darraghmartin

Here’s a photo of ‘The Keeper’ in my sister’s house. Very excited to see a hard copy and that it’s available for people to read in Ireland now. 

This is my first book. I’m used to writing plays and seeing them performed for the first time is always a thrilling experience as so many people are involved in making the piece – the stage managers, designers, actors, musicians, audience. What I didn’t realise until now is how communal making a book is. It’s exciting to see all the parts that I had nothing to do with: the shiny cover, the lovely map inside, the little Celtic swirls for the first letter of every chapter. 

But it’s also exciting to see the words that so many people have had a hand in shaping appear inside a book. I feel enormously grateful to my agent, Faith O’Grady, who asked so many great questions when she read the first draft; to my editors at Little Island, Siobhan Parkinson & Elaina O’ Neill, who had great comments and suggestions for every draft and for all my friends who read early drafts – Gillian, Rachel J, Rachel W, Maggie, Kevin; my housemates in New York & Australia who tolerated my endless tapping at the laptop & gave me tea and love; my family at home who have been so excited… this would be a different book without all these people. 

On the theme of excitement (the only word that I seem capable of using today) it’s also nice to think of people who don’t know me who are going to read the book now and help re-make the book.