Angela Graham
Angela has always loved words. She read Chamber’s Dictionary from cover to cover as a child, and had her first poem published aged 7. “My parents were poor, but they made good use of the library….
Review. Dermot Bolger
I first became aware of Dermot Bolger in 2000, when I read his seventh novel, Temptation. I was blown away; marvelling at Bolger’s ability to get into the mind of a woman so well. In that,…
Doireann Ni Ghriofa
There’s something other worldly about Doireann Ní Ghríofa. Exuding warmth and empathy, she speaks as she writes – fast and fluently, and there’s a natural lyricism there. She’s also quite disarming honest. Highly renowned in the…
Patrick Freyne
Patrick wrote songs as a teenager, but didn’t get down to writing prose until his twenties. His energies, at the time, were focused on his band. “I was doing other jobs – including bits of journalism,”…
Adrian McKinty
When Adrian McKinty won The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year award recently, he was overwhelmed. The Northern Irish author is no stranger to prizes; his wins include The Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly…
Jean Kyoung Frazier
Jean’s mum immigrated from Korea to the US at 17, and while she spoke English pretty flawlessly, she found reading harder.“She bought me as many books as I wanted,” says Jean. “It brought her a lot…
Grainne Murphy
Gráinne enjoyed an idyllic rural childhood. “There was lots of freedom. We cycled, and played in the forest and the river.” Her parents encouraged her love of reading – everything from Enid Blyton to the classics….
Helly Acton
Helly’s family lived in Zimbabwe and Saudi before settling in England when Helly was 14. “I loved reading and films, and I made up stories, but I didn’t think I’d become an author.” She worked in…
Michael Russell
Back in 1979, Michael Russell lived in Leeds. He stayed for eleven years, first farming and writing, and then working for Yorkshire television. It was the time when Peter Sutcliffe, better known as the Yorkshire Ripper,…
Zoe Somerville
A prolific writer as a child, Zöe lost her confidence as a teenager. “I was too intimidated. It was, almost, as if I’d read too much!” During university holidays, she went to America, then taught English…
John Boyne
John Boyne quite enjoyed lockdown. Without the need to get out and meet people – without appointments in his calendar, he spent his days doing what he likes best; simply reading and writing. Starting at 8.00…
Sandra Harris.
An introverted child, Sandra spent a lot of time reading. “It was a great escape,” she says. She moved to Dublin in 1991, and from 2005, has Cared for her second child, who is autistic…