Beginner’s Pluck
Cee Liddy is the pen name for Colm Liddy, a farmer’s son from County Clare. A pharmacist, who has written compulsively since he was 24, Colm is the author of a humorous selection of vignettes, 40 Fights Between Husband and Wives.
“I like to tell stories in whatever form. Recently I’ve been making short animated films for YouTube.”
Date of birth: May 15, 1970.
Education: Degree in Trinity College, Pharmacy.
Home: Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare.
Family: Wife, Niamh, and five children. Eldest at college, youngest is three.
The Day Job: Part-time pharmacist. “And I do a lot of childcare.”
Hobbies: “Training the under 10 hurling team. And I play soccer twice a week.”
Favourite Writers: Jennifer Egan; David Nicholls: Neil Gaiman. “They are all a huge influence. I admire them for their structure.”
Second Novel: “I have a few finished. My favourite is about an apartment block that is falling apart. I wrote it way before the Priory Hall debacle.”
Top Writing Tip: “Start with the truth. If you’re writing about a family, start with your own. Be honest on paper, then twist, exaggerate, and play for laughs.”
Web: www.colmliddy.com
Twitter: @colmliddy
Not Quite A Fairy Tale. Penguin: €8.41. Kindle: Not yet available.
How many frogs does a girl have to kiss before she finds her prince? Evelyn has kissed so many, that she wonders if the heartbreak is worth it. John, once a romantic dreamer, has also given up on his quest for true love. Friends at college, the two meet sporadically, through the years.
As they get older, and no longer believe in fairy tales, does that mean they should settle for second best?
“This is my romance novel. It’s based on my life in my twenties, the time when, while life is going on, you have an eye open to finding a partner. It’s a mixture of autobiography with confidences from friends thrown in. I changed their names so they can’t kill me!”
The Verdict: ‘One day,’ Dublin style. Quirky and poignant.
— Interviewed by Sue Leonard
