Free event but booking required: phone Mountmellick Library on 057 8624733 or email mountmellicklibrary@laoiscoco.ie
An engaging panel discussion for readers and writers. This is an insightful panel discussion featuring best-selling Irish female authors who explore the value of women's voices in commercial fiction.
The panel will explore the value of telling women's stories in commercial fiction, domestic drama, thrillers, romance or light-hearted contemporary fiction. We will explore the themes that define their work: resilience, relationships, personal transformation and modern Irish life. The conversation will delve into the changing face of women's fiction, how these authors craft characters that readers around the world connect with and how Irish women's fiction continues to go from strength to strength.
We will revisit the early days of their writing journeys and the inspiration for their novels. Our panellists will dive into the publishing world - traditional and e-books, writing groups, dealing with rejection, working with editors, navigating trends, and building a brand.
Faith is a million-copy bestseller. She is a USA Today and Irish Times Top Ten best-selling author and an Amazon UK Number 1 best-selling writer of contemporary fiction. Her stories have charmed readers around the world - she's sold internationally and her books have been translated widely. She writes grown-up women's fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel-good and inspiring. Her 2024 novel, The Bookshop Ladies, was shortlisted for an An Post Book Award. She also writes twisty contemporary crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan. www.faithhogan.com
Ruth is an Irish Times Bestseller who lives in Dublin and works as a freelance movie extra. Her debut novel, The Weekend Break, was published in 2024, followed by A Week to Remember and her latest novel The Last Week of Him, published in 2026. Ruth's other passion is travel, and her blog, Rambling Ruth, is available on her website www.rutholearywriter.com
Dublin-based Val Troy is a comedy writer and comedian. She is an Irish Producer of Funny Women, the leading female comedy community, and her one-woman comedy and storytelling show, (R)age Gracefully, debuted at the Cork Fringe Festival in 2026. She has appeared on Virgin Media's Ireland AM and the Sunday Independent and is a regular contributor on The Oliver Callan show on RTE Radio One. www.valtroy.com
For more information on the Leaves Festival and the Laois Arts Programme contact The Arts Office
tel.: 057 866 4033/13
email: artsoff@laoiscoco.ie
For events at Dunamaise Arts Centre and St. Peter's Church of Ireland book online or call 057 866 3355.
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