Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Liverpool but left as a teenager and I now live on Ireland’s amazing Wild Atlantic Way.
I share my life with my husband, one gorgeous rescued German Shepherd with attachment disorder, one tiny rescued Jack Russell pup who enjoys chewing on laptop leads, ten hens who regularly escape to visit the neighbour’s gardens, and two lucky ducks.
I spend most of my time making up stories, and after spending many years in admin jobs I am happy to admit I find the fictional world preferable to the office world.
I have been widely published in various magazines and newspapers and my short stories won many prizes in Ireland.
I have also written for film and television and have written, produced and directed short films and documentary in Ireland.
At the moment I have one adult novel out. The novel is called ‘Piggy Monk Square’ and several others in progress. ‘Piggy Monk Square’ was originally published by Tindal Street Press in the UK and when the rights reverted to me I republished it on Amazon.
‘Piggy Monk Square’ was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, optioned for film and broadcast on RTE’s Book on One.
I also used to write regularly for a children’s radio show here in Ireland until the program was axed and the writing team, myself included, was replaced with a talking dog – I think the dog worked cheaper!
This galvanized me into finding a new outlet for my work and so I started adapting my children’s stories from radio fiction to the written word and began publishing them as short stories on Amazon.
When I am not making things up I love walking around the country lanes and seashore where I live. My love of nature and its natural magic inspires my Ballyyahoo series of children’s stories.
Ballyyahoo is a fictional town in a secret location somewhere along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. You can visit this magical place, and see my personal photographs and get free stories at:
www.ballyyahoo.com
As well as the Ballyyahoo stories, I write a wide selection of children’s stories, which can be enjoyed by all the family.
For more information about all my children’s stories you can visit:
www.wildatlanticstories.com
I used to enjoy teaching creative writing, but now I prefer teaching through my website for creative writers at www.practicalcreativewriting.com.
I love gardening and grow my own vegetables and flowers. I blog about my efforts to tame my wild Galway garden at www.gracelikestogarden.com
I love hearing from readers so if you leave a comment, say hello, or ask a question on any of my websites I will always do my very best to reply.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The idea of writing Piggy Monk Square emerged long before I actually wrote it and it was at the forefront of my mind when I returned to college as a mature student to study film and television.
I had a long bus journey to get to the college so I began using this ‘down’ time to write Piggy Monk Square. I remember I wrote in some cheap yellow notebooks I got free every time I spent more than £5 in the local supermarket!

THE EDGE
At the time I was a very skint single mother and had no computer at home so I used the college computer to type it up at break times but I wasn’t happy with the results. I couldn’t get the central spine of the story right and I knew I needed more time to focus on it.
I was very busy trying to juggle my college work with free-lance writing jobs and sometimes having to resort to door-to-door selling to get the money to pay the electric bills. (Worst job ever – although I did sell a magazine to ‘The Edge’ from U2 one time.) In the end I had to leave the book aside and get on with everything else.
THE ONE THAT WOULDN’T GO AWAY
But, the story became one that would not go away, no matter how hard I tried and there was part of me didn’t want to write it. Eventually I got round to doing it, and in keeping with the atmosphere of the book, I re-wrote and typed up the story in a damp bare-brick shed at the back of my house in County Wicklow.

Although it is a work of pure fiction, there was a specific incident that inspired the book. Like the book, it all happened in a derelict house in Toxteth. I was around nine or ten years old. My little friends and I had made a hiding place so we could play hide and seek, eat sweets, and swap comics away from adults.
One day, we were engrossed in reading our comic when two policemen marched in to the building – they found us, searched us and threatened dire consequences if they found us there again.
These two grown men were rough as they searched us, and verbally intimidating. They treated us small children like we were hardened criminals.
JUST LIKE SPARRA
Just like my fictional character, Sparra, we were absolutely terrified. Even worse, the police also confiscated our sweets. Unbelievable now but sadly true. They were bad times for that area of Liverpool.
I had nightmares about these men for weeks. Like Sparra, I could never tell my Mum because she would have been annoyed that I was playing in the derelict house.
BAD POLICEMEN
Although the behaviour of these two policemen was outrageous I have to thank them – without that unforgettable incident I might never have written Piggy Monk Square.
Piggy Monk Square went on to be published by Tindal Street Press and was optioned by Willy Russell’s film company on the same day as the launch. It was also adapted for Radio by RTE’s ‘The Book On One.’
‘Piggy Monk Square’ was shortlisted for the ‘Commonwealth Writer’s Prize and was on BBC’s recommended ‘Raw Reads’ list.
Later, Willy Russell commissioned me to adapt and write a full-length feature film script of Piggy Monk Square.
DREAM ON
Like many optioned books it never did get made into a film. I wasn’t too disappointed because my own experience in the film world had already taught me that very few scripts get made. Still, it’s always nice to dream.
As years went by the book gradually disappeared from the shelves as most books do. But the advent of the eBook heralded a whole new lease of life for books and when the publishing rights reverted to me I decided to republish it as an eBook with a new cover.
PIGGY MONK SQUARE – RENEWED
Bringing out the new version of Piggy Monk Square brought forth old memories. Like all memories some are good, some not so. But it’s all okay, memories are what makes a writer want to write but it’s up to us how the story ends.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not too many. I just like to have lots of tea to hand and lately I prefer to be alone, although in the past I have written in many unusual places – even on a bus.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I admire a great many authors and read a great deal. I can’t say that there is one particular author that influenced me as I feel they all did. I have a particular admiration for authors who publish regularly as I know what hard work that must be.
What are you working on now?
I am currently finishing a novel set in Ireland and outlining another. I write every day and sometimes my projects overlap.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest I think marketing and promoting are my weak-spots and I am learning as I go along. However, Awesomegang has been highly recommended to me on a number of occasions and I am confident that it will prove to be a winner.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, I think the most important thing is to write regularly – like any new skill writing takes practice.
Make appointments with yourself to write and don’t let anyone stop you – it’s your life and if you truly want to write then there’s nobody stopping you but you.
I have lots more advice on my site for writers – www.practicalcreativewriting.com
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write, write, write – now!
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next project is to produce audio versions of my novels and stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal
by Jeanette Winterson
Awareness by Anthony de Mello
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
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