Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney

Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney

I enjoyed Before My Actual Heart Breaks so much that I approached the author for an interview. I was thrilled when she agreed. Tish Delaney was born and brought up in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Like many people of her generation, she left the sectarian violence behind by moving to England. Her superb debut novel Before My Actual Heart Breaks explores emotional isolation and the long-lasting repercussions of trauma. Along the way there is plenty of wry Ulster humour to lighten the mood.

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Blackwatertown by Paul Waters

Blackwatertown by Paul Waters

If you like quirky crime novels, you’ll love Blackwatertown. I relished every page, because I was born in Northern Ireland, where my ancestors were farmers and police officers, and my grandfather marched with the Orange Order. Rural Ulster communities, like the 1950s townland sensitively described by Paul Waters, are part of my family history. When I read the account of Catholic Constable Macken’s enforced attendance at a social event in the Orange Hall, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I had many questions for Paul, and I’m delighted to present his thoughtful answers.

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