Robert Craven's blog

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2025

Thirty Four Kilometres from where I live is Newgrange , and this morning the winter solstice took place. The site is believed to be over 5000 years old, and today is the shortest day and the longest night in Ireland. Its a time of stories being told around fires, of staying close to the light and ignoring the darkness around. And the world today is in a very, very dark place. So we console ourselves with stories, tales and conversations...

International Dublin Writer's Festival - Saturday 09-21-24 *Transcript of talk / Dublin

Personal Background: Good morning my name is Robert Craven. I am the author of ten novels, my 10th, Malign Intent was released earlier this year. Firstly , I would like to thank Laurence O’Bryan and his team here for this opportunity to talk with you this morning. Secondly , if we have time at the end, I’ll be happy to take some questions from you, (the audience). Purpose of the Talk: Publishing is a very, very tough game, more so in fact over...

E Z Fiction Interview September 2024 - Spotfy & YouTube

I had the great pleasure of talking to Edith Zeitlberger of EZ Fiction about MALIGN INTENT and the background to the creation of Crowe. She is extremly warm and engaging and her podcasts have a very easy going vibe. It was an absolute pleasure to chat to her. Links below - MURDER IN IRELAND. YouTube Spotify https://www.robert-cravenauthor.ie Check them out!

Save the date 09-21-24 Dublin writer's festival

Save the date Location - The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1 I will be speaking at The International Dublin Writer's Festival on Saturday 21st, The theme of my talk is my personal writing journey over 10 books, and remaining resitlient and positive offering insights and suggesteions in this rapidly shifting environment of indie publishing. My latest Malign Intent will be available at the venue and I will be happy to chat...

Where the landscape becomes a central character

Malign Intent is the sequel to and the second in a planned series featuring the protagonist Garda Inspector P.J. Crowe. It’s my second contemporary crime thriller. Like its predecessor A KIND OF DROWNING, it was inspired by the rugged coastline of Ireland’s East Coast. A coastline with local tales of smuggling, small coves, and fishing towns. A coastline rich in both oral and written history. In these books of Crowe, the landscape and its many...

World Book Day 07.03.24 *My talk at Drogheda Grammar School, Ireland

I was nervous, I'll be honest. I was standing in the gym to give a talk to two groups - 5th year & TY years - about not only how important books are today (perhaps even more so now), but also my journey as a writer and my processes. But I had nothing to worry about; after my spiel as to how I became a writer, a very lively Q&A from the students kept me on my toes. And I found their enthusiasm infectious. I was also very honest with them...

February 24th #Irelandreads

"T he more bookstores you go into, the more you’ll realize how many different ways there are to be curious." - Paul Yamazaki - City Lights Bookstore / San Francisco I was talking to a fellow author over the week, he's both a respected author and a valued mentor. He says its increasingly hard to sell copies these days with so much competition from streaming services, whether you're a big name or not. And he has a point - but only to a point. I...

MALIGN INTENT - launch day

MALIGIN INTENT @Amazon @ Kobo Well, after three years, one fried 8-year-old HP laptop, (replaced with a wonderful, repurposed ASUS Chromebook), one scrapped 95000 word draft reduced to a handful of key scenes rebuilt over 10 full rewrites, MALIGN INTENT was launched yesterday. Blasted across my social media, my eyes were square by 5pm yesterday! Its my 10th novel. A landmark in itself, but also a crossroads. MALIGN INTENT was by far the hardest...

MALIGN INTENT *One week to go & a Kindle review already in!

With the paperback version of MALIGN INTENT out on 01.27.24, I have the book released on #Kindle aheaed of the launch & already the first review is in! https://www.amazon.com/Malign-Intent-Murder-Crowe-ebook/dp/B0CR7M45ZS/re... "I n this sequel to the crime thriller 'A Kind of Drowning', Garda Inspector P.J. Crowe is called to investigate when a body is found swaying from a tree at the edge of a forest. His boss tells him to write off the...

If not now, when? - some thoughts on my 10th release - MALIGN INTENT

If not now, when? To borrow Shane Horgan’s comment on the Ireland v NZ All-blacks quarter final match in the Rugby World Cup 23 (and with a nod to Primo Levi), If not now, when? Is the constant thought of an indie author. When? MALIGN INTENT is my tenth novel and the follow up to A Kind of Drowning , a second crime thriller featuring Garda Inspector P. J. Crowe. MALIGN INTENT will be released on Amazon KDP on January 27th 2024. It has taken two...

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