Beignner’s Pluck
Caroline Finnerty studied biotechnology at college, and then spent a year at business school. She works as a business development officer for a pharmacy group.
She started writing in her late 20s. She began a novel, and did a creative writing class in Leixlip. After her first baby was born she had the idea for In A Moment. “Having Lila was magical; but it was also scary and overwhelming. I thought, ‘what if anything were ever to happen to her’.
“I had written half the novel, when I heard about the Poolbeg TV3 write a bestseller competition. That gave me a deadline. I didn’t win, but as a runner-up, I was offered a three-book deal.”
Who is Caroline Finnerty?
Date of birth: November 6, 1980.
Education: St Wolstan’s Holy Faith Convent in Celbridge, Co Kildare. Degree and masters at NUI Maynooth. Michael Smurfit Business School.
Home: Ardclough, Co Kildare.
Family: Husband Simon. Lila, 3, and twins Tom and Bea, 5 months.
The Day Job: Maternity leave from her job as a business development officer.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, walking with the dogs; Harvey, a boxer, and Sam, a golden Labrador.
Favourite Writers: Marian Keyes. “I love the way she does dark topics, yet her books are so humorous.” David Nicholls. Also Sophie Kinsella and Melissa Hill.
Second Novel: “I’m about halfway through. It’s a romantic comedy about a young divorcée.”
Top Writing Tip: Every writer feels what they’re writing is really awful. Don’t let that put you off. Keep coming back each day and making it better and better.
Web: www.carolinefinnerty.ie
Twitter: @cfinnertywriter
THE DEBUT
In a Moment. Poolbeg, €13.99; Kindle, €7.50
Adam and Emma are barely speaking. Adam is desperate to salvage his marriage, but Emma does her best to avoid him. What happened to push them into this state? Meanwhile, Jean McParland, a single mum of three, feels terrorised by her son. In just a moment, Adam, Emma and Jean’s lives become linked, and are changed forever.
The Verdict: An absorbing and emotional page-turner.
— Interviewed by Sue Leonard
