Gráinne O'Brien is no stranger to anyone on the Irish book scene! A bookseller, a creative writing coach, and a published author, she released her debut YA novel in April 2025 to instant acclaim. We were delighted that she made time in a very busy day - with thanks to The Campus Bookshop in UCD, Sinéad's old workplace, for giving her somewhere to set up her computer so she could talk to us! - and we had a brilliant natter about stories, books, and the importance of listening to the voices in your head. (If you know, you know!)

Find Gráinne online HERE

Find Rontu, Gráinne's creative writing coaching service, HERE

Find Kenny's Bookshop, where Gráinne is Children's Buyer, HERE

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Gráinne's own:

A Limerick Fairytale

Solo

And the stories which shaped her include:

Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

These Are the Words, by Nikita Gill

The work of Sarah Crossan

The life and work of Mary O'Shea, elementary school librarian in Palo Alto, CA

Ramona Quimby, by Beverly Cleary

The Baby-sitters' Club, by Ann M. Martin

Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, by Louis Sachar

Holes, by Louis Sachar

The Magician of Tiger Castle, by Louis Sachar

The Goosebumps books, by RL Stine

The work of Maeve Binchy

Flowers in the Attic, by Virginia Andrews

The work of Marian Keyes

JAWS, by Peter Benchley

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith

The work of Jessica Townsend

The Murder Most Unladylike series, by Robin Stevens

The Song of the Lioness, by Tamora Pierce

Nina Peanut Is Amazing and Nina Peanut, Mega Mystery Solver, by Sarah Bowie

Pablo and Splash, by Sheena Dempsey

Notes from a Coma, by Mike McCormack

The work of Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

The work of Donal Ryan

The work of Joseph O'Connor

The Book of Secrets, by Alex Dunne

Under the Hawthorn Tree (trilogy), by Marita Conlon-McKenna

Creative Writing for Dummies, by Maggie Hamand

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eve Wersocki Morris has been called 'the best-kept secret in children's publishing' by no less than Lemony Snicket himself, so who are we to argue! We were delighted to get a window into her delightfully noirish Storyshaped life. Come with us as we discover the stories - movies, books, the lot! - which have shaped her and her work, right from her first novel (written when she was thirteen!) to the present day.

Find Eve online at her website

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Eve's own:

The Bird Singers

The Wildstorm Curse

Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed

And the stories which have shaped her include:

Movies:

The Maltese Falcon

The 39 Steps

Strangers on a Train

The Big Sleep

Stage Fright

Dial M For Murder

Double Indemnity

Some Like It Hot

Sunset Boulevard

The Ladykillers

The Wrong Arm of the Law

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Night Train to Munich

Castle in the Air and the Chrestomanci books, by Diana Wynne Jones

The Just William Stories, by Richmal Crompton, read by Martin Jarvis

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

The Roman Mysteries, by Caroline Lawrence

Lizzie Zipmouth, by Jacqueline Wilson

Fantastic Mr Fox, by Roald Dahl

The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy

Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman

Anna Karenina, by Tolstoy

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith

Heartburn, by Nora Ephron

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Poetry Pharmacy Comfort Poems Collection

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Peter Donnelly, one of Ireland's foremost illustrators and picturebook makers, to discuss life, work, inspiration, and everything in between! Listen in for a chance to hear about how Peter was inspired by a mountain, and how NOT getting into art college was the best thing that ever happened to him. If you've ever wondered: how did Peter Donnelly come up with the brilliant idea to write a picturebook about the President of Ireland, then you've found your happy place. Come and join us as we winkle out Peter Donnelly's Storyshaped secrets!

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Peter's own:

The President's Glasses

The President's Cat

The President's Dog

The President's Surprise

The Dead Zoo

The Great Discovery

Up on the Mountain

Little Wolf

And the stories that shaped him include:

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by PJ Lynch

The work of PJ Lynch

Monty Python, British TV comedy

The Prince of Egypt, animated movie on which Peter worked

Anastasia, animated movie on which Peter worked

Tilly and Friends, by Polly Dunbar

This is Ireland, by Miroslav Sacek

The work of Mac Barnett

The work of Jon Klassen

The Fairy Isle, by Síne Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn

Beanie the Bansheenie, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Steve McCarthy

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.