I Almost Gave Up — Then at 83, I Got My First Publishing Deal By Brigid Carrick

I had almost given up on traditional publishing.

After years of writing, redrafting and submitting my manuscript to publishers in Australia and Ireland, I was on the verge of self-publishing when an email arrived on a Sunday afternoon. It was from Ventura Press in New South Wales.

“Could you send us the first chapter of your manuscript?”

At 83, that moment changed everything.

My writing journey had not been a short one. It began in earnest when New Idea published my short story “Virtual Granny”, inspired by my 11-year-old granddaughter’s Tamagotchi called Tweet.

Over the years, I continued to write and develop my craft…working with an editor and learning, often the hard way, what it takes to shape a story. 

At one point, I found myself with a long manuscript that, while deeply personal, was not the book I wanted to bring into the world.

Instead, I returned to the experiences that had stayed with me most. 

As a general trained nurse and midwife in Dublin in the 1970s, I had witnessed a time and place where women’s lives were tightly controlled, and choices were limited. Those memories became the foundation for something new.

I began again, this time building my story in sections. I had a clear sense of where it would end, and I set that in stone, rearranging the pebbles many times along the way.

I wrote most days during lockdown. If an idea came to me — even in the middle of chopping onions — I would stop and write it down, adding it to the manuscript later.

There were countless revisions and many “kill your darlings” moments, though some lines found their way into other stories.

Eventually, my manuscript was finished. I believed in the story, but finding a publisher proved another challenge. I pitched to every appropriate publisher, big and small in Australia, Ireland and others countries, following the exact instructions of each company.

A year later, just as I was preparing to take the next step on my own, that email arrived.

Ventura Press asked to see the first chapter but it was the second sentence in her email, “I think your story would suit our list,” which sent me rushing to my phone to call my editor

‘This is an offer, ask if they want the full manuscript?’

After reading the first chapter, Ventura Press asked to see the full manuscript. Not long after, we met via Zoom and the process moved forward from there. When I signed the contract, I knew the long journey had been worth it.

Working with my editor, I refined the manuscript further. There were adjustments to make, but the heart of the story remained intact. The process was collaborative and thoughtful, and it strengthened the book in ways I could not have achieved alone.

Ventura Press offered several options for a title, but in the end we agreed The Belfast Express was the right fit. In 1970s Dublin, the word “Belfast” often signalled trouble, and that tension sits at the heart of the story.

The cover took time to design and I was adamant that some part of Corporation Place should be depicted. Ventura believed that a nurse should be included and many people have said it was the nurse on the cover that drew them to pick up my book. 

In February 2026, The Belfast Express was published.

Looking back, the path to publication was far from straightforward. There were moments of doubt, long stretches of waiting, and times when giving up felt like the easier option. But the story I wanted to tell stayed with me.

Set in 1970s Dublin, the novel reflects a period when women’s rights were hard won and often constrained. It is a reminder that while much has changed, some of those struggles still resonate today.

For me, this journey has been about persistence, timing, and holding onto a story until the right moment arrives.

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Brigid was born in Dublin, where she trained and worked as a midwife. She emigrated to Australia in 1969, where she met and married her husband and raised two daughters. Brigid worked as a midwife, teacher and after-hours manager at the Royal Women’s and the Royal Melbourne Hospitals, until she retired in 2018. While Brigid has published numerous short stories, The Belfast Express is her first novel.

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THE BELFAST EXPRESS

Dublin, 1971. Free spirited 18-year-old Brianna Robinson defies her Mother’s expectations, her neighbour’s judgment and the authority of the local Parish Priest by enrolling in nursing college in London. But made to stay in Dublin by her father, she befriends fellow nurses Muriel, Iris and Shauna and the four friends are assigned midwifery in the grim slums of Dublin.

Corporation Place was home to large families, cramped spaces, hidden violence, desperate poverty and perpetually pregnant women. The four friends soon learn that it’s not just ”girls with loose morals” who have unwanted pregnancies.

When Brianna is assaulted by her parish priest she finds herself needing to end her own pregnancy. From then on, she finds the strength to champion the rights of Irish women against the Catholic Church. A raucous trip to Northern Ireland gives access to contraception unheard of in the south and The Belfast Express train becomes a regular arrival at Dublin’s Connolly Station.

Brianna finds her power, purpose and love in this heartwarming story of being a young woman in 1970s Ireland.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers