Offaly author launching second novel next month
New release comes after debut book was nominated for top award
LOCAL author Mary Minnock will launch her second novel on Thursday, December 5 next at Midland Books, High Street, Tullamore.
Love Lost tells the story of an estranged couple whose only daughter is killed in a car accident.
“The guards are kind of dismissing it as youthful recklessness but they feel there's something odd about the accident and they are obliged, despite their differences and their estrangement, to work together to figure out what happened,” said Mary.
The writer, a native of Rahan who now lives in Dublin, was nominated for a major award for her first book, Homesick.
The Carousel Aware Prize (CAP) for Independently Published Authors is the leading award in Ireland for self published and independently published books.
Though she missed out on the top prize in the fiction category, Mary said she really enjoyed the awards night at Chapters, Parnell Street earlier this month.
“The standard was very high, really and truly, of the shortlisted people. So it was good company to be in,” she said.
The CAP patron is the 2024 Booker Prize Winner, Paul Lynch. CAP also provides sponsored opportunities for low-income writers, promotes inclusivity and supports self-published authors by connecting them to bookstores, distributors, and media, while raising awareness for the mental health charity Aware.
Mary Minnock's Homesick told the story of 40-year-old Christina who is living and working in Dublin and returns to her home town in the west of Ireland after her mother takes ill.
She is forced to confront demons from her childhood as well as face up to some family dilemmas which she has been avoiding in Dublin.
Mary is very happy with how Homesick has been received. “It has done really well. I have well over 100 written reviews online. It's averaging 4.7-4.8 [rating] on Good Reads and Amazon and I was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards in the US. It has really taken off and I'm getting really, really good feedback from people.”
The new book Love Lost will be available at the launch night on December 5 where those in attendance can enjoy some festive mince pies.