Friday, August 27, 2021

Still here...



Yes, I’m still here! And still writing... I decided to reawaken the blog as I miss its old style, slow style - which suits my own at the moment!

Workshops...

For (Ireland based) readers interested in writing workshops, Fact to Fiction in particular – I’ll be running live workshops this Autumn – feel free to contact me via the blog to register your interest. It will be covid compliant with limited numbers and based in the Irish Midlands.

Lyonesse Literary Journal...

Image by Monika Ruminska Akwarele

I've been trying to read journals and sites that feed my writing mind and inspire at the moment  and Lyonesse is one of them. Its an exciting online journal celebrating women writers who foreground women and weave magic and nature into their work. They ‘particularly love showcasing writing inspired by mythology, folklore and fairy tales.’ It’s run by Sam Young and team. I was delighted to be part of their 'In Conversation' feature - the interview covers fairy tales, folklore, Irish history, poetry, mermaids, silence, witchcraft and a little about next novel...! 

'Niamh Boyce is an award winning writer and poet from Ireland who is based in the Irish Midlands. Using the novel and poem to unearth the witches, ghosts and other buried voices of marginalised Irish women, her writing frequently explores womanhood and the oppressive influence of the Catholic religion and patriarchy on women’s lives. 

In 2012, she was awarded the Hennessy XO New Irish Writer of the Year for her poem “Kitty” and later went on to publish her first poetry collection, Inside the Wolf (2018), in which she dissects traditional fairy tales to explore art, motherhood and her Irish ancestry. Boyce’s debut novel, The Herbalist was published in 2013, gaining her Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards the same year. Set in 1930 rural Ireland, it tells the story of how the arrival of a mysterious medicine man to a small Irish village impacts the lives of four women within the community and exposes the culture of shame and silence which oppresses them. 

In 2019, Her Kind was published and shortlisted for the EU Prize for Literature. Taking the title from the Anne Sexton poem, the novel provides a speculative account of the Kilkenny Witch Trial which saw a group of Irish women condemned for witchcraft in 1324. In this interview, Lyonesse Editor Sam Young and Niamh discuss some of her feminist literary influences, the enduring allure of myths folklore and fairy tales, and giving voice to the historically silenced women of Ireland’s turbulent past..... 

to read more - click here

In the Long Read section, there's an fantastic in depth critical analysis of my first novel The Herbalist, by Maeve Eveyln Reilly - (first, spoiler alert, it's best to read this after you've finished the novel!) - to read - click here-   

Image by Monika Ruminska Akwarele

There's also a beautiful feature by Sam Young on hares and their associations with the moon, goddesses and witchcraft - its illustrated by Monika Ruminska Akwarele's stunning watercolours... to read more - click here 

In the meantime, I'm getting to the writing every day, some days only for a very short time - but getting to it day by day keeps the energy of the book alive... 

'In some ways I'm rediscovering the reasons why I wanted to write in the first place; for the pleasure of creating and living in the worlds which belong to me, and no one else until I invite them in...' 

Stephen Wyatt



Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Heart of Goodness by Carolyne Van Der Meer

Carolyne Van Der Meer


Hello from the midwintery Irish midlands - where poetry has been keeping me (half) sane though the dark evenings. I've been taking a zoom poetry workshop with the talented Emily Cullen, and finishing my third novel - one day at a time, as they say - these aren't easy times to concentrate!  

I was delighted to receive a poetry collection from Carolyne  Van Der Meer in the post recently. Carolyne is a poet, fiction writer, journalist and lecturer who lives in Montreal, Quebec. She has recently published 'Heart of Goodness' - a sequence of thirty poems exploring the life of Marguerite Bourgeoys who established the  Congrégation de Notre-Dame...  we talk here about the book, the subject and the writing process....

Welcome back to the blog Carolyne, and congratulations on your new book on Marguerite Bourgeoys. Can you recall when you first became aware of Marguerite? 

First, let me say thank you, Niamh, for interviewing me about my book on your blog. It's been a few years since you've invited me and I'm delighted to be here! I first came across Marguerite Bourgeoys when I moved to Montreal in 1990. I noticed that her name was associated with schools--there was a school named after her as well as a school board, but I didn't really know much about the significance this woman held in Quebec. I was new to Montreal and had spent my early life in Ontario, the province next door--where Marguerite is not known at all, really. Then in 1997, a literary journal called Quill & Quire asked me to review the book Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal, 1640-1655 by Patricia Simpson. I loved the book and gave it a positive review (here). 

And for the next 20 years, Marguerite was tucked into the back of my mind. In 2017, my family and I moved to a condo in the old part of the city, where the Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours is located: this chapel, rebuilt in 1771, sits on the site where Marguerite built her first chapel in 1678. For quite a while, I would walk by this chapel on my way to work and felt strongly that Marguerite was present. Suddenly, this incredible saint was back in my mind again, quietly telling me that there was a book to be written about her. A different sort of book than the many others. 

I should mention here that Patricia Simpson, the author of the book I reviewed in 1997, was instrumental in my journey to write Heart of Goodness. After a good year of walking by the chapel, I reached out to her by email and asked if she might be able to help me get access to the archives where all writings by and about Marguerite were kept. These were located in the Motherhouse of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, the uncloistered community of sisters that Marguerite founded. Because Patricia was a sister in the Congrégation, she was particularly helpful in making this happen! Working in the archives was key to beginning the thinking work that would lead to Heart of Goodness. 

Marguerite was a fascinating woman - what does she mean to you on a personal level? 

Marguerite Bourgeoys signifies courage to me—in so many ways. Remember, she was from a well-to-do family in France--and finding a suitor for her would have been prominent in her parents' minds. Instead, Marguerite had the courage to choose a non-traditional path: of dedicating her life to God. Secondly, she decided to come to New France--with Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, a man she didn't even know--by boat. Those decisions are courageous ones as well. 

And when she got to Ville-Marie, the colony that became Montreal, she created, with a quiet and steadfast fortitude, the means for women to gain an education. She opened the first school in 1658, and her central role as an educator enabled women to take on key roles in the community. She was a pioneer of education and religion--and though it took many years for her to be seen in this way, Marguerite was a feminist, blazing the trail for women in a way few before her had done. 



'... intricately crafted poems which shine like their subject with sincerity, originality, and fidelity to essential truths.'  (Michael Farry)

You have whittled a whole life into a beautiful poetic sequence Carolyne, was it challenging to decide what to include and what to leave out?
 
What a great question! It was incredibly difficult. But I kind of went with my gut on this. As I was doing my research, I made a list of the most significant milestones in Marguerite's life. I knew that I wanted to write only 30 poems, so I worked it down systematically at first—and slowly got to my magic number. Some were obvious, others less so. For example, there is a poem about a young mother, Françoise, who gave her wilful daughter, Catherine, a "time-out" in a barrel. Catherine tried to get out of the barrel and got caught between the slats of wood that held her inside--and died. Marguerite worked to ensure justice for Françoise as she knew this death was an accident. She didn't abandon Françoise but rather, helped her to find peace despite her guilt. To me, this event, though certainly one among many that required compassion, showed Marguerite's fairness, as well as her loyalty and her dedication--which I thought needed to be illustrated to the reader in the clearest of terms.

Best of luck with your future writing Carolyne, and with Heart of Goodness.

A review of 'Heart of Goodness' can be read on poet Michael Farry's blog Here

'Heart of Goodness' can be purchased here 





Sunday, November 1, 2020

Writing, Witches and Samhain

Greetings from the writing shed this wild and windy Samhain weekend - I'm over on the 'Shelf Life' blog, where Lisa asked me all about writing, witches, halloween and Her Kind. You can read it Here

Monday, February 17, 2020

Her Kind

The Bookclub Edition! 

 Her Kind tells the story of Ireland's first witchcraft trial - the 1324 Sorcery Trial of Dame Alice Kyteler. It was a landmark case in the history of witchcraft trials, the first case of a woman accused of having a demon lover (an incubus) and leading a sect of sorceresses. The case was notorious at the time. The judges of the EU Prize for literature, called Her Kind 'as searing a critique of our own times as is Arthur Millar's The Crucible.'


SOME REVIEWS... 

A masterpiece… Boyce delicately unfolds this atmospheric, magical thriller with pace and juice.  Sunday Independent.

Gripping ... a complicated story of ambition, love and what it means to belong ... evocative and atmospheric.' Irish Times

'Beautifully written and transports us to the 14th century, though its themes loudly resonate today.' RTE.ie

'A beautifully absorbing novel, illuminating the remarkable story of a woman whose life has since been subsumed into folklore. Highly recommended.' Hot Press


                     Her Kind is available from bookshops 


                                                        in the UK....

☝ W.H. Smith ...   here 

☝ Waterstones ...  here

☝ Foyles ...          here

☝ Amazon uk ...  here

                                                          and Ireland...


Easons ... here

Dubray ... here

The Gutter Bookshop ...  here

The Book Centre ... here

Kennys Bookshop ... here


                                                          and also... 

ABE books ... here

Book Depository ... here

Amazon ... here








Friday, September 13, 2019

Witching Season...


Her Kind
Winter Book Tour

20th  Sept        CULTURE NIGHT
Interview  with  Liz Walsh in Kilkenny Libary

29th Sept          FICTION AT THE FRIARY
Run by Danielle Mc Laughlin & Madeleine D'Arcy. The final Sunday of every month in Cork- fun, fiction, jelly beans,  hula hoops, open mic & free book raffle. 
info: here
                             
6th Oct              DROMINEER/NENAGH 
The Witch within the Walls - Nenagh Castle - 4pm
Niamh  will be chatting to Sarah Moore Fitzgerald. Music from singer Dylan Rooney, and cellist Gráinne Higgins
 Tickets = here

Dylan Rooney, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Niamh Boyce












15th Oct            EMBASSY BOOK CLUB
Special Reading with the Embassy Book Club
Embassy of  Ireland, Brussels
tickets : here










16th Oct            SNUG HARBOUR
Karl Dehmelt & Niamh Boyce on stage in Brussels
Snug Harbor is created by Sofie Verraest, hosted by Muntpunt Library, the Muntpunt Grand Cafe, Mont Saint  Eugene, the Brussels Writers' Cirlce & Waterstones
details : here
Niamh Boyce, Karl Dehmelt
.













19th Oct               KILDARE READERS FESTIVAL
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Panel in The Riverbank, Newbridge, with Niamh Boyce, Stacey Halls, & Martina Devlin
Whether it’s horror fiction or historical non-fiction, Witches and Wiccan culture have provided rich material for authors throughout the years.During the season of Samhain, we will be discussing witches within the canon of literature. 
Tickets: Here









26th Oct          IMAGINE LITERARY FESTIVAL
From Fact to Fiction Writing Workshop in Waterford
Details: here



9th Nov             LEAVES FESTIVAL
Conversation, music and readings in Portlaoise  - John Sheahan & Niamh Boyce with Dermot Bolger.
Booking: here

14th Nov           Dublin Book Festival: National Library of Ireland
Writing Ireland's History 
Niamh Boyce, Patricia O'Reilly, Eibhear Walshe & Nessa O' Mahoney
Booking: here
















23rd Nov         Workshop: Freshford, Kilkenny
details on  the way... !



Novel Fair 



I'm one of the Irish Writer Centre's Novel Fair judges this year. I would really encourage anyone interested to enter. I wasn't going to send my novel  in 2012  but a writer friend pushed   encouraged me - and I posted it at the last minute. My novel The Herbalist became one of the  winners that year, and was published by Penguin Ireland the following Summer. So go for it! There's not much to lose, and shortlisted writers get critical feedback...  more info Here






Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Something Wicked This Way Comes




It really is the season for all things witch related! The figure of the witch seems to resonate more and more these days.  As Madeline Miller, author of the fabulous Circe, says - 'to be a witch means you are a woman who has more power than society wants you to have.'  


The wonderful book editors, Zoe West and Emma Shacklock at Woman and Home Book Club have included Her Kind in their Six of the Best for October. Its a brilliant selection, two of which I already have - perfect reading for the autumn, and very timely - the witch trial at the center of Her Kind, the sorcery trial of Alice Kyteler took place during this season, and came to a head at All Hallows Eve... 

Woman and Home Bookclub Witch Reads

 The Familiars Stacey Hall,  Her Kind Niamh Boyce, The Glass Woman Caroline Lea... 
Image result for the glass woman

Sanctuary V.V. James, The Witches of St Petersburg Imogen Edwards-Jones.Serpent and Dove Shelby Mahurin
The Witches of St. Petersburg by [Edwards-Jones, Imogen]



That Something Wicked...

On Saturday 19th of October - Kildare Readers Festival are having a special Samhain Event - Something Wicked This Way Comes... The panel will be Stacey Halls, Martina Devlin and myself. We have all written (fantastic!)novels based on real witch trials. Tickets can be booked Here

Niamh Boyce (Her Kind), Stacey Halls (The Familiars), Martina Devlin (The House Where It Happened)

I'll be reading at various events as part of the HER KIND Book Tour, and will post the details very soon! Also, I have some exciting new from the Irish Writers Centre but have been sworn to secrecy for now. 

I've been overwhelmed with the positive reaction to HER KIND, in the past month it was selected a book of the month for the Rick O' Shea Book Club- which has 24,000 members last count, it also received a rave review in Historical Novels Review, by Kristen Mc Dermott - 'This is a marvelously witty, cleverly plotted novel... read the rest Here' 

So, back to the writing shed, 
and here's to having more power than society wants us to!




Monday, August 12, 2019

Kilkenny Arts Festival

They've put me in the tower... !

I'm thrilled that my first festival appearance with Her Kind  is set to take place in Kilkenny City.

Next Saturday, at 11 am, I'll be reading in Kilkenny Castle itself - the site of many scenes in the novel, and of course in the real case - The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler. It will be strange and wonderful to read scenes from the story almost on site - even if seven hundred years have passed... 

For TICKETS - click Here




Many thanks to Kilkenny Arts Festival, and to Kilkenny Book Center who will be there with lots of copies of Her Kind :)

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Night Swimming - Author Interview with Doreen Finn



   
Summer 1976. A heatwave is gripping Ireland. Nine-year-old Megan lives in a redbrick house in Dublin with her mother, a beautiful and lonely artist, and her grandmother; her father's whereabouts are a mystery that she often thinks about. When an American family moves in downstairs and Megan's mother begins a tentative affair with the father, everything that Megan is sure of starts to unravel…

Congratulations on your new novel Doreen - What a stunning cover! I love the title 'Night Swimming' - I immediately thought of the R.E.M song, is there a connection? There most certainly is a connection between my novel and the REM song! When I was writing the first, tentative draft of what became this book, I was casting around for a title. I was listening to Automatic For The People, REM’s seminal album, and on came the song. It fitted perfectly with the themes within the novel, and with the thread of slipping outside at night to play. I’m a huge REM fan, so it was meant to be! 

Night Swimming is set in the 1970's, it will resonate with a lot of readers that grew up then. What were the reasons for setting it then? Is it an era you always wanted to write about? I chose the 1970s because it was the decade of my own early childhood, and 1976 was the standout year because of the heatwave. I needed to have good weather in the story, because the book is essentially about loss of innocence and a love affair. I wanted to have the weather reflect the passion of the characters, and I knew that if I set the book in a cold January that the chances of a torrid affair would be slim! Also, the seventies are really hot nowadays in terms of their cultural value, and my generation is both nostalgic and protective of that era. I wanted the story of childhood to be authentic, and what could be more authentic than my own experience of that time? To set the same story in the present day wouldn’t work for me, because of technology. There are two missing fathers, an unbridgeable gap between the Irish and the American experience of life, and an ignorance of the wider world, all of which can solved instantly now with a quick Google search. I wanted to keep that innocence, spin it out and see where it took me.

Author Doreen Finn
Your first novel 'My Buried Life' was told the point of view of an adult. This time, Megan your main character, is a young girl. Was her voice easy to slip into? It’s a very different experience. My editor, Noel O’Regan, picked up many points throughout the book where the child’s voice wasn’t childish enough. Because my first novel, My Buried Life, was narrated by an adult female, making Megan’s voice authentic took a lot of work. I had to be careful with things that she would say and wouldn’t say, how she sort-of thinks something may be happening between her mother Gemma and Chris, the American, but she can’t be sure because she doesn’t have the world view or understanding to be fully sure. That sort of thing.  I observed my own two children in their interactions with each other and with their friends, to see how kids see things, what they say in any given situation.  So yes, it was actually harder than writing from an adult’s point of view. My next book will be narrated by an adult, and book 4 will be back to a child’s narration again.

Your writing is beautiful, so vivid and concise - who are the writers you like to read? That you admire? I love good writing. I will cartwheel over broken glass for good prose and well-developed characters. There are so many books being published now that it takes a discerning reader to pick out the books that will appeal to us personally. Mostly, I read women, and within that I tend to read Irish women. It’s not a choice as such, just more the way my tastes lie. My absolute favourite writer of all is Maggie O’Farrell, who I just adore, and who I wish would bring out a book every week so I’d never again have to wonder what to read next! I also admire your good self, Niamh, Julia Kelly, Nuala NiConchuir, Sally Rooney, Claire Kilroy, Anne Enright, Colm Toibin, Janet Fitch, Sadie Jones, Kit de Waal. 

For mystery, no one beats John Banville writing as Benjamin Black, and no author makes me laugh as much as David Nicholls, who is such a sensitive writer. This year, I’ve loved Tin Man, Cape May, Dear Mrs Bird, The Last of Summer, The House on Vesper Sands, An American Marriage, Daisy Jones and the Six. In non-fiction, Constellations by Sinead Gleeson is a standout book. She’s a brilliant writer. Last year I revisited the PD James canon, which I loved, and I'm already stockpiling books for autumn.’ For me, there is no greater disappointment than a disappointing book. It grieves me.

Any tips for other writers? In terms of getting from idea to finished novel? It sounds trite, but the best thing anyone who aspires to write should do is to write. Keep a notebook with you that you can use to write down interesting things you hear or read, nice phrases that you hear someone use. If you have any story ideas, no matter how insignificant they may seem, write them down. And try your hand at writing, in whatever form you feel suits you best. I don’t believe that everyone should start writing short stories before they tackle a novel. Short story writing and novel writing are two entirely different skill sets, and not everyone possesses both. Flash fiction is great for flexing your creative muscles, as is trying something really rigid and structured like Haiku or Tanka. Someone once told me that I should always write with a reader or audience in mind, and actually that was terrible advice – if you’re writing for the first time, write for yourself. Don’t worry about what anyone else will think. You don’t have to show your writing to another living soul until you feel ready, and you won’t feel ready until you’re confident about what you’re doing. 

So keep at it, stick with it, and see where the stories take you. I don’t plot and I don’t draw out maps for my books. I start with a character and a setting, usually a female in a house, and I take it from there. The other most important and vital piece of advice to budding writers is to read. Read, read, read, and then read some more. Never stop reading, because it’s only through seeing what other writers produce that you will learn and understand what you want to do yourself.

   What's the worst writing advice you've ever gotten? As per the answer above, being told to write with someone else in mind, for an audience. It was terrible advice, and it wasted a huge amount of writing time for me. It’s like being told to dress for someone else, or find hobbies that someone else likes. You write for yourself. Always. If other people don’t like it, who cares? You’ll always find your readers, and they’ll love what you write.

  Thanks for coming by Doreen, and best of luck with your next novel. Follow Doreen on twitter for all her writing news - @doreen2cv


  Night Swimming is available from Mercier Press, 
all good bookshops & Amazon 
            
About the author: Doreen Finn was born in Dublin, where she now lives with her family. A graduate of UCD, she has lived and worked in Madrid and Los Angeles. Her first novel, My Buried Life, was runner up for the Kate O’Brien award. Night Swimming is her second novel.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Festivals & Readings from Her Kind this August


Greetings from my writing shed - 


I'm popping out to post word of some upcoming events.

I'm delighted let you know that I'll be bringing HER KIND - my novel based on the Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler; the first European witchcraft trial - to the following four festivals in August...

I've also added a Page for Book Clubs to this Blog, with Questions & Info about Her Kind - cast your eye to the right, and you'll see it :)



On Saturday 3rd August, at 5pm  -

I'll be in the Literary Tent at the uber cool  All Together Now Festival in WaterfordThe amazing Patti Smith is one of the acts!
Its a Special Book Club Extravaganza arranged by Waterford Library..
For more information and the line up - here

On Saturday 17th August at 11am

I'll be in the Parade Tower of Kilkenny Castle - the very building which houses the ancient jail where Alice Kytler and her alleged sect of witches were held! Its part of the amazing Kilkenny Arts Festival...
Tickets can be bought HERE, or at the Festival Office.



On Friday 23rd August at 7pm

I'll be in Graiguenamanagh Library
as part of Graiguenamanagh Town of Books Festival, reading and taking part in a Q & A with their brilliant Book club.




On Saturday 24th August at 4pm

I'll be reading alongside John MacKenna in Abbeyleix as part of inaugural The Power of Words FestivalThis is the first year of what promises to be a memorable festival, this year the festival celebrates poet Pat Ingoldsby. Tickets can be bought Here, & click Here to read more... 


Amanda Kelly who created POW, with the legendary Pat Ingoldsby 



And one more good thing... Brussels!
Her Kind is based on a real case, the sorcery trial of Alice Kytler - a Flemish moneylender who lived in medieval Kilkenny. I'm absolutely thrilled to have been invited to Belgium by Ambassador Helena Nolan. I'll be reading from Her Kind and chatting about the Flemish connections, on October 15th as part of the Embassy of Ireland Book Club - tickets can be booked Here



with Sheba in the shed - letting ourselves go :)

I'm reading at festivals later in the Autumn and will update the page then, in the meantime -  I'm writing a new novel from my new shed and trying to be offline & rustic for whats left of July ...  Have a great summer, happy reading to readers, happy writing to writers and happy resting to resters !   




Friday, July 5, 2019

Book Club Pack - Her Kind



Book Club Questions ...
a selection to choose from... 


Q. Alice Kytler was a powerful, mature woman. Are older women still likely to be demonized for being independent? 

Q. The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kytler was notorious at the time - many of the annals contain a reference to the case. Did you know about it before you read the book? Did you know that the first woman to be accused of leading a sect and having a demon lover, lived in Ireland?

 Q. If there was a point of no return in the book, a point where things were never going to be the same again – where do you think that was?

Q. The word witch – how does its use differ today? Can you still destroy someone’s reputation by calling them a name? What names have the same affect now as ‘witch’ did, in medieval times?

Sorcery, religion, politics, greed, privilege, power – all pale in comparison to what one finds at the heart of this story: that natural connection, the love of a mother for her child. (Historical Novels Review) 

Q. What did you think about the relationship between mothers and daughters in the book? Between Petronelle and Basilia, or Lithgen and Petronelle? Are they different to relationships nowadays?

Q. How are names significant in the telling of Her Kind, and the power relationships between the characters?  


Boyce’s depiction of life in 14th century Kilkenny is so evocative and atmospheric the reader can almost taste the honeycombs in Petronelle’s carefully tended hives and feel the heavy animal pelts that line Alice’s secret chamber. (Irish Times)

Q. Medieval Ireland was a melting pot – full of different languages and customs. Were you surprised to learn how diverse Ireland was, that it was a fractured place, full of tribes and walled towns – not one united entity?


Q. What do you think Ledrede’s real motivation for accusing Alice Kytler of witchcraft was?


Q. Was Alice undone by her love for her husband?


The characters are part of a world that at times is utterly alien to us, and one of the most haunting aspects of the novel is the depiction of anchoress, the holy woman who has been bricked alive into the walls of St Canice’s Cathedral. ( Irish Times)

Q. Did you know about the anchorites before reading Her Kind? That there were women and men who lived such lives by choice? 


Q. Who do you think Agnes, the anchoress, really was? Why was she locked between the walls?


‘The cathedral was also where I came across the anchoress’s grave. An anchorite or anchoress is a hermit who gives up ordinary life for a solitary life of prayer – they are often sealed in between the walls of a church, with only small ‘squints’ or windows to receive food through. The figure of a nun is carved onto the anchoress’s grave stone.  Her hands are held in old style prayer position, palm facing outwards rather than palms together. When I placed my palms over her stone ones, I felt a strange sensation, close to the one that Petronelle describes in Her Kind, that of an old truth pushing back – that day the character of Agnes the anchoress came to life.’ (Niamh Boyce)


Q. How did you feel towards Alice? Towards Petronelle? Towards Basillia? Towards Ledrede? Did you prefer one character over another? 


Q. What was the real cause of Sir Johns illness? Who was behind it?


Q. In 14th century, the Pope was based in Avignon, France and he had a lively fear of sorcery and witchcraft. He accused members of his own court of sticking pins in his waxen likeness.  Richard Ledrede, was one of his more favoured clerics. He gave him the Bishopric of Ossory in Ireland. Richard, an Englishman, had never set foot in the country yet within a few weeks of his arrival, he was making accusations against his parishioners… 
Was it inevitable that someone like Richard Ledrede would make accusations of sorcery against one of the residents of Kilkenny?

The novel is beautifully written and transports us to the 14th century, though many of its themes loudly resonate today. I can’t wait to see where Niamh Boyce takes us next. (RTE Guide)  
Q. Was the world of Her Kind familiar or strange to you? What had you expected medieval Ireland to be like? How was it different? What resonated? 


Q. The case is well documented by historians and academics. There are several interesting explorations. Why do you think the case remains outside of the standard history book?


Q. There is no reference to this trial in the ancient Liber Primus Kilkennius as it stands today. Yet it records many less significant cases from the time. Do you think that it was undocumented, or that references were removed from this record of the goings on in 14th Kilkenny?


Q. Would you have preferred to live outside or inside the walls of Kilkenny City?


Q. Medieval women (who aren’t royal) are often viewed as passive, as chattel - Dame Alice was an incredibly powerful moneylender. If Ledrede had not accused her of witchcraft, we may never have even known that a woman of her kind existed. Do you think she was unique for a woman of her time? 


Q. On arriving in Hightown, Petronelle and her daughter are given new names and clothes, and are forbidden to speak their native language. They are seen as ‘other’ in their own country. What affect do you think this has on their relationship, their sense of identity?



Q. Ledrede’s words and phrases are woven throughout the novel, as fact and fiction weave – why do you think has not been given first person narration, the way Petronelle and Basillia have been


Q. Her Kind is based on a real trial - a landmark case in the history of witchcraft - did that affect how you felt about the characters and their fate? Had you heard of the case before this? Why do you think this is?

Q. This was a hugely significant case yet there’s been no memorial or monument to Petronella de Midia, as yet. Ledredes effigy can be seen in St Canice’s Cathedreal to this day. Who decides who we, as people, remember? What happens to those who are not commemorated, listed, archived, named? Whose names are on the streets of your town, who is your local bridge named after? If you open a map, what do the names tell you? What do they mean? Is that meaning still alive?  Do these things matter? Who is mapping our history for us? 

Q. If you were to retrieve someone's voice from history, whose would it be?

Still here...

Yes, I’m still here! And still writing... I decided to reawaken the blog as I miss its old style, slow style - which suits my own at the mom...