Woman's Way Interview

Denise Deegan started life as a nurse, training at St Vincent’s. Then she tried china restoration and sales, before settling as a PR consultant. She ended up with her own PR company. Denise now writes full time, submitting occasional articles to The Evening Herald. She lives in Monkstown, Dublin with her husband Joe, and their two young children.

Denise took a masters degree in PR, and after discovering a gap in the market, she decided to fill it by writing a factual book. She enjoyed the writing so much that she decided to try her hand at fiction. She sent three chapters and a synopsis to eight different agents and publishers. The all said no, but some commented favourably, so she rewrote the book, sent it back to them, and got accepted. Her first book, Turning Turtle, came out last year to huge critical acclaim.

Denise writes five mornings a week while the children are at school. ‘I walk every day before I sit at my desk,’ she says.

Contemporary authors – ‘I like Anne Tyler because she’s consistently great. And I’m also a fan of Maggie O’Farrell. I’ve recently enjoyed Hugo Hamilton’s the Speckled People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.

‘My daughter’s excitement when the proofs came in. And when the final book came and she saw her name in the dedication.’

‘When someone picks out something that meant something to them, and they felt I got it right. When they say it’s real. That it means something and makes a difference.

‘I buy art. Recently it’s been Stephen Cullen. I really like his new style.’

Denise is keen on yoga and walking. She loves reading and socialising, and makes sure she keeps time for Joe. ‘Every Saturday we go out for some quality time together,’ she says. ‘It’s a chance to have a conversation.’

‘I would like to be distributed more widely and reach as many people as possible.’