Denise is an Irish novelist & PAGE Award-winning screenwriter who tackles issues of loss and injustice, often through humour.
Winner of The Pitch Film Fund, Denise’s comedy short film, THE INNKEEPER, is on the festival circuit, winning Best Comedy and Best Actor awards at the Canberra Short Film Festival; a Young Audience Award at the This is England Film Festival, Rouen; an Honourable Mention at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival; First Runner Up at the Foyle Film Festival; and an Honourable Mention at the SCHLiNGEL Film Festival, Germany.
Three of Denise’s feature films and two of her TV series have been optioned and are in development by a variety of Irish, UK and Finnish producers. She is grateful to Screen Ireland for supporting three of her projects with development funding.
Denise has recently joined Ireland’s longest running drama serial, Fair City, as a writer.
Denise is an Academy Nicholl Fellowship Quarterfinalist, a Final Draft Big Break Semifinalist, and a PAGE Award Winner. Her radio play, The Last PTA Meeting, won the Little Wonder Radio Play Competition. Denise won the Raindance Pitching Competition, January 2021, following a general anaesthetic! She is represented by Peter MacFarlane of MacFarlane Chard.
In terms of novels, Denise writes women’s fiction as Aimee Alexander and Young Adult titles under her own name. Published by Penguin Random House and Hachette, she has awards from Publishers Weekly and the SCBWI. Her work has been translated into German, Dutch and Turkish.
Denise’s coming-of-age novels include the much-loved trilogy, The Butterfly Novels: And By The Way, And For Your Information and And Actually and the epic novel of Irish revolution, Through the Barricades. And For Your Information was nominated for an Irish Book Award and is being adapted for film with Treasure Entertainment.
About Denise
Denise lives in Dublin where she regularly dreams of sunshine, a life without cooking and her novels being made into movies.
Denise has been a nurse, china restorer, pharmaceutical sales rep, public relations officer, entrepreneur and college lecturer. Her most difficult job was checkout girl, though it did inspire a short story.
Books
Fairy-tale Retelling
Fairy-tale retelling of The Princess and the Pea, where the prince and princess get to control their own destinies.
Ireland’s Fight For Freedom
This story of first love during revolution won the SCBWI Spark Award 2017 and was chosen as a Publishers Weekly Booklife “Books to Watch”. Immaculately researched.
Contemporary Teen Series
The beloved Butterfly Novels… Three friends, Rachel, Alex and Sarah negotiate school, life, first love and – always – friendship.
Women’s Fiction
Learn more about Denise’s bestselling women’s fiction, written under the pen name Aimee Alexander.
The Little Book of Irishisms
If an Irish person called you a “mad yoke” would you know if they were insulting you or complimenting you? A novelty guide to the quirky way the Irish speak English. The ultimate gift for anyone who loves the Irish in them. MORE
School Visits
Denise loves to bring her popular and empowering story workshops to schools around Ireland. Interactive and fun, they are designed to help students learn more about character, plot, using their senses when telling stories and ‘showing not telling.’
