Critical Mick

May 2008: (Three Years of Reviews Free of Rules!) New interview:

Tale Spinner. Fourtold author Michael Stone on the construction of his first book, the importance of online communities, his fantasies of a Honda Fireblade, and that red-skinned guy with the horns and cloven hooves.

April 2008: Two New Interviews!

What the Butler Never Saw. The Cat Trap author K.T. McCaffrey tells Critical Mick secrets about a woman trapped within police tape, about why writing each installment of a series does not get easier, about fear of Tarantino and a story he will never write.

The Difference is Devotion. Possession, Obsession and a Diesel Compression Engine author Gerard Brennan on what sets Northern Irish crime fiction apart, on horror versus chick-lit, and how a writing career began with getting beat up in a pub in Wexford.

March 2008: New Northern Irish Crime Fic Site

NI author Gerard Brennan's new site about criminal activity, post-Troubles, Up Da North.

February 2008: Two Yokes!

Proving There Are No Limits: Laura Lippman Interview

The Last Place author Laura Lippman sets Critical Mick straight on the real advantage of not having a day job, on identity theft, on why she writes (kick ass!) crime fiction, and what it is NOT a normal smell for Baltimore.

Best Book Read in

The winner is announced, plus the year in unruly review...

December 2007: Fr. Walter Macken Jr Interview

A Writer's Legacy: Walter Macken

To mark the 40th anniversary of Walter Macken's death, the son of Ireland's most popular historical novelist discusses his father's life and legacy, motivations and methods. Interview with Rafael Guzman for The Writing Show.

December 2007: R. Scott Taylor Interview

Go With Your Imagination.

Stingy Jack author R. Scott Taylor hands down the coconuts on New Orleans, new novels, booze and thieving. Also mentioned: book marketing, diplomatic immunity, legends, lawyers and sheep droppings.

Many Thanks!

Cheers to all who have used Critical Mick's amazon.com link to make their purchases in 2007! My stocking don't need no more stuffing. Send a present to the third world instead via Concern.

November 2007: It's Very Quiet Around Here

Congrats to Sarah Maurer, Gustavo Florentin and Lewis Reade, winners of The Writing Show's 2007 contest!

Mick is still devoting time to a personal project.

New reviews of about ten books soon.

HEY!! Support for a Good Cause II

The Christmas season is coming. Send a present to the third world via Concern.

September 2007: Philip Henry Interview

The Bastard Child of Stephen King and Douglas Adams.

Critical Mick quizzes Mind's Eye author Philip Henry on monsters, Booker Prize winners, John Hughes movies and surviving high school in Portstewart, Northern Ireland.

HEY!! Support for a Good Cause

The long-awaited Do the 'Write' Thing anthology of new Irish fiction is now available. It contains work by Kate Dempsey, so it should be good! All royalties support the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.

Picture of Mick's to-read stack updated, September 2007!

August 2007: Check These Out, Online and In-Person...

Detectives Beyond Borders does for the best of worldwide crime fiction what Crime Always Pays does for Irish. Why? "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"

Chulrua, the Irish Trad band featuring crime novelist Erin Hart's husband Paddy O'Brien, amazed all in The Cobblestone on Monday, August 20. Come one! Come all!
[said the original news item... Irish crime writers Erin Hart and Declan Burke did just that. That evening there resounded was much sinister chuckling, and the normal kind too... ]

June 2007: New! THREE Interviews!

An Alluring Sort of Freedom. The Machine Man Letters author Monte Davis on identity, aspirations, inspirations, determination. Swimps and villains, journeys of fear, love, and self-actualization. Rush! Oh, and mimes.

Because It's Huge Fun. The Big O author Declan Burke on 30-something gals who can't get married and like to rob banks, calls out the blue, writing thrillers, indie publishing and trading karate kicks with Westlife.

Where the Bodies are Buried. Murder Off the Books author Eveyln David on long-distance collaboration, promoting a first novel, Irish wolfhounds, and that Santa Claus suit beside the coffin display.

May 2007: Hurrah! Two Years of Critical Mick!

125 webpages of hard work, and then along comes a last-minute gurrier who does it all better.

For author interviews, reviews, information, gossip and all great things related to Irish Crime, check out Crime Always Pays at http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com. Declan Burke, who runs the site, is author of a quality tome balancing atop my nightstand. If his novel is written with the same humor as his blog, it'll be a cracker.

April 2007: New Writing Show Interview

This Ain't Written Like The Hardy Boys. Mick chats with Chion author Darryl Sloan about his novels, the do-it-yourself approach to filmmaking and publishing, and zombies!

Writing Contest Makes Every Entrant a Winner with a 750-word Critique! April, '07

First prize for this "best first chapter of an unpublished novel" competition is $500, the two-volume print version of Literary Market Place, and an interview on the popular podcast The Writing Show. Two second prizes comprise $100 each.
Rules, instructions for entering, and more detail can be found on The Writing Show Web site.

March 2007: Two New Interviews!

Committing Oneself to Writing. One Hand Screaming author Mark Leslie.
Uncommon and Great. Critical Mick's interview with The Editors of Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine.

February 2007: The Mac Daddy.

Check out the newly-launched www.waltermacken.com.

January 2007: Thrillsville

Happy New Year! As promised, the winner of the Critical Mick Best Book Read in 2006 has been announced. The literary world can now officially stop holding its breath.

December 2006: A Villain Named After Mick!

YES!! The incredible Michael Stone has named a villain after me in his short story "Speaking in Forked Tongues", available now (free!) in Issue 2 of the the exciting new webzine Down in the Cellar. To be a literary villain has been my heart's eighth fondest wish for many years.

October 2006: criticalmick.com finally updated

Please offer an unruly welcome to Conor Michael Halpin, born 23 September!
"Get ready for BIG changes, Mick-o!" promises the new Junior Editor.

September 2006: Irish Crime

Though criticalmick.com has reviewed History, Guidebooks, Poetry, Booker prize winners, literary events and even Romance, the site's focus remains "Mainly Irish fiction. Mainly crime." A new page on Irish Crime collects all crime crits with an Irish connection in one handy place, plus brand-new essays on real crime, true crime, and Irish crime cinema. Visit Irish Crime.

July 2006: Excerpt from December's Children

Michael Loyd Gray, author of the Best'06-nominated Confederate Nation: Special Appearance by Elvis Presley, presents criticalmick.com with an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming novel December's Children.

March 2006: John MacKenna Interview Posted

In association with writingshow.com, Mick interviews poet/novelist/journalist/biographer John MacKenna

January 2006: The Critical Mick Interviews

Mick speaks with Kevin Stevens in the first of a new series of Author Interviews