Beginner’s
Pluck.
Interviewed
by Sue Leonard.
Published
in The Irish Examiner on October 26th.
Beginner’s Pluck
Jennifer Ridyard.
Jennie
enjoyed an Idyllic South African childhood, unaware of apartheid. After school
she had various jobs, including waitressing and nursing. She worked in a bank for
years before becoming a journalist in 1994. After a stint in London, she became
Lifestyle Editor for a South African National newspaper. She moved to Ireland
in 2004 to be with John Connolly.
“I met John in 2000, when I interviewed
him.”
She
now works as a copy editor, and has written three unpublished manuscripts.
Who is Jennifer
Ridyard?
Date
of birth: 8th October, 1981, in Stockport, Manchester. “But I emigrated
to South Africa when I was two years old.”
Education:
A government school in Benoni, near Johannesburg. Jennie went to WITS
university but left when she became pregnant in her first year.
Home:
Dublin.
Family: Partner, the writer John Connolly. Cameron, 22, and Alistair 15. Two rescue dogs, Sasha and Coco.
The
Day Job: Fulltime writer/copywriter.
Interests:
Dogs, cake and reading.
Favourite
Writers: Jeffrey Eugenides; Chimamanda Adichie; Dennis Lehane and Marian Keyes.
Second
Novel: “We’ve started writing the second in the series. We spend hours
discussing it over dinner.”
Top
Writing Tip: “Just do it. Don’t edit yourself all the time. Writers can get so
caught up in the words that they forget about the story. The story and the characters
are paramount.”
Web; www.chroniclesoftheinvaders.com Twitter: @JennieRidyard
The Debut: Conquest.
Part One of the Chronicles of the Invaders. (With John Connolly.) Headline: €18.75
Kindle:€7.67.
Conquest
shows a time when earth is ruled by the Illyra. Syl Hellais is the first Illyra
to have been born on earth. She longs to escape her father’s stronghold. At 16,
she saves the life of a human, Paul Kerr, and, cast out, her life changes for ever.
“John had the idea, but not enough time
to write it. He gave me the beginning and the synopsis, I wrote it, and we both
bashed it into shape.”
The Verdict: The
first of a new series for teenagers. Original, funny, and beautifully written.
© Sue Leonard.
2013
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