Top Ten things about WE CRY THE SEA

Happy Wednesday everyone this week I want to say a big hello to fellow NineStar Press Author Glenn Quigley who hails all the way from Northern Ireland. As many of you may remember I had Glen on a while ago to talk about his amazing novels the Moth and Moon and the sequel The Lion Lies Waiting, both are fantastic reads find the interview here and pick up the books here. Today he is here to share his Top Ten List for his new novel We Cry the Sea, The Moth and Moon, Book Three hitting bookshelves on March 15.

***

Pirates! Something referenced during the first two books in the MOTH AND MOON series, pirates take centre stage in this book. In the real world, the golden age of piracy ended about sixty years before the events of my book but that’s the beauty of fiction writing — we get to craft whatever world we want. I don’t want to spoil what happens but it starts with a daring raid and escalates from there.

Love Triangle! A newcomer arrives in the village and sets his sights squarely on Duncan. Who’s the other man in Duncan’s life? You’ll have to wait to find out.

Pinch! One of the most fun aspects of wiring this story was expanding the role of Arminell Pinch. First seen in book one (The Moth and Moon) as an unnamed tavern girl, she has a much larger role in this book. We get to find out about her family connection to the Moth & Moon, too. (Her mother’s name is one of the best I’ve ever come up with!)

Vince! Robin’s hulking older brother arrives with a bang and makes a lasting impact. Exploring how a surly, sullen, violent ex-criminal fits into gentle island life was a ton of fun to write. Vince made his first appearance in book two (The Lion Lies Waiting) and as soon as he appeared on the page, almost fully-formed, I knew he’d have a larger role to play.

Skinny-dipping! Bathing suits weren’t a thing in the 18th century. Certainly not with men. And certainly not with budding lovers…

Swords! It wouldn’t be a pirate story without some swashbuckling action and a light dusting of swordplay. One sword in particular was a joy to design. Wait until you see how the pirate queen uses it…

Flags! Who doesn’t love a good pirate flag? There are three prominent flags in this story, all of which you can now buy on t-shirts by clicking here.

The skull and cogs is also used as the scene break icon in the print edition of WE CRY THE SEA. The Sea Bear (Pirate King) is the logo I designed a few years ago for my own website and I cannot tell you how happy I was I realised I could use it in this story!

Map! Most of the action in my books takes place on a fictional island called Merryapple and at long last, I’ve drawn a map of it. It will appear in the print edition of WE CRY THE SEA and will also be available on my website. I had some rough sketches to work with, from back when I was writing the first book, and I’ve always tried to remain consistent with landmarks on the island. I resisted making an official map because I didn’t want to be tied down in terms of what is and isn’t on the island but it felt like the right time for one now. I spent a lot of time working on it and to finally have the village and the whole island all laid out is a real thrill for me. There are some places on the map which haven’t shown up in the books yet, but may well do in future stories, and some nods to my family and friends.

Robin! I’d be remiss if I didn’t list burly gay fisherman Robin Shipp as one of my Top Ten! He’s the hero of my novels and the voice I’ve been listening to in my head since I started writing about him in 2017. A big, cuddly, loveable, well-meaning oaf, I absolutely love writing him. Knowing that some readers love him as much as I do means the world to me.

The Moth & Moon! The inn at the heart of these books. The place I want to visit more than any other. Exactly as big as the story needs it to be, exactly as welcoming as you want it to be, The Moth is a place unlike any other. Did you know the name came to me in a dream, years ago? I made a note of it because I was certain it would be useful someday. I had no idea how it would come to shape my life. The Moth’s story began in the year 1401 and for all we know, it’s still standing today. That’s a long life. That’s a lot of stories…

***

Thank you Glenn for coming over and chatting with us today. Check out Glenn’s new book available March 15th. Also find Glenn on social media and keep up to date with everything he is up to. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week. 

About Glenn Quigley:

Glenn Quigley is a graphic designer originally from Dublin and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He creates bear designs for The Moody Bear (click here). He has been interested in writing since he was a child, as essay writing was the one and only thing he was ever any good at in school. When not writing or designing, he enjoys photography and watercolor painting.

Where to contact Glenn Quigley:

Find him on Twitter here.

Reach him on Facebook here.

Check out his website here.

---

Where to buy Glenn’s books:

Find them on Amazon here.

Get your copy from Ninestar Press here.

Blog RSS

Interview with Author Glenn Quigley

Happy Wednesday everyone this week I want to say a big hello to fellow NineStar Press Author Glenn Quigley who hails all the way from Northern Ireland. As many of you may remember I had Glen on a while ago to talk about his amazing novels the Moth and Moon and the sequel The Lion Lies Waiting, both are fantastic reads find the interview here and pick up the books here.

***

Welcome back Glenn. It’s been way to long since we’ve had a nice sit down. Now before we get started please tell everyone about yourself (something not in the bio):

After years of thinking about it but never doing it, I was in the middle of finally learning how to swim when the lockdown happened. So as soon as I can, I’m getting back into a pool and hoping I can remember how to float. 

What have you been doing since the last time you were here?

I’ve finally given in and bought myself an easel for my charcoal drawing and you know what? It’s great. I should have bought one years ago. I held off because I thought it would take up too much room but its fine and makes me feel like a proper artist. Next up, a beret.

I’ve written book three in my Moth and Moon series and I’ve started book four, which is going to be a prequel. So I guess that makes it book zero?

Last time you were here, I mentioned that you were not only a writer but also an artist. Tell us about your art?  When did you start drawing? What was your inspiration? Do you only do graphic design?

I’ve been drawing since I was a very young child. I’m a comicbook fan and my school books were filled with doodles of my own superhero characters. (And eyes. Everyone drew eyes, right?)

My mother is an artist and taught me a lot about painting and encouraged me to pursue art (and writing). We took some art classes together in the local library, too, which led to me having work displayed in the National Gallery in Ireland. I tend to bounce around with different mediums. Currently, it’s charcoal, which I hadn’t used since I was a teenager. I really love it, especially for portraits. My graphic design work these days tends to be mainly t-shirt design for The Moody Bear find them here and I’m currently working on a whole new range in a whole new style, so watch this space. 

Do you do contract art? Say if someone wanted to have you draw their characters from one of their books?

I actually did do some bespoke art for a novelist. I ran a Twitter competition where the prize was to have a character drawn. The winner was Kristin Noone and she chose Oliver from her novel A Prophecy for Two. It was a fun experience and I’d definitely do it again. I take commissions so maybe I should think about reaching out to authors.

Okay, tell us about your writing I know you have your two amazing books out right now, so what’s coming up next? Sequels? New stories? What?

The next book is the third in the series that began with The Moth and Moon and it sees someone getting shipwrecked on the island and revealing some shocking news that sends burly fisherman Robin Shipp on a perilous journey alone across the ocean. I can’t reveal any more at the moment, but it’s the biggest book I’ve written so far and I’m excited to get it out there.

All of your books are more or less historical fantasy, have you thought about a different genre? What genre would you love to write, but you haven’t gotten around to writing in it yet? Or does the idea intimidate you too much? 

I’m a huge sci-fi fan so I think that will be my next genre. I actually had an idea the other night for a story that I’ve been fleshing out. It’s quite an intimidating genre to jump into but I think it could be fun. I think the trick it to tell myself that no one else ever has to read it, so that way I can just relax and get into it.

Last question, what is the one thing you would love readers of you books to be left with? What message do you hope readers will walk with?

I hope that people are left with a sense of what the world could be like if we abandon our prejudices. I hope it makes them see the world a little more kindly.

***

Thank you Glenn for coming over and chatting with us today. Check out Glenn’s amazing artwork and don’t forget to read his books. Also find Glenn on social media and keep up to date with everything he is up to. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week. 

About Glenn Quigley:

Glenn Quigley is a graphic designer originally from Dublin and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He creates bear designs for The Moody Bear (click here). He has been interested in writing since he was a child, as essay writing was the one and only thing he was ever any good at in school. When not writing or designing, he enjoys photography and watercolor painting.

Where to contact Glenn Quigley:

Find him on Twitter here.

Reach him on Facebook here.

Check out his website here.

---

Where to buy Glenn’s books:

Find them on Amazon here.

Get your copy from Ninestar Press here.

Blog RSS

Interview with Author Glenn Quigley

Happy Wednesday everyone. This week I want to say a big hello to fellow NineStar Press Author Glenn Quigley. Glenn has two amazing novels out The Lion Lies Waiting and The Moth and Moon and he is coming to us from beautiful Northern Ireland.

---

Before we jump in, I just want to say welcome to my Scribbles Page.

Thanks very much for inviting me along!

Let’s start off with you telling us something about yourself that we won’t see in your bio.

Hmm, let’s see. I’m a huge fan of Transformers, and have been since 1984. I trained with a paranormal investigation group and have been on ghost hunts in people’s homes, a jail, and the Belfast Opera House. Oh, and I used to make teddy bears from socks. New socks, mind you!

No way! That is so cool.  Okay, I need to focus.

I know you’re also a graphic designer and I’ve seen some of your amazing art that you’ve posted on Social Media, you are very talented, clearly being creative most be a passion of yours so what came first the writing or the art?

Oh, thank you very much! I’d say the art came first, I was always a doodler as a child, but I also read a lot. Books and comics. I was never any good at schoolwork (I hated school), except for essays in English class, which I really enjoyed. Once I left school, I kept working at my art and taught myself Photoshop and other art programs. The writing took a back seat for many years, but I would often note down story ideas and write little passages that usually never really went anywhere.              

It’s amazing how that works. I sort of did the same thing. I had all these ideas, but nothing ever came of them. Of course, the extent of my drawing is creating an amazing stick figure. So, what inspired you to start writing?

From secondary school onwards, my mother urged me to keep writing. It was always her dream to one day have a book with my name on the cover and she would regularly ask me if I was still working on my writing.

I went back to college as a mature student in 2014 to study photography and graphic design, and while the first year went really well, the second year was in a different college and it was a horrible experience. It was like being back in school. I dropped out of the course and thought I’d better have something to show for that year, so I decided to try writing a short story. When I managed that, I thought I’d try expanding it into a full novel, and it became The Moth and Moon.

Speaking of The Moth and Moon, let’s talk about your books, you have two out right now, The Lion Lies Waiting and The Moth and Moon why don’t you tell us about them.

Click on the image to buy the books.

The Moth and Moon is set in the 18thcentury and is about a burly gay fisherman named Robin Shipp who lives on a tiny island off the coast of Cornwall. One day a storm blows in and turns his life upside down. 

The Lion Lies Waiting is set four months later, and sees Robin embroiled in political intrigue, family drama and a possible revolution on sinister Blackrabbit Island.

The books are set in a world without religion, so nobody suffers any kind of prejudice for their sexual orientation or gender. I knew when I started writing the story that I wanted it to be historical fiction but I didn’t want it to all happen behind closed doors, or have characters face any hardship for their orientation. Frankly, the real world has enough of that, and I wanted an escape. I reasoned that religion was the excuse many people used to persecute LGBT+ people so if I removed that, I removed a huge stumbling block for equality.

I needed the world of 1780 (the year the books are set in) to be recognizable, but believably different. The answer I came up with was to still have the Romans invade Britain, which gave me the history, cultural impact, names, language, etc. needed to make the world recognizable, but then when their empire falls, the church goes with it. Word spread throughout the world of what life could be like if people just believed in themselves and in each other, and gradually all religion is left by the wayside. So by the time the books are set, a thousand years later, society has embraced all genders and orientations. Oh, and there’s a clockwork technology in there too, just to serve as a little reminder that this is meant to be *a* past, not *the* past.

The main characters are a mix of gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight. 

That is an interesting concept. I have heard people say work could be called historical fiction, but considering the changes your made is that a correct assertion? Why did you pick this genre to write in? 

I think given the massive liberties I’ve taken with history a more accurate label would be Historical Fantasy. I love history documentaries; I find them a great source of inspiration. I chose the late 18thcentury because I think there’s something about being on the cusp of the industrial revolution that’s romantic, in a funny way. It’s like the last few years before the birth of the modern world.

Tell us about the characters we are going to meet in these novels, are they based on real people or are they completely made up? 

They are completely made up, although Robin, my main character, has a lot of my clumsiness in him. I think, as I was writing, some mannerisms from friends and family creeped in to characters here and there, but there are no direct similarities. I based characters appearances on real people just so I could keep them consistent, but I think a lot of writers do that.

Robin Shipp is 50, extremely tall, broad, heavy, and not that bright. He’s a fisherman who lives in the little village of Blashy Cove. When we first meet him, he’s living a quiet life, ostracized by the wider community as they believe his father murdered a local artist forty years ago. He has no family, and lives alone in a tall, thin house. He has friends named Edwin, a handsome baker, and Morwenna Whitewater, an elderly neighbor who took pity on him after his father died. We also meet Robin’s ex-lover, Duncan. A short, stocky man who works as a toymaker. He and Robin have a very frosty relationship and can’t bear to be around one another. Over the course of the first book we meet the grumpy innkeeper, Mr. Reed, the married aristocrats Ladies Eva and Iris Wolfe-Chase, Edwin’s mother Sylvia (who loves to stir up trouble) and a whole host of other characters.

That sounds like a fun cast. Now, living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, I would love to hear about your home, what are five must does if I were to ever make it over there?  

Lisburn is a small city, but it’s good for shopping as it’s so compact. It’s close to Belfast, which has lots of great bars, restaurants, and shops. Also nearby Hillsborough village is picturesque, with a lovely forest.

That sounds amazing. Ireland is on my list of places to visit so I hope to get there. Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

I design geeky tshirts for Moodybear, so head over to www.themoodybear.comand have a look!

I have a fun little series of Five Questions with Ninestar Press authors on my website, www.glennquigley.comand I’m always happy to chat on Twitter, so anyone can contact me on there. I’d also like to say thanks again for having me on your blog!

I want to thank fellow author Glenn Quigley for stopping by today and chatting with you us about his two books. If you have questions for Glenn leave them in the comments below and I’ll have him swing by and answer them. Remember to like and share this post with your family and friends. You can share by clicking the share tab below. Until next time have a great week.

About Glenn Quigley:

Glenn Quigley is a graphic designer originally from Dublin and now living in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He creates bear designs for www.themoodybear.com. He has been interested in writing since he was a child, as essay writing was the one and only thing he was ever any good at in school. When not writing or designing, he enjoys photography and watercolour painting.

Where to contact Glenn Quigley:

Click here for his website.

Find him on Facebook here.

Find him on Twitter here.

---

Blog RSS