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Sharing our love for authors, and the stories they are inspired to tell.

Two New Titles
Inspired By:
The Covid-19 Pandemic

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Thanks to the lovely Francesca at Midas PR, I am in the enviable position of being able to share advance details with you, about two new books hitting the shelves in October, published by Connemara-based Doire Press.

A collection of short stories and an anthology of poetry, both inspired by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Wishing both authors every success with their respective books.

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LIBERTY TERRACE

Cover image of the book 'Liberty Terrace' by author Madeleine D'arcyLiberty Terrace features a bevvy of characters who reside in a fictional area of Cork City in the period 2016 to 2020.

The inhabitants of Liberty Terrace come and go, and their lives occasionally intersect in stories that are sometimes funny, sometimes dark, often both.

The cast of characters includes retired Garda Superintendent Deckie Google, a young homeless squatter, the mother of an autistic child working part-time as a Census Enumerator, the dysfunctional Callinan family, an ageing rock star, a trio of ladies who visit a faith healer, a philandering husband, as well as a surprising number of cats and dogs.

These stories shed light on how we lived before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, on what we care about and on what, if anything, we can truly count on.

Cover image of the book 'Liberty Terrace' by author Madeleine D'arcy

MADELEINE D’ARCY

Image of author Madeleine D'arcyMadeleine D’arcy was born in Ireland. A former solicitor, she lived for a number of years in the UK, before returning to Cork City with her family

In 2010 she received a Hennessy X.O Literary Award for First Fiction as well as the overall Hennessy X.O Literary Award for New Irish Writer.

Her stories have been short-listed and commended in many competitions, including the William Trevor/Elizabeth Bowen Short Story Competition, Fish Short Story Prize, the Bridport Prize and the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition.

Madeleine has been awarded bursaries by the Arts Council of Ireland and by Cork City Council.

She was a scholarship student on the inaugural MA in Creative Writing 2013-2014 in University College Cork. Waiting for the Bullet is Madeleine’s debut collection of short stories.

Visit Madeleine at her Website

Follow Madeleine on Twitter

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SMUGGLERS IN THE UNDERGROUND HUG TRADE

A JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR

Cover image of the book 'Smugglers In The Underground Hug Trade' by author William WallSurprised by how few literary references exist for the Spanish ‘Flu pandemic of 1918/19, William Wall made a conscious decision to document the experience of ‘the strangest year we have lived’. 

In a poetic journal, Wall captures the roller-coaster of emotions from the first terrible days in Italy to the highs and lows of the lockdown in Ireland, culminating in the frightening increase in numbers at Christmas 2020.

But this is not just a book about the plague: the author turns to nature, to love, to his beloved Cork coast and sea-swimming for solace.

There are many tender memories, moments of personal inspiration, humour and hopefulness—the whole suffused with an acute awareness of the historical context.

There have been other plagues and pandemics, the poems say, and we have survived: we will survive this too.

Cover image of the book 'Smugglers In The Underground Hug Trade' by author William Wall

WILLIAM WALL

Image of author William WallWilliam Wall is the author of four novels, including This is the Country (Sceptre), longlisted for the Man Booker Prize; three collections of poetry; and one volume of short stories. He has won the Virginia Faulkner Award, The Sean O’Faoláin Prize, several Writer’s Week prizes and The Patrick Kavanagh Award.

He was shortlisted for the Young Minds Book Award, the Irish Book Awards, the Raymond Carver Award, the Hennessy Award and numerous others. His work has been translated into many languages, including Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Latvian, Serbian and Catalan.

In 2014 William was part of the Italo-Irish Literature Exchange, organised through The Irish Writers’ Centre, which toured Italy with readings in Italian and English. In March 2010 he was Writer in Residence at The Princess Grace Irish Library, Monaco.

He was a 2009 Fellow of The Liguria Centre for the Arts & Humanities.

William lives in Cork.

Visit William at his Website

Picture of an English red post box - generic image to link to the mailbox Monday meme

Mailbox Monday’ is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week.

This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from

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Written by
Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

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Written by Yvonne