World Book Day: ‘Hire an editor,’ says Larne author

“I wrote half a first novel in my early thirties and it took me six years to find the time to go back to it. I think it was the process of writing a diary that brought me back to it,” she says.

Angeline has written three novels: Snugville Street (2015), A Belfast Tale (2016) and Dusty Bluebells (2020). She has also written Irish Dancing, the Festival Story (2018).

“I self-published Snugville Street because I was in a hurry. I thought I was on a short ‘career break’, a golden chance to spend time with the children and fulfil a dream. I didn’t imagine I’d ever take the novel writing this far and actually end up as Writer in Residence of Ulster University,” she says.

Her study of Irish Dancing: The Festival Story, was published by Leschenault Press, an Australian independent publisher.

Her ‘golden hours’ for writing are between 9am and 11am, but she says: “I currently have no structured time for creative writing because I’m doing a PhD and home-schooling two children.

“I’ve always loved writing. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.

“I think it is helpful to do a postgraduate qualification in creative writing. Entering short story competitions and submitting short stories to journals is useful too. The most important tip for the self-publisher is to hire an editor,” she says.

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