US College Radio Interview!

Out of the blue, I was contacted by Radhika of the student-run radio station of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. She's a fan of the Chronicles of Faerie and asked if she could interview me about those books and also my new work, People of the Great Journey. I said fine and we had a great chat. The interview airs today on www.waynradio.net at 7:10 pm eastern standard time, 4:10 pm pacific time, and 12:10 am (just past midnight) in Ireland and the UK. Radhika's programme is a mix of international music and book reviews and, of course, occasional interviews. There will be a podcast later on in the week. I'll post the link to that when it's up. Listening to the station yesterday, I really enjoyed it.

Oratorio Terezin

Here is one of the magical synchronicities that enrich my life from time to time: I recently received an email from a Canadian reader who said she had read my fairy books as a child - The Light-Bearer's Daughter being her favourite. Grown now, a young woman, she bought People of the Great Journey. When she came to the part of the book which includes the story of Terezin, or Theresienstadt as it was also called, she was astonished. You see, as a child she took part in the Oratorio Terezin, a heart-breaking and exquisite opera involving a full orchestra, children's and adult choirs, and soloists. They sang pieces from the Bible alongside poems written by the children imprisoned in Terezin, most of whom died in Auschwitz: of 15,000 children, only 100 survived. This Oratorio was created by Ruth Fazal, a Canadian composer. You can read all about it and order CDs and DVDs at this website: www.ruthfazal.com. What my reader could hardly believe was that she had read my books as a child and also took part in the Oratorio, and then was brought back to Terezin when she read my adult work. What was amazing for me was that I had not heard of the Oratorio and was stunned by the beauty of the music and the poetry. If (no, when) this book goes to film, I will make certain the director is aware of Ms Fazal's work.

People's Book Prize

My publishers just informed me that I am up for the People's Book Prize in the UK. There are no judges other than readers! It's very simple. You got to this website http://www.peoplesbookprize.com then register and vote. I was on the first page the last time I checked. This is not a scam or a harvest-your-email effort. The first patron was Beryl Bainbridge and the current patron is Frederick Forsyth. The mission statement is to promote literacy and introduce authors newly published in the UK.

Inspiration from the Aoife Doyle Band

I'm working on a film script at the moment and, as with any creative project, I get my inspiration from everything around me. Was at JJ Smith's last week in Dublin, the Thursday night jazz club upstairs, and was bowled over by this young singer and her band. Changed the title of my script to Farewell, Angelina (Bob Dylan cover) and hope to have that song as the theme song, along with the Aoife Doyle Band singing it! Even envisaged a club scene where they could appear, singing the song, while also moving the plot along ...

RTE Podcast

My interview on RTE's Talking Books is now up in podcast form. Here's the long link: http://www.newstalk.ie/player/podcasts/Talking_Books/Talking_Books/45637/1/chapter_twentyfour_conjuring_fantastical_worlds. And here's an alternate route: go to www.newstalk.ie, click on PODCASTS in the title menu, then search TALKING BOOKS in the filter menu. I'm Chapter Twenty-Four, dated February 17. You'll see a photo of the great JRR Tolkien. Nice to be in such esteemed company. The programme covers my new book and a new book about him.

RTE Talking Books Interview

I'll be interviewed on RTE's Talking Books programme tomorrow morning, February 16 (my daughter's birthday!) at 7:00-8:00 am. Go to Newstalk 106-108 FM on your dial in Ireland or listen on the web at www.newstalk.ie. The interviewer is the fascinating Susan Cahill who has made documentaries on South America. She has also written some fine spiritual pieces. Just do a search for her and you'll find her work. A podcast of the interview will be available later in the week for those of you still snoozing on a Sunday morning.

The Fountain

When I saw the trailer for The Tree of Life I thought I would love it; thought it might be the visual poem of the book I was writing at the time, People of the Great Journey. But no. Though the film was evidently the autobiography of the film-maker placed within the greater question of the meaning of life, I felt it just didn't get there. Left me cold and sometimes bored, definitely not inspired. Now here, an older film, much closer to my vision! And I'm astonished that any of the reviews I read of The Tree of Life didn't refer to The Fountain, a far more exquisite depiction of the same theme: the microscosmic/macrocosmic reality of life. The stunning Zen psychonaut sequences could be used for some of the Breathwork sessions described in my tale. Amazing that I never saw this before nor heard of it and found it entirely by chance (hah!) when I searched for a sci fi film to watch.