"Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
This past Wednesday, I went to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Neptune Theatre. Written by Martin McDonagh and directed by Rosemary Dunsmore, this play delivers everything you could want. It’s a strangely twisted gem, blending comedy and drama in such a way that one moment you are laughing out loud, and the next you are gasping in horror and shock. Either way, both ends of the spectrum keep you riveted to the players on the stage.
Set in a small village in County Galway, Ireland, Maureen Folan (Laura deCarteret) - a bonafide 40 year old virgin, lives in a sparse little cottage with her mother Mag (Mary Colin Chisholm), a relentless harpy of an old woman. Maureen has been trapped playing caregiver for the past 20 years and as the play goes on, seeds of why that is are sown.
The two women share a completely dysfunctional relationship and it is clear Maureen wishes she could escape, but seems unable to do so. At least until a hint of romance begins with Pato Dooly (Hugh Thompson), a man from town who is bitter about having to constantly move away to England to work. It is his younger brother, Ray (played hilariously by Ryan Bondy), who delivers much of the comic relief, acting as messenger for his brother. And it is these messages that ultimately lead to tragedy and betrayal.
I don’t want to say too much about what the tragedy is or how it comes about; the not knowing is what keeps you perched on the edge of your seat. But I will say this, if you are in the area, buy a ticket and treat yourself to the experience. You won’t regret it. And if you are not in the area, and this play comes to your town, make sure you take the opportunity to check it out.
And that was my night at the theatre.
"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." ~ Hugh Allen
I’m getting excited about New York in June. I know I have a while to wait, but I can’t help it. I'm arriving in the Big Apple on Saturday before conference starts to spend a little time exploring the city with my two RWAC cohorts, Lilly Cain and our chapter prez, Annette Gallant. I’ve never been to NYC before, so while this is a work trip, it’s also a pleasure trip as well.
I love that we’re staying in the middle of the action. It’s a great central point. I plan on doing a little shopping, a whole lot of sightseeing, and a general wandering around. I’d love to take a run through Central Park too, though I have no idea how close the park is to our hotel. Time to break out the map.
The other thing I’m happy about is that I made the goal of going to the New York conference as a published author. Check and done. By the time conference rolls around, THE OUTLAW BRIDE will have been on the electronic shelves for two months. Where I don’t have a print book to allow me to do the literary signing, etc, I will have to get a little inventive on what promo materials to take with me to help get my name / book out there.
Would walking through the lobby of the hotel with a bullhorn be too much do you think? Perhaps so. A more subtle approach then.
Just as an aside, while I am typing this, my dog has his nose jammed under the register and is snorting up a storm. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to find there other than a dust bunny or three…
Meanwhile, back in the everyday, this will be a busy week. My partial of Salvation Falls sent to Harlequin over a year ago, seems to have fallen through the cracks somewhere. So I need to resend it to the editor. I’m doing one final read through and then off it goes. Wish me luck.
I will be attending the Neptune Theatre this week to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane. My friend Julia Smith hooked me up with the theatre’s Word of Mouth evening. I was given two tickets to see the show, then will blog afterwards to promote it, hence the Word of Mouth. Or blog as it were. So stay tuned for next week’s blog to hear all about my night at the theatre and a recap on what went on this week.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go dislodge my dog’s nose from the register.
"For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work." ~Doug Larson
I had the best of intentions of blogging every week when 2011 started, I really did. But oddly, I discovered that time, like money, does not grow on trees. And the free time I used to have through the day at the old day job no longer existed with the new one. And while I’m enjoying the new job at CCS (Canadian Cancer Society) it is a hundred times busier than life at ING. Hence no time to squeeze out a quick blog post through the day. I’m lucky if I find time to break for lunch. My, how things have changed…
And given how the commute has eaten a half hour out of my writing time, there is little time in the morning to squeeze a blog post in after writing.
But I am determined to still manage a weekly post and get out and visit all my blog pals who I have sorely neglected this past month. I’m going to carve time out each week ahead of time to do just that.
So here I am, squeezing! And there is news to report. Last night, Romance Writers’ of Atlantic Canada were hosted by Charlie Mac Productions/Media Inc, EnviroWeb Consulting, and Bconnected Progressive Networking Organization for a great evening of networking and promotion. The event was held at Argyle Fine Art Gallery’s new location. Despite a brief snow squall shortly before the event started, we had a good sized crowd and a good time was had by all. It was my first opportunity to get out there and promote THE OUTLAW BRIDE. Here’s a pic of me holding the cover. I received the file a couple days before and managed to whip off photos of it to take to the event.
Which is the other big news – my cover. I’m waiting for the final file from Carina Press to post the cover, just in case they have a few last minute changes, but you can get sneak peak in the picture above.
As for the writing, it was a little slow going for the first month trying to find a balance with the new routine and limited amount of time. I’m still tweaking it to maximize my writing time, but it’s getting better. I’ve finished taking Angela James’ course on self-editing, Before You Hit Send, which was great. I’m currently using that to clean up SALVATION FALLS before I send it off to Sally Williamson (hopefully next week). Turns out Harlequin lost the partial I had originally sent, which is why I hadn’t heard anything back in so long. My writing bud, Donna Alward, checked in with Sally Williamson and discovered this for me, and Ms. Williamson suggested I resend to her direct. But after taking Angela James’s course, I want to ensure SF is in the best possible shape, so I’m taking a week to clean up before I hit send.
Then I’m on to finish INVITATION TO SCANDAL and THE WIDOW BRIDE before the conference in NYC which I am booked for, hotel room secured and flights arranged. Can’t wait! Then, after conference, I'm going to spend the second half of the year working on something new and different which I'm pretty excited about.
Oh – and the last bit of news – my website revamp is completed! Take a look: www.kellyboyce.com. And thanks to AnneInspired for the great work on the design.
