I have been writing stories since childhood; not just for school work but I also did it for fun.
I was born and brought up in Liverpool, England, and lived there until my mid-teens.
My father was an Irish emigrant from Wicklow in Ireland and my mother was born in Liverpool.
I then moved to Wicklow with my parents in the late seventies. I now live in Galway on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
I used to teach creative writing and script-writing but these days I write five to six days a week and between six and ten hours.
MY BOOKS AND STORIES
I write for adults and children: fiction and non-fiction. I love nature and am sad to see so many children glued to their screens.
I want to encourage kids to love the outdoors so I am currently working on a series of books set in an imaginary and magical town that exists in a secret location somewhere on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The series of stories is linked to a website filled with extra stories, character profiles, images, and lots of free stories information and photographs about nature and wildlife.
You can find this at www.ballyyahoo.com
EXPERIENCE
I have written film drama, television comedy, serious documentary, children’s and adults radio, children’s animation and fiction books and stories.
I have also directed and produced film and television. So I guess you could say I like variety and you would be right.
Like most writers, I have had my share of up and downs as well as some success.
Seeing my work broadcast on television and screened at film festivals, winning Best Irish Drama Award for my short film, winning a New Writers Fiction prize for one of my short stories and being shortlisted for the Commonwealth New Writer’s Prize with my first novel – were among the highs.
THE LOST SOUL
Coming back to earth I admit I have also had some rather unpleasant learning experiences – like being unable to find a publisher for a book that I literally poured out of my soul and on to the page, and of course all those other rejections too but why focus on them?
A writer’s journey is not a linear path and neither should it be if we are to learn and improve.
Although I have written in many forms I would hate to be pigeon-holed into any of these categories because I love writing so much.
In fact, the only kind of writing I don’t enjoy is essay writing and luckily for me, I am past the stage where I have to do that now.
I have recently published Practical Creative Writing Exercises, a non-fiction book packed full of easy exercises and writing prompts to help writers find the stories they want to write and help them get started on their writing journey.
My first novel Piggy Monk Square was shortlisted for the Commonwealth New Writers Award and optioned for film by Willy Russell. It was also adapted for radio as their book of the week by Ireland’s RTE 1 when it first was published.
After the rights returned to me I republished Piggy Monk Square to Amazon and despite my lack of marketing skills, it is doing well.
Bye for now.
Grace
The Sunshine GirlJosie knows how to survive but what’s wrong with wanting more?
It’s 1970s Liverpool and everybody’s broke but that doesn’t stop her dreaming. A smiling stranger could make her dreams come true but she hasn’t met his family yet.
Get The Sunshine Girl from Amazon.com
Get The Sunshine Girl from Amazon.co.uk
Grace, ( one of my favorite names , and one of my favorite songs),
I have finally begun setting down in computer folders, the story of my husband’s grandmother and my great grandmother. This story and the characters, and situations have been rolling around in my head for about 15-20 yrs.
I am not a trained writer, so I have no idea if what I am writing is good just a fantasy of mine.
My question to you is , where do I get my writings read and commented on by someone who knows what they are talking about . (Everyone’s a critic.)
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Helen
Hi Helen, nice to hear from you. Sorry it took so long to reply. My suggestion is to join a writing group. Spend a couple of sessions listening to them and judge for yourself how much weight you give to the criticism,(yes, everyone’s a critic) There are some great groups out there, but there are also some mutual admiration societies masquerading as writers groups. Flattery is a waste of your time and theirs. Also, don’t bother with groups of people who sneer, or mock to try and appear clever – they rarely are. Look for writers who can make constructive comments and suggestions which improve the work.A few of them in a group makes a group great.
There are people who charge for reading but I wouldn’t advise paying at this stage. Get some experience, write regularly and you’ll soon know whether you are a writer or not.
Go for it! Let me know how you get on.
Grace