Posted by Sue Leonard on Monday 26th June 2017
Eithne has always wanted to achieve things young. She was first published aged 11, receiving £20 for a poem. At 21, she joined The Sunday Times, but took a break after a year to live in Paris and write.
“I worked in a primary school, drank wine and hung out with other people who wanted to write. But nobody was writing.”
She has worked as a Sunday Times Journalist since.
“I love my job. I love interviewing people, but there are other things I want to do too. I wanted to write a book, but I don’t have tunnel vision. I’d like to make a documentary, and I’ve an idea for a TV series too.”
Nearing 30, Eithne took 3 months unpaid leave, lived in London and wrote her debut.
“Cora’s flat is the flat I lived in. The flatmates are versions of the girls I lived with. I wrote in the library, and loads of people I saw there ended up in the book.”
The debut has sold to several countries and has been optioned for a TV series. Eithne has a two book deal.
Who is Eithne Shortall
Date of birth: January 1986, in Dublin.
Education: Corpus Christi; MaryField College, both in Drumcondra, Dublin City University; Journalism.
Home: Cabra, Dublin.
Family: Mum and Dad, grandmother, who is my favourite person in the world, boyfriend, Colm.
The Day Job: Arts correspondent for The Sunday Times.
In Another Life: “I’d live in France, speaking French, but would like to take my friends and family with me.”
Favourite Writers: Beckett: John Banville; Marian Keyes; Donna Tartt.
Second Novel: “It’s about the end of love.”
Top Tip: “Get up early, before the fear sets in.”
Website: www.eithneshortall.com Twitter: @eithneshortall
The Debut: Love in Row 27: €7.49. Kindle: €3.22.
Cora Hendricks loves matchmaking. A check-in girl for Aer Lingus, she chooses singletons to sit in Row 27, and a stewardess friend charts the results. But should Cora be concentrating on her own love life?
“I’ve always been a committed matchmaker. Once, on a flight back from Paris, I thought, imagine if you met the love of your life, and what if someone had put you there on purpose?”
The Verdict: Bubbly and fun, with a touch of class.