Author Archive: Olivia Rana
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Title
Almost ten years ago I attended a workshop in Belfast aimed at giving writers an insight into the mysterious world of publishing. We writers sat expectantly, hoping to unearth some magic formula to having our book published, daring to hope that we might even get the opportunity to pitch our book to those from the […]
Place In A Book – Do You Need To Go There?
Place in a book – do you need to go there? Some years ago I went to a talk by the award-winning Irish writer Colm Tóibín. It was after the launch of his much acclaimed novel, Brooklyn, and I remember him telling the audience that when he wrote Brooklyn he had never been to the […]
Caught Between Two Worlds
Caught Between Two Worlds When I was a child I remember being told stories from Irish folklore about fairies, stories that captivated and often frightened me. We were warned not to go near the big ash tree in the field beyond our house as it was said to be a meeting place for fairies, a […]
Giving Birth To A Book
How writing a book is the same as having a baby, but without the gas and air. As a mother and a writer, I’ve often thought that the process of becoming a writer is akin to having a baby. ‘Oh lovely! Is this your first book?’ they ask, or ‘When is this one due out?’ […]
Where have all the Mobile Libraries gone? By Olivia Rana
When I was a child I can vividly remember the mobile library coming to my rural school in County Fermanagh. It arrived once a fortnight, bringing great excitement for bookworms like myself, and a welcome break from the tedium of schoolwork. We would promptly line up outside the school gates and wait our turn as […]
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