity, not quality...So, what's in store for the next thirty days? Well, hopefully, lots of links to reviews for one thing. There'll also be some contests to win signed books and collectibles.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-13773641915390755922009-06-02T22:18:00.004+01:002009-06-02T22:24:24.360+01:00

So, it is now exactly thirty days until THE TWELVE is officially released in the UK. To celebrate that fact, I am going to set myself a rather rash challenge: one blog post per day between now and then. Seeing as I'm hardly a prolific blogger at the best of times, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm going to give it a go.Some of the posts will be purely self-promotional, while others will

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-10461046972450670102009-05-28T21:21:00.002+01:002009-05-28T21:23:17.641+01:00

Today I am being given the Seven Step Scoop treatment by the lovely Aerin Bender-Stone - read all about it here.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-60131644182859685882009-05-27T22:00:00.004+01:002009-05-27T22:10:09.010+01:00

To celebrate my 200th missive to the blogosphere, I hereby bring you my expanded review of the new James Ellroy novel, BLOOD'S A ROVER. This appeared in a shorter form over at Gerard Brennan's Crime Scene NI blog, but for anyone who wants a more in-depth preview of this book, read on. Due to its length, this piece has been formatted via CSS voodoo for easier reading. Special thanks must go to my

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-72655114090676258162009-05-19T18:39:00.003+01:002009-05-19T21:04:27.526+01:00

A few weeks back, I was exchanging emails discussing book trailers with Jeff Abbott, the international best selling author of FEAR, PANIC, COLLISION and TRUST ME. Seeing as Jeff turned out to be an exceedingly nice chap, and of course he knows a thing or two about thrillers, I asked if he wouldn't mind having a look at my humble offering. To my delight, Jeff agreed, and today he came back with

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-7024196421603447272009-05-10T18:10:00.004+01:002009-05-10T19:15:15.382+01:00

The UK publication of THE TWELVE is less than two months away now, and I'd like a little help from my blogging friends and those who have received preview copies from Harvill Secker/Random House. If you've read the book, either as a beta reader or received an ARC, please write an online review at one on the many online bookshops, or even on your own blog or website. If you've posted a review

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-44558988639927019162009-05-03T15:30:00.003+01:002009-05-03T16:29:46.045+01:00

Friday night past was one of the best evenings I've had for a very long time. Due to a string of coincidences and a special alignment of the planets, my agent Nat Sobel and his lovely wife Judith Weber happened to be in Belfast on the same day that Colin Bateman launched his latest novel, MYSTERY MAN, at No Alibis on Botanic Avenue. Nat and Judith had been touring Ireland for most of the previous

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-43388942895384616562009-05-01T13:40:00.004+01:002009-05-01T13:58:04.945+01:00

This week has seen a couple of big events for Northern Irish crime writers. It started with the early release of FIFTY GRAND by ex-pat Adrian McKinty. This book has been getting rapturous reviews left, right and centre, and looks like being a breakout success for the author who originally hails from Carrickfergus. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this one in the not too distant future.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-20849482988771660882009-04-27T20:27:00.003+01:002009-04-27T20:56:35.858+01:00

Tomorrow, Tuesday 28th of April, marks the launch of The Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia, the debut novel from my friend Cindy Pon. Many of my visitors here will already know Cindy, but for those who don't, she is an incredibly talented writer and artist. I saw one of her paintings close up while I was in New York, and it was one of the most exquisite pieces of art I've ever clapped

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-90479176225689348972009-04-20T17:53:00.002+01:002009-04-20T17:54:38.934+01:00

I've just uploaded a new book trailer for The Ghosts of Belfast to YouTube - hope you like it!

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-68436106094449968732009-04-18T18:33:00.003+01:002009-04-18T18:46:03.445+01:00

There are many, many perks to having Nat Sobel as your agent. Here's one of them:My doorbell rang at 8:30 this morning, and it being a Saturday, I was a little discombobulated. I woke up pretty sharpish when I found this baby on my doorstep. Apart from the early hour, the timing is perfect. I'm just finishing up John Ajvide Lindqvist's LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (which, by the way, is the best vampire

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-47806397824828195492009-04-14T13:20:00.002+01:002009-04-14T13:24:34.042+01:00

I was surprised to find a proof copy of The Twelve for sale on eBay today. These are so thin on the ground my agent wasn't even able to get a hold of copies to send to the translators for the foreign editions. I can't even get hold of one to send to a blogging friend for review. The one copy I have, I had to steal that back off my mum just so I could do a reading.I think I'll bid on it myself.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-83496007688449768252009-04-09T21:01:00.003+01:002009-04-09T21:05:18.500+01:00

My interview has just appeared in The Bookseller magazine, the UK's publishing trade bible. I'm told it's a big deal to get an interview in The Bookseller, so I am very pleased with my publicist at Harvill Secker, Claire Jackson. I am also very impressed with how Alice O'Keefe conducted the interview, and generally made what could have been a rather scary experience a most pleasant and relaxed

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-4559900232131074702009-04-03T13:42:00.002+01:002009-04-03T13:44:53.016+01:00

After a spate of comment spamming here over the last few days I've had to turn word verification back on. I know it's a pain, but as needs must. Hopefully this will cure the problem, but if not, I'll have to turn off anonymous comments too. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-54411944587790513592009-03-31T21:03:00.002+01:002009-03-31T21:17:19.061+01:00

After last week's angst over the difficult sophomore novel, I have hopefully made a breakthrough. Just airing the problem seems to have helped a great deal, as tends to be the way. Unusually for me, taking the more structured approach of mapping out the plot on index cards made all the difference. And a couple big twists presented themselves in the process, so a win all round.And a lesson learned

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-63330288148854808492009-03-26T22:35:00.002Z2009-03-26T22:40:53.313Z

A quick post to say thank you to everyone who rallied around after my last post and gave me a series of pep talks. There were some very kind things said, and I'm grateful.Meeting the problem face-to-face seems to have helped, as it always does. I've always been a seat-of-the-pants writer, so sitting down and mapping things out on index cards goes against my nature, but I gave it a go. And what do

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-71659754551750658762009-03-25T22:15:00.003Z2009-03-25T22:36:07.180Z

I've been threatening to blog about this for a while now, so here it is: I have the Second Book Blues.Where The Twelve/The Ghosts of Belfast was written incredibly quickly, Book Two is proving a struggle. Seriously, it's like pulling teeth trying to write this thing. And why is that?There are lots of reasons. Some are practicalities, such as the story being much more complex and less linear, with

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-55920940180843966852009-03-16T23:56:00.003Z2009-03-17T00:15:28.001Z

So, I got back from New York about a week ago and I've been meaning to blog about it ever since. Seeing as I've got a miserable cold, I shall reminisce to soothe my scratchy throat and tender nose…Unlike the last time I visited the great Oz-to-which-we-all-aspire (courtesy of Adam Gopnik) across the ocean, this time I had people to see. It makes a big difference to find friendly faces in a place

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-12090003021549766312009-03-16T22:32:00.002Z2009-03-16T22:35:54.372Z

I was a little terrified to find the first proper review of The Twelve this evening. By "proper", I mean one that isn't an author quote or someone I know - a real-world reader. I needn't have been, though, because someone called Bibliobeck was very kind. Five stars of kindness, in fact. :)

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-24755451559035020172009-03-10T22:11:00.002Z2009-03-10T22:27:28.188Z

I've just returned from a fantastic trip to New York, a city so far removed from where I grew up in every conceivable way that it seemed like some make-believe place when I was a kid. I met some wonderful people, ate food whose names I can't remember, and felt like Jimmy the Biscuit because I gave a pretty waitress a stupidly generous tip (there was drink taken, you understand, and she flirted

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-31239656363523060702009-03-07T21:20:00.001Z2009-03-07T21:21:27.054Z

And it's all Moonrat's fault. More to follow...

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-33777863809834784502009-02-28T18:36:00.005Z2009-02-28T19:03:07.104Z

So, night before last, I did my first ever public reading. It was a strange experience, but one I enjoyed a great deal. There was a decent turnout, and a few familiar faces, such as an old friend I hadn't seen in a few years, and a couple of teachers from my old school.I remember mentioning to a few published writers I've met before that giving readings was something I was not looking forward to.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-3578140590494188992009-02-24T22:20:00.005Z2009-02-24T23:07:41.900Z

My apologies for using a pun worthy of Declan Burke for my title, but I'm a little over-excited because I received the advance reader copies (or ARCs, or Uncorrected Proofs, or whatever you wish to call them) of The Twelve today from the wonderful Briony Everroad at Harvill Secker. I got ten, and they're already all spoken for. I'll be lucky if I get to keep one for myself. See, aren't they

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-6529994009612621022009-02-22T15:27:00.004Z2009-02-22T15:35:46.196Z

I'll be reading (from what, I have not decided as yet) at Armagh City Library on Thursday 26th of February at 7:30pm. I'm not sure what format the evening will take, but I think it'll be something along the lines of me reading a bit, followed by a Q&A. I believe there will be refreshments involved somewhere too.The event is being hosted by the City Chapter, a cooperative initiative by Armagh City

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-69438443503016539192009-02-17T22:11:00.007Z2009-02-17T22:41:03.275Z

My blogging friend Gerard Brennan just announced some exciting news on his blog: he has been taken on by literary agent (and acclaimed crime writer) Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates. I've said it several times already, but it bears repeating - congratulations, Gerard, this is well deserved and long overdue.And it comes in the wake of some short story successes. I posted the other day about

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-62830023454550836622009-02-05T21:11:00.003Z2009-02-05T21:28:19.904Z

The postman delivered another nice package today, courtesy of my editor at Harvill Secker, Geoff Mulligan. It was the June 2009 CCV catalogue. CCV (Cape Chatto Vintage) is the division of Random House that encompasses Harvill Secker amongst others, including the Vintage mass-market paperback imprint, where I will eventually end up. Anyway, I was shocked and delighted to find that THE TWELVE is

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-15118634964727549692009-02-01T15:14:00.003Z2009-02-01T15:35:13.733Z

So, I received the proof of THE TWELVE yesterday and it looks great. As far as I know, this is the version that will be printed as bound proofs, or ARCs. It's starting to feel like a proper book now, complete with copyright, epigraph, dedication and acknowledgement pages.It struck me as I was reading through the proof how much better this novel is than the one I sent to my agent less than a year

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-41053628195472449902009-01-21T21:41:00.003Z2009-01-21T22:02:49.730Z

I'm just surfacing to say hello after an extremely hectic period. Copy-edits on THE TWELVE are done and dusted and the book is off to the setters. Proofs will shortly be forthcoming, and I'm more than a little excited.There were a few big events while I was away that I should have linked to, but didn't because of a lack of time:One was the relaunch of Book Roast, a blog that highlights authors

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-74876457246907480632008-12-31T20:27:00.002Z2008-12-31T20:41:29.540Z

This New Year’s Eve I find myself incapacitated by strained metatarsal tissue in my left foot (my resolution to get fit for 2009 kind of backfired on me), so before I embark on an experiment to record the combined effects of painkillers, beer and cider on the human body, I thought I’d take a look back over the most extraordinary year of my life so far.2008 started well for me as a writer. My

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-49733581025352489272008-12-24T12:37:00.007Z2008-12-24T14:29:10.953Z

It's been a busy few days, so here's just a little list of things...I did another radio interview, this one with George Jones on his u105 drive-time show. It was a lot easier than the BBC one, the questions being not quite so probing.I'm picking up speed on the new book again after some time away for editing the last one. I'm hoping to get some serious work done over the Christmas break.I also

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-45653707697291704832008-12-22T23:17:00.004Z2008-12-22T23:30:18.052Z

Well, that was an interesting experience. I've done radio before in a musical capacity, but I've never been interviewed live on air. Another first was reading my work out loud for others to hear. If there's going to be a first time, I suppose it might as well be in front of tens of thousands of people rather than a handful at a reading! The presenter William Crawley rather caught on me on the hop

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-12538439674765802062008-12-22T13:50:00.003Z2008-12-22T13:53:29.265Z

Just a quick heads up for anyone who's interested - I'll be interviewed on BBC Radio Ulster's Arts Extra programme this evening at some point between 6:30 and 7:00 GMT. You can listen in on the BBC website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster/ by clicking on the 'listen now' link near the top right of the page.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-50331316292685841202008-12-17T22:50:00.002Z2008-12-17T23:00:05.471Z

Judith Weber, the foreign rights specialist at Sobel Weber, let me know this evening that Ediciones Urano, the Barcelona-based publisher, has acquired world Spanish language rights to THE TWELVE/THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST in another two-book deal. I'm currently having a Stella Artois to celebrate, but it should really have been a San Miguel. Incidentally, I've been to Barcelona twice, and it's one of

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-49635575960694843122008-12-09T21:25:00.003Z2008-12-09T21:30:00.039Z

I got yet another pleasant surprise today when Judith Weber, the foreign rights specialist at Sobel Weber Associates, got in touch to tell me she had just secured a two-book deal with the French publisher, Rivages. Rivages is France's leading publisher of noir fiction, including a few names you might have heard of, like James Ellroy and Ed McBain. Of course, I'm delighted.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-18445304248066115142008-12-03T20:51:00.005Z2008-12-03T21:12:01.413Z

I've been a busy boy over the weekend and built myself a brand spanky new website. This is largely because no suitable variant on THE TWELVE was available as a domain name, and the old site needed a good going over anyway. Have a look at the links section - I've tried to include as many people as I could in the rush to get it online, concentrating mostly on authors with specific promotional sites

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-41850065851933936122008-12-01T20:51:00.003Z2008-12-01T20:59:40.342Z

I got a very pleasant surprise yesterday evening courtesy of John Connolly, via Declan Burke, by way of Jeremy Duns (whose debut Free Agent will appear next year). It seems this weekend's Irish Times ran a feature where various public figures, some literary, some otherwise, chose their books of 2008. One of those figures was John Connolly, and he said the following:"Meanwhile, this was a good

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-91663366442012745082008-11-26T20:49:00.004Z2008-11-26T21:02:57.553Z

Here's the jacket design for my debut novel. I just got this yesterday, and I must say I'm delighted. The eagle-eyed among you may notice something amiss, though. Have you spotted it yet?Yes, the title for the UK edition has been changed to THE TWELVE. The title for the American edition will still be THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST, but it was felt that that title would regionalise the book within a UK

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-16380706324021118012008-11-25T21:52:00.004Z2008-11-25T21:58:23.681Z

My blogging friend Gerard Brennan just published a short story on a new Noir fiction zine called A Twist of Noir. You can read the story here, and if you have a moment, congratulate the man himself.In the process, I believe Gerard may have created a new sub-genre by splicing Noir with Norn Iron, a common pronunciation of my homeland. That sub-genre is Norn Noir. You heard it here first.

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-6132241977999126762008-11-21T18:43:00.006Z2008-11-21T19:05:33.137Z

I'm delighted to report that THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST will be published in the USA by Soho Press, the independent New York house. Laura Hruska acquired it as part of a two-book deal from my ever-excellent agent Nat Sobel, and the book has found a wonderful home. Soho Press publish a range of literary and crime fiction, often set in foreign locales, and quite a few UK authors pitch their American

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-61900302555455635102008-11-10T21:35:00.003Z2008-11-10T21:43:35.820Z

This Wednesday at 1:00pm I shall be in Queen's University's Seamus Heaney Centre being interrogated by Ian Sansom in front of an audience of ... oh, I'm sure it'll be thousands. It's the first time I'll have done anything like this, and as someone whom Queen's University rejected twice, albeit for music courses, I feel a little bit of a charlatan. So, if you happen to be in the Belfast area this

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-70402035559471948812008-11-05T07:00:00.004Z2008-11-05T07:00:01.891Z

Some of you may think the result of the US presidential election is the most important thing happening in the world today. Well, you're wrong. One of my very favourite bloggers, Moonrat, the anonymous New York editor, has been online two years today at editorialass.blogspot.com. Anyone who follows the Editorial Ass knows that Moonrat is one of the kindest, smartest, funniest publishing

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-31773741935937290672008-10-23T21:40:00.003+01:002008-10-23T21:49:04.027+01:00

I met John Connolly, the hugely successful author of the Charlie Parker series as well as such stand-alones as THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, at the Dun Laoghaire crime writers' weekend last month. I was a bit cheeky and asked Mr. Connolly if he wouldn't mind giving THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST a quick once-over, and I was surprised when he graciously consented. My editor at Harvill Secker, Geoff Mulligan,

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37190965.post-37789213015737268902008-10-20T22:54:00.003+01:002008-10-20T23:01:29.326+01:00

Inspired by my friend Cindy, I have signed up for NaNoWriMo 2009, a worldwide event (despite the National in the title) where participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I'll admit up front that I'm kind of cheating because I already have a few thousand words written, but I think it'll act as encouragement to get cracking on my new book. I'm hoping to have the

Stuart Nevillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.com14