Christina McDonald
Christina has been telling stories as long as she can remember, and has always wanted to be a writer. “I went into journalism as a way to make money from writing.” Graduating in America just after…
James Butler
James’s mother died when he was 10, leaving him, and his seven siblings in the care of their father, a farm labourer, who treated them with benign neglect. He loved comics, but didn’t develop a love…
Steph Booth
When Tony Booth was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, his wife, Steph, was at a loss. The medical profession seemed to know little of the reality of the illness, and information was sketchy. “I was told, ‘this…
Adrian Wistreich
Son of a Polish émigré, Adrian grew up in South London, but he boarded from age 8 to 13 at Westminster Abbey Choir School. “I sang at Winston Churchill’s funeral and Princess Anne’s wedding.” After University…
Sinead Gleeson
Sinead and I first met on a snowy morning in 2010. She was on crutches after a hip replacement; my arm was in a sling because I’d tripped over my dog, and the writer Howard Jacobson,…
Beth O’Leary
Beth grew up in Winchester, the youngest of six children. “I spent a lot of time reading and writing, retreating from the noise!” She started out by writing Young Adult fiction. “But The Flat Share was…
Kealan Ryan
Films have always been Kealan’s thing. As a student he wanted to work behind the camera and write for the screen, and after college, he stayed home and worked with some camera men before settling down,…
Charlotte Bingham
I’ve always been aware of the writer, Charlotte Bingham. I remember my mother laughing out loud, reading Coronet Among the Weeds, Bingham’s send up of her time as an English debutante, ‘doing’ the season. In the…
Brian Coughlan
After his degree in science, Brian specialised in pharmaceuticals, and has been working in the sector ever since. “I worked for Glaxo Smith Klein in Cork for many years, and then moved to Mylan in Galway.”…
Eleanor O’Reilly
After university, Eleanor went straight into teaching. “I did my teaching practice in Loretto Foxrock. Afterwards they gave me a job, and I was there for two years. Then, in 2001, I moved to Gorey Community…
Sarah Davis Goff
Sarah Davis-Goff is bubbling over with happiness. It showed the moment we met to discuss her dystopian debut novel – last ones left alive. She’s animated as she tells me of her passion for the story,…
Jenny McCartney
Brought up near Belfast the youngest of four, Jenny attended Oxford University, and then she moved to Prague for 18 months. “I worked as a proof reader on the Prague Post, then, after a short time…