Category Archives: Fiction

If You Give a Person a Special Person, they’re probably going to need…

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Ciara Darren

So, after Valentine’s Day…. I’ve been on the advise-offering end of relationship conversations for years, I think, because I can listen very well, for hours, especially if I’m sipping vodka. That, and I keep a leprechaun in my basement, making … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Life, People, Relationships, Relationships in Fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Published: TERMS of Derangement is on Amazon

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Ciara Darren

TERMS of Derangement is published on Amazon. What more is there to say, other than thank you, to all my beta readers, those who have been reading each week online and my wonderful team. This is a story of intrigue, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Publishing, Terms | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Permission to Fail: Word Count, Productivity, and the Commute

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Ciara Darren

  Word count. It used to be the bane of my existence as a writer. If I wrote five hundred words in a day, I was ecstatic. The first day I did a thousand, I vaguely remember being ridiculously pleased … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Productivity, Publishing | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Modern Myths: The Active Audience, Imagination and Why I Love Fanvids

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Ciara Darren

Stories are alive. As long as they are read, watched, discussed, they live on in the hearts and souls of every one they have touched. Th author has little control once the tale has flown from their fingers, it grows, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Surviving the End: Sterlizing the Hero and the Lie of Omission

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Ciara Darren

Even when you win, you haven’t finished. What you’ve really done is survived.  In many works of speculative fiction the last chapter, the final few moments of the show or the movie is full of fireworks and toasting. We survived! … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Blurred Lines of Genre and Why We Still Need to Know Them

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Ciara Darren

When I was thirteen and first wrapped my mind around the concept of genre while gobbling up all the ‘how to write’ books at my local library – back before there were many blogs and online chatrooms or I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments