I discovered this poet and philosopher on a blog I follow: "The Marginalian" by Maria Popova. In a recent blog Popova discusses Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donoghue. In a quote from his book “Benedictus. A Book of Blessings” he talks about new beginnings. ‘To live a truly creative life we always need to cast a critical eye at where we presently are.’ Now, at the beginning of 2024, I can do this with my writing. I’m presently at the end of writing my fourth novel, at least the first draft of almost sixty thousand words. I can see it is a complete story, and I am writing the very last ch ..read more

This is to say thank you to all who took the time to write a review and post it, or add a rating. I'm delighted with the reviews on Amazon. Here are some of the most recent. "Daughters of the Famine Road" Thanks to reader, Shelley Clarke for this review. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1739688503#customerReviews "5.0 out of 5 stars What a fabulous read! Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2023 Verified Purchase I knew of the potato famine in Ireland but had no idea how it affected so many of the people there. This book has opened my eyes to the dreadful tragedies. The story is so good ..read more

If I was ever going to be a doctor, then I had to act. Girls were helpless and useless in those days. Find yourself a husband to look after you, have a few babies, stay at home. That’s what middle-class girls had to look forward to in 1800’s Ireland or England. When Father died, my mother was left only his debts, so we left Ireland on the boat to London to find uncle James. He was a famous portrait painter and might help us. I decided on the ferry across to England to change. I’d take charge of my life. How? I had brought along a pair of trousers, cut my hair and called myself James Barry. Mot ..read more

5.0 out of 5 stars Famine of the Irish soul Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2023 ,Verified Purchase This book tells not only the famine in agriculture, but the destruction in the very heart and soul of the Irish population. Many thanks to this Kindle customer in the US. I just love the heading! Tanya Cook 5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter of Eireann Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2023 ,Verified Purchase "A very good book and series by an author new to me I really enjoyed all the books something different to read." Many thanks, Tanya Cook, it's great to see that you read and ..read more

Not so Quiet. . . I have just finished reading this novel about women ambulance drivers in the First World War. It was written by Helen Zenna Smith from the war diaries of Winifred Young, a volunteer ambulance driver on the Western Front. Originally, I wanted to base my main character on an ambulance driver, but after reading the novel, I realised that there was no room for my character to take action or to do things for herself. The job was very controlled and every minute of day and night were taken up by ferrying wonded and dying soldiers to hospital then cleaning ambulances ready for the ..read more

Reviews for Daughter of Éireann Five star review from Susan Birch, @IforIdle on Amazon. A hard-hitting narrative of Irish life in the 1840s. "This is the final novel in the compelling trilogy by a talented author. Having read the previous two, I was keen to discover what happened next to protagonist Jane Keating. I was not disappointed. This well-paced read had me gripped from the get-go, as if I was experiencing nineteenth century life through a time-warp bodycam. . . . This trilogy is an essential read, an homage to those who may otherwise be forgotten and those who risked their lives for t ..read more

I’ve been researching the First World War for my fourth novel. My main character, an Irish-American woman, gets drawn to volunteer in Dublin in 1914. Originally, I didn't want to write about the First World War because I felt it had been written about in many brilliant stories. For example, Vera Brittain’s memoir about the war in ‘Testament of Youth’ is an amazing record of her life and losses in the Great War. I recently watched the film ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ It won four Oscars for its depiction of young German soldiers in the Great War. These are just two of the many examples of ..read more

Many thanks to Cillian (in the yellow jersey) and his big brother, James, for delivering copies of my novels to The Book Centre in Waterford. My books are on sale there and also available in the Waterford Libraries. They are also on Amazon in paperback and e-books. Also exclusive to Kindle Unlimited readers. #KU #Indiewriter #IrishHistFic ..read more

An Irish Famine Trilogy In my last blog, I wrote about how I market my novels through KDP Free Book Promotions. This piece will show how I market my paperbacks. Numbers Like some other indie authors I don't sell that many of them to be honest. For example, in the last fifteen months I have sold four hundred copies of my novels, with just one third being paperbacks. The majority of sales are ebooks. As well as these sales, I have sold over 90,000 pages read via KENP, mostly in the US. This is equivalent to around three hundred books, which I am very pleased with. Altogether I guess you can see ..read more

With grateful thanks to Tony Riches for publising this article on his website. @tonyriches https://tonyriches.blogspot.com/2023/05/special-guest-post-by-bridget-walsh.html Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US When they meet, Jane and Annie have much in common. As young Irish women in the 1840s, they both know the value of family, home and friendship. Even more importantly, they understand the need to survive against a backdrop of famine, disease and cruel colonial rule. With Ireland crumbling around them and peril at every turn, can these tenacious women overcome the arc of history and crea ..read more