A love story, not a disability story — the main character just happens to have arthritis

Jenny Ireland mines her experience of dealing with serious health issues in her first book for young adults, which focuses on ability rather than disability

Jenny Ireland's young adult book, The First Move, features a protagonist who happens to have arthritis. Photograph Moya Nolan

Having had health issues with arthritis and anxiety, Penguin debut author, Jenny Ireland, is passionate about the need for more disability representation, especially in literature aimed at children and young adults (YA).

She hopes that her YA book, The First Move, demonstrates that characters with disabilities and chronic illnesses can live in a fully rounded way. The idea that her own children will grow up reading books that are a true reflection of the world they inhabit is important to Jenny.