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Writing Piggy Monk Square

book cover of Piggy Monk Square by Grace JolliffeThe idea of writing my first novel, Piggy Monk Square emerged long before I actually wrote the story down.

But it still in my mind when I returned to college as a mature student to study film and television.

I had to take a bus to college and it was a long hour and a half journey there and back.

That meant three hours a day stuck on a very slow bus.

I was bored stiff 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!

Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize

A policeman goes missing in 1970s Liverpool. Two little girls could help but they’re good at keeping secrets.

A stunningly well-written novel. I didn’t want it to end. Tense, joyous, terrifying, comic, tender, magic and tragic – just like childhood itself.’ – Willy Russell

THE EDGE

At the time I was a very broke 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 beold photo of Grace Jolliffe cycling illustrating article about writing the novel, Piggy Monk Squarecame one that would not go away, no matter how hard I tried.

Eventually, I got round to doing it.

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.

It all happened in a derelict house in Toxteth in Liverpool. 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 comics and eating sweets when two policemen marched into the building.

They found us hiding, 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 like we were hardened criminals, not the children we actually were.

JUST LIKE SPARRA

Just like my fictional character, Sparra, we were absolutely terrified.

Even worse, the policemen 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.

To read reviews click here.

book cover of Piggy Monk Square by Grace JolliffePiggy 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.

PIGGY MONK SQUARE

book cover of Piggy Monk Square by Grace Jolliffe

Get eBook from Amazon.com

Get eBook from Amazon.co.uk

Get paperback from Amazon.com

Get paperback from Amazon.co.uk

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