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Something magical happens when you
assemble a crowd of Irish writers,
artists, actors, and raconteurs in
a room and add some Irish music and
an open bar. Last night in NYC the annual gathering
the Irish Writers snd Artists Guild was
no exception. Wit and wisdom abounded and
a generous helping of lyrical poetry caused
spirits to soar. The pride in all things Irish
was palpable among this gathering of Irish
diaspora and it was a beautiful thing.
Patricia Falvey www.patriciafalve
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As I lay awake in the pre-dawn hours this morning listening to the rain soak the parched Texas earth, I began to ponder the age-old question: Who am I? These days however that question has become: What is my Brand? Everywhere I go, it seems, people are insisting I must know and project my brand. If one is a business owner, consultant, author, artist, or almost anyone who wants the public to know, like, trust and ultimately recommend or buy from them, then one must have a brand, say these self-appointed arbiters of success. So I have been struggling with this question for some time. But my brand is proving elusive. It won’t come quietly or obediently at my beckoning. It dares me to put a label on it. Actually, it sounds like me. I have many labels for myself: woman, immigrant, author, friend; also loving, sentimental, occasionally zany, courageous, scared, stubborn, accomplished, klutzy, lover of all things humorous, technodolt, undisciplined, crazy about all things Irish…and the list goes on. I, like every living person, am a many-faceted creature. Aspects of myself reveal themselves to others depending on the circumstances, just as each passerby catches their own unique glimpse of a mannequin spinning in a shop window. So how to bundle all of that ever-changing, untidy energy into one neat package and put a pithy label on it? The truth is, that like Eileen O’Neill in The Yellow House, I fear I am too independent to allow myself to be branded at all!!!!
Patricia Falvey www.patriciafalveybooks.com
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I just returned from RockStarMarketing bootcamp in L.A. I went to learn about social networking. I’m trying to get over brain freeze everytime someone mentions blogs, opt-ins, internet presence, etc. So I have embarked on a journey to conquer this heretofore (to me) foreign and frightening landscape of social networking. I’m assured people are interested in what I have to say. Really?? Well, I suppose if I stay away from updates on what I had for breakfast and stick to things in the world that I find interesting I might gather a few followers. Things that interest me include travels and adventures in my beloved Ireland; the ups and downs of a late life career as a novelist; all things humorous, including the everyday ironies of life;John Stewart, American Idol, and Masterpiece Theater; friends and family (not the AT&T plan, but the real people)….wow, I guess there is plenty to talk (sorry, I mean blog) about. It took me two days to figure out how to get back on this blog which has been silent for the last 6 months, but here I am all logged-in and managing my blog and posting comments! So with some more perseverance and a little encouragement from friends old and new I vow to keep it going. Bloggingly yours, Patricia. www.patriciafalveybooks.com
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Hello again everyone. You have been so patient. I promise a renewed effort to keep my blog active. And I’m starting with news that I’m going to visit Ireland on June 15th. I will actually arrive in Dublin on June 16th, which is Bloomsday, named in honor of James Joyce;s book, Ulysses. I’m told people dress up and re-enact Leopold Bloom’s tour around Dublin – including a watering hole or two. I hope I can join them next week. Will let you know. All best, Patricia
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Hello again – I have a new book out called The Linen Queen. Check it out.
thelinenqueenbook.com
Filed under: Irish Tales
A typical Irish home.
Hello Again and Welcome -
I’m slowly getting the hang of this blogging thing.
I have updated some info including my bio, and an essay I wrote about my grandmother and her influence on my life and my book, The Yellow House. I wonder how many of you out there have “grandmother” stories? I think they have been seriously underrated. Many of us owe a great deal to them – I know how much I owe mine.
As I go along here, I hope to give you a glimpse into the ups and downs, delights and frustrations, panic and euphoria of having a first book published. Most days I feel as if I am caught in a washing machine spin cycle – then I pause and realize how lucky I am.
Wishing you all a great week.
Filed under: Irish Tales
I live in Dallas, Texas and now write full time and teach part time. I just bought a house in County Armagh, where I was born, and hope to spend more time there in the future. The Yellow House is my first novel. I spent many years in another profession. But, writing was always my dream. And this is a dream come true. Read more about my journey on the Biography page.
Filed under: Irish Tales
This is my first post to date on my new blog. Thanks for checking in to find out a little something about “The Yellow House,” my first novel. Much of the material in the book comes from stories that were told to me by my grandmother, in Ireland.
Her picture is on the left, taken some time after the events and times depicted in the novel, which were in the early part of the last century. For more on my grandmother’s influence on my life and The Yellow House please read “In Loving Memory” on page 2 of this blog.
My grandmother’s full name was Ellen Jane Hayes Toner.
