Strangers’ Dangers

Sean Farrell reviewed Michael Russell’s THE CITY OF STRANGERS (Avon) in the Irish Independent last Saturday, and was very complimentary in the process. The gist:

“As before, Russell captures the time and the mood superbly, from the novel and exhilarating experience of flying transatlantic, to the atmosphere in the US as war beckons. It is a period when the USA, and New York in particular, harbours tens of thousands of Old IRA and many more exiles and sympathisers opposed to Eamon de Valera’s Ireland and all it stands for.
  “As pro-IRA, pro-German and isolationist groups increase pressure for the US to remain neutral in any conflict, the World’s Fair itself is dominated physically by the rival pavilions of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both offering different and unappetising visions of the future. The sense of Ireland, as a small and vulnerable nation, alone in this situation, is very well conveyed.” ~ Sean Farrell

  It may well be nothing more than coincidence, but there appears to be an interesting trend developing in Irish crime and mystery writing, in which a handful of authors are engaging with Ireland’s historical relationship with Germany. Stuart Neville’s RATLINES is the best known, but there’s also Joe Joyce’s ECHOLAND. JJ Toner’s THE BLACK ORCHESTRA is a thriller set in Germany during WWII, while Cora Harrison’s CROSS OF VENGEANCE, set in the 15th century, turns on the murder of a German pilgrim, an evangelical devotee of Martin Luther.
  For the full review of THE CITY OF STRANGERS, clickety-click here …

The Write Stuff

JJ Toner has just launched a short story competition, ‘Write4Autism’, with the intention of raising awareness of, and funding for, Enhanced Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder Initiatives (ASDI), a registered charity working with adults with Autism in Ireland. To wit:

Write4Autism is a new short story competition, launching today. The prize fund will be determined by the number of entries received, up to a maximum of €4,500 (about $6,000).

The prizes on offer are as follows:

First prize 50% of the prize fund up to a maximum of €2,250 (about $3,000)
Second prize 25% of the prize fund up to a maximum of €1,125 (about $1,500)
Third prize 10% of the prize fund up to a maximum of €450 (about $600)
18 addition prizes from the remaining 15% of the prize fund up to a maximum of €37.50 (about $50)

The entry fee is €7.50 (about $10) per story, the word limit 1,500 words.

We have a judging panel of three great writers: Colin Bateman, Declan Burke and Lucille Redmond.

The proceeds from the competition will be used to fund Enhanced Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder Initiatives (ASDI), a registered charity working with adults with Autism in Ireland.

Depending on the quality of the winning stories, they may be published in an eBook for Kindle, with the proceeds of this eBook going to the charity.

For all the details, clickety-click here.