So long as you’re not in the obituary page or the crime notices, a mention in the local paper is usually a nice thing. And sometimes it’s a very exciting thing! This week, I graced the arts page of The Argus, our local newspaper. Floyd, Moses and Fingers Flaherty also put in an appearance.

Below is the text of the article:

“I saw a squirrel walking into work today…”

With that overheard snatch of conversation, Pádraig Hanratty had the seed for a new story idea. He pictured an executive squirrel scurrying to work, flash suit neatly wrapped around him, leather briefcase jauntily swinging by his side. Talkin’ Squirrel Blues was born!

Over time he returned to the story, populating it with a cast of eccentric characters: Moses, the lovelorn marketing executive whose career path was strewn with missed deadlines and abandoned goals; Jesse, the grumpy neighbour with little patience for Moses’s martyr complex; and Fingers Flaherty, a dead blues singer whose voice continues to bawl from the dusty speakers. Which one will be able to guide Moses to happiness? Should he listen to a talkin’ squirrel or a dead blues singer?

Pádraig has worked in the elearning industry as a writer and editor for twenty years, covering subjects as diverse as time management and Six Sigma, alternative energy and rodent infestations, Oxford commas and Steve Jobs. In his spare time, he takes part in creative writing courses and readings. He has produced a variety of pieces over the years, including short stories, haikus and flash fiction. Talkin’ Squirrel Blues, a surreal comedy set in recessionary Dublin, is his first novel.

In 2013, Pádraig self-published A Blanket of Blues, a collection of short stories available from Amazon as an ebook and paperback. He followed this up in 2014 with Dimestore Avenue Blues, a novella. Relishing the challenges and learning opportunities inherent in self-publishing, in 2015 he returned to his novel and decided to bring it to market via the self-publishing route.

Talkin’ Squirrel Blues is his first novel and is dedicated to his godson Michael McGee. It is now available for purchase in various local businesses, including Roe River Books and The Food House. The official book launch will take place at 23 Seats, Crowe Street, on 14 January 2017.

*****

Many thanks for Margaret Roddy for her help with this.

I made it on to page 82 of the paper. I wonder who made it on to the front page…

And was I really Donald’s nanny? Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t. After all, anything is possible in 2016… However, as Julius Caesar once said, “You shouldn’t always believe everything you read on the Internet, Brutus!”

Looking forward to the book launch! Bring your nanny.