I called the boss a ‘fucker’ one day – not to his face, but it got back to him – so that was the end. - Philip Ó Ceallaigh

The real writers are tenacious creatures, and they found a way long before there were writers workshops and creative writing courses in the universities. In the absence of formal frameworks, personal initiatives and informal frameworks become more important.

I was kind of solitary. I'd spend a lot of time on my own, reading books. I didn't integrate very well.

I don't want to become the kind of writer who's putting out a book every two years. Money is not my primary concern. I've been broke before and I'll do it again.