Beginner's pluck: Journalist and author Róisín Lanigan
Róisín Lanigan: 'I’ve always been interested in writing and journalism.' Picture: Robin Christian
A nerdy kid, Róisín has always loved spooky horror stories.
“I was a goth as a teenager and went out with boys who were in bands.
“I’ve always been interested in writing and journalism. I started writing for when I was university. After graduating I moved to London as a journalist.
“I worked for magazine for six years, before becoming contributing editor for .”
Róisín spent part of the pandemic in Belfast, but it was on her return to London in 2022 that she stared penning the debut. “I had written a novel before. It wasn’t published, but I won an award for it. That made me take myself more seriously.” She wrote the debut around her full-time job.
“I’m quite methodical. I write every day. The hardest thing is convincing yourself it’s worthwhile. In this book, the characters took over.”
Róisín has had short stories published in the , , and the , among others.
1991 in Belfast.
St Dominic’s Grammar School; Queen’s University, Belfast, English.
London.
Boyfriend Jacob. “We’re trying to adopt a stray cat.”
Contributing editor at the independent quarterly .
“When I was small, I wanted to be a librarian.”
: Annie Ernaux; Maeve Brennan; Wendy Cope; Vladimir Nabokov; Jilly Cooper.
“I’m working on one.”
“Take yourself seriously, even if nobody else does. Writing is a closed-off world and can feel difficult.”
@rosielanners
- I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There
- Fig Tree: €16.99
- Kindle: €9.93
When Áine and Elliot move in together, they’re thrilled with the affluent neighbourhood; but there’s something off about the flat. Elliot settles quickly. Does he not notice the draught, the damp rising from the cellar, and the spooky neighbours from hell?
The longer Áine stays, trying to work from the flat, the less and less the flat feels like home. She becomes aware of a disconnect between her and her friends, whose lives seem to be totally on track.
Increasingly spooked, her behaviour becomes erratic. Will her relationship with Elliot last the course?
Original, funny, engaging, and thought-provoking.
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