A Night of Writerly Hobnobbing

This week, I'm reminded that the life of a successful writer is more grit than glamour.

It wasn’t quite like that. The days of the decadent writer, riding on waves of toxic substances, are long gone. Those days might have been fun, but I’m glad I didn’t have to fish this author out of a pub to bring her to the reading.

Not only did I not have to fish this author out – she and her husband were already in the restaurant when I arrived with my fellow SpeakEasy-er, Billy. We all enjoyed a delicious meal, and there was no mention of Plato.

The meal in Momo Restaurant was a treat, but it was also a good opportunity for me to get to know the author, Danielle McLaughlin, in my role as MC. I told her what topics we were likely to cover in the Q&A section, but I also got a birds-eye view of her writing life, deep in the Cork countryside. A rather delightful way to spend an hour or two.

After that, we made for Phil Grimes Pub, where SpeakEasy takes place. There are all these tiny logistical details which are invisible to the naked eye, but essential to the success of a night. One of these is: how to get Au.Thor to Venue. Thankfully, Billy was on hand with his vehicle to ensure we were all transported there in a timely manner.

This is a black and white photo of Danielle McLaughlin, our featured SpeakEasy author. She is slim with blonde hair and she is smiling. Her hands are in the pockets of her trousers.

Once we arrived at the pub, I was the link in the chain of events. That meant I introduced each segment of the event to make sure that the night went smoothly. I introduced the musician first, classical violinist Nataliya O’Neill. Then I introduced Danielle, who read her first extract of writing, from her novel The Art of Falling.

After that, I introduced SpeakEasy-er Mary Frances, who MCed the open mic session. That’s usually my job, but I was on full MC duties that night. After a break, there was more music, more local voices in the open mic, and another extract from Danielle.

Danielle’s professionalism was evident in her choice of very complete pieces of writing that fit neatly into the 10-15-minute segments allotted to her. She first found fame as the author of a short story collection, Dinosaurs on Other Planets, so that no doubt explained her conciseness.

Danielle also revealed that the life of an author is far from hobbing and nobbing. This hugely talented writer, who has a slew of awards to her name, is looking for a publisher for her next novel. That’s how tough the game is. As my husband says, you can’t eat awards.

The Q&A provided more insights, this time into the glories of writing, as Danielle revealed that writing The Art of Falling let her become a sculptor by proxy, as she imagined the process of creating sculpture with her sculptor character.

The night came to an end, and I said all my thank yous, like the good little MC that I am. And then came the Next Great Logistical Dilemma: how to transport Au.Thor from Venue to Hotel. Danielle and her husband were low maintenance, so they said they’d walk.

There is indeed no glamour in the life of a writer. But I’m quietly proud of the fact that we at SpeakEasy do all we can to make authors feel special, a little glamorous for an evening. In a world that can seem indifferent to their words, we show them that their words matter.

Newsy Nugget

It’s a tough world out there for authors, whether you’re traditionally or self-published. But self-publishing is gaining increasing recognition as a way to get your work out there. And there are great resources, like Ireland’s Self-Publishing Show, which is happening in March 2025.

This event lays out all your options for publishing your book/ You’ll have a chance to hear from experts in the field and make up your own mind what direction you want to take. Take a look at their website.