Esther Freud
There’s a photograph in Esther Freud’s office of a beautiful young girl in first communion bridal glory. I noticed it on the shelf behind her as we talked of her latest novel, and she said it…
Eimear Ryan
Eimear Ryan started writing her debut novel, holding her breath, back in 2013, shortly after finishing an M Phil in Creative Writing. As a highly successful short story writer, however, Eimear found the longer form harder…
Trev Burke
Badly dyslexic, at a time this wasn’t fully recognised, Trev struggled at school. “I loved drawing in primary school, but that skill disappeared when I was a teenager.” During and after college, Trev worked in bars…
Anamaría Crowe Serrano
Brought up bilingual in County Meath – Anamaría has a Spanish mother and Irish father – she moved to Dublin for college and has lived there since. Straight after getting her MA, Anamaría worked in the…
Harriet Kline
Becoming a writer has been a long-held ambition for Harriet. But being, also, interested in the analytical side of theatre, she chose to study drama with English. “I liked getting inside people’s heads through drama improvisation,…
Megan Nolan
Megan was a bookish child from an artistic background. “My father was a playwright and theatre director,” she says. “He founded Red Kettle Theatre Company. I had social anxiety, so I buried myself in books because…
Book signing with Ronan Smith
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of signing copies of If Memory Serves Me Wrong with my co-writer, wonderful Ronan Smith. It was a gorgeous sunny day in Wicklow town – and we got a great…
Nicole Kennedy
Nicole was born in England to Irish parents. “I have lots of family in Mayo, and my mum lives in Boyle.” She won prizes for English at school but went on to study law. “After my…
Kevin Doherty
An academic child who loved music and reading, Kevin wanted to be a doctor. He loved the science of it, but when, after studying it for three years, the training became more practical, he realised that…
Liza Costello
Lisa always loved reading, but having made a mistake on her CAO form, she studied Social Research instead of English Literature, and that led to a career in the subject. “I did qualitive studies for the…
Kirsty Capes
Kirsty was taken into care aged two. She had a positive experience, staying with the same family until she ‘aged out’ at 23, but she’s aware of the system’s downside. “There are always social workers…
Kevin Power
At 28, Kevin Power was flying high. His debut novel, Bad Day in Blackrock, published in 2008 had won high acclaim. Add to this, his 2009 wins of both the Hennessy Award, and the prestigious Rooney…