Author Archives: wpengine

A treat in the post: my first copies of the new Australian edition of Hello from the Gillespies have just arrived. I love this new cover – I can almost feel the outback heat coming off it (very welcome on … More

My Mum emailed from South Australia yesterday to ask if I could help her with the answer to question 12 in the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper’s daily quiz. “Who wrote the 2007 novel Those Faraday Girls?“ Now, let me think about it… … More

I’m just back from a few days in County Mayo in the beautiful west of Ireland, one of the settings for Hello from the Gillespies. This time last year I was there doing my final edits to the book and … More

Is there such a thing as too many book bags? (No.) Especially when each one comes with its own story. The bag from the Hobart Bookshop in Tasmania? I was living in Hobart when I wrote A Taste for It, my first … More

Do you believe in fate or destiny? Here’s my tale of three near misses, my contribution to AIRMAIL, the latest Women of Letters anthology, curated by Michaela McGuire and Marieke Hardy. (This edited extract appeared in The Age & Sydney … More

Guten Tag! I’m very happy to give my German friends a sneak preview of the cover for the German edition of HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES, with its new title, DAS SCHOENSTE KOMMT ZUM SCHLUSS. Google Translate tells me that means … More

Thank you for voting me into Booktopia’s Top Ten Australian Authors!

A review from the Huffington Post for Hello from the Gillespies.

A visit to Navan, and memories of my dear friend Dympna.

Some news and reviews.

Thank you all so much for the hundreds of entries in the Dear Monica competition. It was a pleasure and privilege to read so many of your special family memories. There were stories of happy gatherings, sad farewells, love and … More

Here are lots of photos (and a long list of well-deserved thank yous!) from my Australian tour.

A brief note to those reading Hello from the Gillespies.

I’m happy to share the details of my upcoming October tour here on my website and also on the Penguin website. If I’m visiting anywhere near you, I do hope you’ll come and say hello.

I’m delighted to announce details of a great Penguin Books competition especially for my Australian readers. You’re all invited to write to me and share a special family memory in the #dearmonica competition…

Even eleven books on, it still feels so great to see the finished book for the first time…

Welcome to my new website. I hope you’ll enjoy looking around …

Here’s an early look at the three different international covers for my new novel, HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES, coming out in Oct/Nov 2014. I love them and hope you all do too.

I’m very happy to share the news that my new novel is called: HELLO FROM THE GILLESPIES.
The cover copy reads: “For the past thirty-three years, Angela Gillespie has sent to friends and family around the world an end-of-the-year letter titled ‘Hello from the Gillespies’. It’s always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself – she tells the truth….

I was delighted to be named in the Top 5 in Booktopia’s poll for Australia’s Favourite Novelist – thanks so much for your votes, everyone.

The House of Memories will be published in the US on Feb 4, 2014. Click through to see the covers and read a wonderful early review.

A beautiful new look for the Australian/New Zealand editions of my novels, available now as e-book and print-books.

From The Age & Sydney Morning Herald travel pages – I’m one of five authors writing about “the one spot in Australia that has most informed their writings.” My spot? The Clare Valley of South Australia.  

Here are some photos from my September research trip to Cork in Ireland, one of the settings for my new book, which will be published in late 2014.

We had a great launch in July of And Then He Kissed Me, a new anthology of romantic stories for teens, to which I’ve contributed a short story called ‘My Embarrassing Mother’…

Willkommen, Lola! The German edition of Lola’s Secret, with its new title Die Frauen von Clare Valley (The Women of the Clare Valley) is now available in Germany. Viel Spass beim Lesen/Happy Reading to everyone there.

I had a great day at the first Writing.ie online TV workshop ‘Writing Popular Fiction’ here in Dublin last week, alongside fellow authors Vanessa O’Loughlin, Paul Carson and Sinead Moriarty, and a terrific and talented panel of writing students in-studio…

If you happen to be taking a train trip in Australia on the legendary Ghan, Overland or Indian Pacific (lucky you, if so…), please do keep an eye out for the on-board magazine Platform. The current issue has an extract … More

Guten Tag, Lola! Here’s the lovely cover of the German language edition of Lola’s Secret, with its new German title Die Frauen von Clare Valley, which translates as The Women of the Clare Valley. It will be published in Germany … More

For the young in years (and heart) among you – I’ve written a short story for a forthcoming teen romance anthology called And Then He Kissed Me, to be published by Walker Books on 4 July 2013. More details soon, … More

I’m delighted to share the news that The House of Memories has been shortlisted for Promotional Campaign of the Year in this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards. Many congratulations to my publisher Penguin Australia, especially marketing director Sally Bateman, my … More

Many thanks to everyone who came along to the Mallow Library Readers’ Day in beautiful (and sunny!) County Cork on April 27th. Special thanks to host and interviewer Dermot Bolger and librarians Christina O’Sullivan, Bernie Wallace, Grace, Majella, Liz and … More

I’m very happy to share this news about my next book.

My fourth novel The Alphabet Sisters is one of 12 titles to be published as a limited edition Pink Popular Penguin in Australia in late March, helping the McGrath Foundation raise funds to expand the national Breast Care Nurse network. The special ‘pink’ … More

I’m delighted to have finished in the Number 3 spot (behind Tim Winton at 2 and Kate Morton at 1) in Booktopia’s poll for Australia’s Favourite Novelist – thanks so much for your votes, everyone!

The House of Memories has been shortlisted for the 2013 Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) Awards in the UK, in the Contemporary Romantic Novel category. The winners will be announced in London on February 26. Thank you, RNA!

To mark the publication of  The House of Memories in Australia, my publisher Penguin created a ‘pop-up’ house in Southern Cross railway station in Melbourne. Passersby were invited to write a personal memory on a slip of paper and attach … More

“A modern-day Jane Austen” – some lovely words from Book Divas in this interview from the publication of Lola’s Secret:

http://www.bookdivas.com/interviews/2012/11/interview-monica-mcinerney-author-lolas-secret

“A niece’s orange-related mishap and a bout with unthinkable sorrow planted seeds for Monica McInerney’s 10th novel.” By Linda Morris in The Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/grief-for-lack-of-a-better-word-is-good-20121110-294az.html

My publisher Penguin Australia has just told me that The House of Memories is the top-selling Australian book for the third week in a row. Thanks very much to you all for helping make that happen, and for all your … More

I’d like to say a big, big thanks to all of you who came along to my talks about The House of Memories all around Australia during the past few weeks. I loved doing every one of them – it … More

I was thrilled to receive this review from Booklist, the American Library Association magazine: ‘McInerney believes in the goodness of people… Lola, and the novel, cheerily salute the extraordinary in the ordinary and the connections of family and friends.’ Booklist, USA … More

This is a story from ABC-TV’s 7.30 Report, who caught up with me during a trip to Tasmania: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-12/luck-of-the-irish/4310850

Thanks very much to all of you who have come along to my talks in Sydney, Canberra and Queensland this week. I’m loving the opportunity to meet so many of you. Big thanks to all the librarians and booksellers for … More

I’m thrilled to share my first UK review for The House of Memories – ‘A wonderfully emotional and tense novel … Mesmerising.’ Thank you very much, Red Magazine.

Many thanks to Natasha Mitchell and all the Life Matters team at ABC Radio National for my interview on the program. If you’d like to listen, it’s now up on the ABC website.

This interview is available for download here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/monica-mcinerney/4281670

My Q&A about The House of Memories, where I write, my ultimate author dinner party and more besides is now up on the Bookworld website.

For Irish readers: I’m thrilled to say The House of Memories is one of Eason’s Books of the Month. I recently spent an afternoon at the Eason warehouse signing hundreds of copies – they’ll be available in Eason stores all … More

Many thanks to Emma Walsh of the Bord Gais Energy Bookclub for her lovely review, and for choosing The House of Memories as one of the Bookclub’s Books of the Month. “McInerney has a knack for bringing characters to life; imbuing … More

The House of Memories is now available in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and will be published in the UK in mid October. I’ll be in Australia during October and really looking forward to all the talks, bookshop visits and … More

Here are the details of all the bookshop and library talks I’ll be doing around Australia during my tour for The House of Memories in October. I’m really looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

I recently spent three days in London doing interviews to mark the UK publication of Lola’s Secret. I had the great pleasure of staying in Hazlitt’s Hotel in Soho, which has a large bookcase containing signed copies of books by … More

Here’s the lovely cover and blurb for the about-to-be-published Spanish edition of At Home with the Templetons. Cuando la familia Templeton, oriunda de Inglaterra, se muda a una mansión colonial en Australia, despierta la curiosidad y lashabladurías de los lugareños…, … More

Many thanks to Ben Falk of The Huffington Post UK edition for this interview about Lola’s Secret.

I’m delighted to be part of this year’s Mountains to Sea book festival in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin from September 4-9. I’m one of the speakers at A Passion for Books: An Evening for Readers & Writers at the Kingston … More

I spoke with The Huffington Post‘s Ben Falk about travel secrets and the charm of a good thrift store: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ben-falk/interview-author-monica-mcinerney_b_1697256.html

If you’re out and about on the Dublin train network over the next two weeks, please do keep an eye out for the ads for Lola’s Secret at stations and on platforms around the city. The paperback edition is now … More

I’m very happy to let you know that my tenth novel, called The House of Memories, will be published in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK in October 2012, with other countries to follow. I’ll be touring Australia in … More

I’m delighted to be part of this year’s Dalkey Book Festival. I’m speaking on a panel on Sunday 17th June from 1 – 2pm at the Heritage Centre, Castle Street, discussing ‘How to Write a Bestseller’ with Sinead Moriarty, Sarah … More

Many thanks/Vielen Dank to book-lover and book-blogger Karin in Vienna, Austria for her interview with me about my writing routine, favourite authors, Australian travel tips and more. Karin is also running a competition to win a signed copy of Those … More

Here are photos from my morning spent with the lovely folk at Irish book wholesalers Argosy and Eason. I signed hundreds of copies of the new paperback edition of Lola’s Secret which will soon be available in bookshops all around … More

Here’s the cover for the UK and Irish paperback edition of Lola’s Secret and the new edition of The Alphabet Sisters too. They’ll be available in bookshops and as an e-book on June 6 (Ireland) and July 19 (UK).

Here’s a preview of the cover for the American edition of Lola’s Secret. It will be published there in October 2012.

I’m delighted to say that Lola’s Secret has been shortlisted for General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2012 Australian Book Industry Awards. My big thanks to all the booksellers for this nomination, and to my publisher Penguin – … More

I enjoyed this conversation with Caroline Baum about writing The House of Memories:

I’m giving a talk in the Navan Library, County Meath on Thursday 15 March, 7.30 pm, as part of the Navan Shamrock Festival. Details here or phone 046-9021134. All welcome – hope to see you there!

I’m taking part in three events at the Waterford Writers’ Weekend in late March: a Commercial Fiction Workshop on Sat 24th March, 2-5 pm; the Women’s Fiction panel discussion with Sineád Moriarty, Niamh Greene and Sarah Webb on Sat 24th … More

My article from the Weekend Australian newspaper on My Favourite Novel: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle – Weekend Australian My Favourite Novel

Thanks to Annie MacRae of South Australia’s Collect magazine for this interview: Collect magazine Q&A

I’m happy to let you know the audio edition of Lola’s Secret, produced by Bolinda in Australia, is now available. My big thanks to actor Catie Milte (also from the Clare Valley!) for her beautiful reading of the story. Catie … More

I’m just back from a trip to London to research locations for my new novel. I’m really enjoying writing it and hope you’ll all enjoy reading it in October.

In perfect timing for Australia Day today, here’s a review of Lola’s Secret from the Australian books and reading website.

Literary blog Bitten By Book Lust published this insightful interview: http://bittenbybooklust.blogspot.ie/2011/11/monica-mcinerney-interview.html

My big thanks to Penguin Australia for this beautiful television commercial for Lola’s Secret, now showing on Australian TV.

Thanks very much to Booktopia for the invitation to answer their Ten Terrifying Questions.

The day I faced up to Booktopia’s “Ten Terrifying Questions”: http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2011/11/02/monica-mcinerney-author-of-lolas-secret-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/

My interview about The Getting of Wisdom from last weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers in Australia. Lola’s Secret – SMH 221011

I’m doing talks in libraries around the country in November and December. If I’m in your area, please do come along! Thur 3 November, 6pm: Watch House Cross Library, Limerick City 061 4577 26 Fri 4 November, 6pm: Guest speaker … More

The story behind Lola’s Secret – thanks very much to fellow author Fleur McDonald in Australia for the invitation to write this for her website.

My big thanks to the Zonta Club of Adelaide, South Australia for the honour of a 2011 Women of Achievement Award.

My warmest thanks to Hazel Gaynor of Off the Shelf on the Hello Magazine website for this Q&A and lovely review.

I’ll be giving a talk about my books and the writing life in Kanturk Library, County Cork on Thursday 20 October at 7.30 pm – admission is free and you’re all very welcome. For more details please phone Kanturk Library … More

Thanks very much to Dubray Books here in Ireland for their Lola’s Secret/The Alphabet Sisters competition – please visit the Dubray Books website for all the details on how to enter.

My big thanks to you all for giving Lola’s Secret such a warm welcome. If you’d like some background to the story, I hope you’ll enjoy this interview with me on the Penguin Australia website.

Thanks to Gerry Kelly of LMFM’s Late Lunch and my fellow panellists Sarah Nic Lochlainn and Ciara Burke for our lively discussion on the Irish Presidential election, the ideal age to marry and the pros and cons of parental guidelines … More

I was interviewed about Lola’s Secret by Phil Cawley of Today FM in the flagship Eason bookstore in O’Connell Street, Dublin on Saturday, as part of Eason’s 125th Birthday celebrations. Thanks Phil and a Very Happy Birthday, Eason!

October is publication month for Lola’s Secret in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. My big thanks to my publishers Penguin and Pan Macmillan, all the booksellers and especially to my readers for your great support. I hope you all enjoy … More

I won’t be in Australia for a Lola’s Secret tour this year, but I’d still love to offer signed bookplates for any readers. If you’d like one for your copy, please send an email to info@monicamcinerney.com with your name and … More

I spent a sunny afternoon yesterday signing many copies of Lola’s Secret at the Argosy and Eason warehouses in Dublin. The signed copies will soon be available in bookshops all around Ireland. Thanks Argosy, thanks Eason!

I’m doing a series of library talks around Ireland over the next few months, starting at the Carlow County Library’s first Literary Festival ‘PenFest’ on Thursday 15 September, 7.00 – 8.00 pm. For details 059 917 0094 or www.carlowlibraries.ie. On … More

A message from my publishers Pan Macmillan:  ‘In the run up to the publication of the sequel, Lola’s Secret, in October, we have five copies of The Alphabet Sisters to give away to Monica’s Irish readers. If you’d like to … More

My article about the joys of being an aunt recently appeared in the UK magazine The People’s Friend.

I hope you like this sneak preview of the Irish cover for Lola’s Secret, publication date October 7, 2011. I know these beautiful vineyard-covered hills well – the photo was actually taken in the Clare Valley of South Australia where … More