Sue Leonard

Gillies Macbain lives in a castle in Tipperary – or at least in the tower of one, since Cranagh castle itself burnt down. He bought his first, crumbling pile – a mansion in County Monaghan when […]

As a writer, Niall Williams doesn’t conform to the norm. Where most write several drafts, getting the words written, then getting them right, Niall completes his novels in one draft alone. He doesn’t have a special […]

When Isabel Vincent’s friend Valerie asked her to look in on her father, Edward, and have dinner with him, she didn’t know what to expect. She knew the nonagenarian was depressed – that his wife had […]

How do writer’s write? Where does their inspiration come from, and what is their process of putting their words on the printed page? All this holds endless fascination for passionate readers, and for those who, eager […]

There’s a scene in Anna Hope’s new novel, where Lissa, an actress auditioning for a TV advertisement, is told to flirt with a plate of chocolate cookies in front of a roomful of men. It’s humiliating […]

Call Him Mine by Tim MacGabhann. Weidenfeld & Nicholson. ISBN 978 1 4746 1045 2` There’s been a dearth of interesting debuts by Irish males of late, so I was pleased when this literary thriller by […]

It’s Dublin, 1976, the summer of the heatwave, and at nine years old, Megan is happy. She hangs out with her next-door neighbour, Daniel, whilst her talented mother, Gemma, spends her days painting in the attic. […]

Alex Barclay hasn’t had a holiday in six years. And for the past two years she has been on a writing lockdown. Never a stranger to hard work, she has taken on a particularly large burden […]

When a friend of Lisa Carey’s called off his wedding at the last minute it got her thinking. His bride to be was in her late thirties and had given her fiancée the best years of […]

Saltwater by Jessica Andrews. Sceptre. When a debut novel is described as ground-breaking – and words like reinvention are used, my heart sinks. Because all too often this is just another way of saying that the […]

Last year, Damian Barr lived in terror, worried that he would die. He wasn’t sick; he didn’t face danger; but he couldn’t bear the thought that his debut novel might not see the light of day. […]

In 2002, when the former Director of the National Gallery, Homan Potterton, brought out his childhood memoir, he didn’t expect that many people would read it. So, when it received positive reviews, and sold extremely well, […]