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Sheila O'Flanagan

Goodreads Author

Born

Dublin, Ireland

Website

http://sheilaoflanagan.com/

Twitter

sheilaoflanagan

Genre

Contemporary, Chick Lit, Romance

Member Since

March 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/sheilaoflanagan

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As you can see, a Dubliner all my life. My parents owned a grocery shop in the Iveagh Markets, in the Liberties area of the city and I guess city blood runs through my veins.

As a child I enjoyed reading and telling stories and everyone thought that I end up in a job which had something to do with books and literature. But though I applied for a job in the library all of the job offers I got were in commerce.

I turned down lots of them before my mother accepted one for me (I was on holiday at the time). It was in the Central Bank of Ireland and that’s how my career in financial services began.

I started out in administration and then moved jobs until finally I was working as a dealer in a commercial bank. Eventually I was promoted to Chief Dea As you can see, a Dubliner all my life. My parents owned a grocery shop in the Iveagh Markets, in the Liberties area of the city and I guess city blood runs through my veins.

As a child I enjoyed reading and telling stories and everyone thought that I end up in a job which had something to do with books and literature. But though I applied for a job in the library all of the job offers I got were in commerce.

I turned down lots of them before my mother accepted one for me (I was on holiday at the time). It was in the Central Bank of Ireland and that’s how my career in financial services began.

I started out in administration and then moved jobs until finally I was working as a dealer in a commercial bank. Eventually I was promoted to Chief Dealer (the first female CD in the country). I traded lots of different things – foreign exchange, swaps, options, bondsâ€¦all of the kind of things you read about in the papers and that sound very technical and difficult. Of course once you’re doing it, it’s not half as technical as it sounds.

But I still loved reading and writing (which I did in my spare time) and I desperately wanted to write my own book. I guess I never quite got over the fact that I was never offered the library job! In my thirties I decided that it was now or never and I sat down, stuck Chapter 1 on a page, and started. I wrote the whole thing before sending it off.

I was offered a publishing deal (with no advance) by an Irish company but only if I wrote a different book! So back to the drawing board, I started again. It was another two years before it was published. It wasn’t until I’d written a few books and was offered a contract (this time with an advance!) from another publisher that I felt able to give up my trading job and write full time. So, even though it took a long time, I eventually realised my dream of being a full-time writer.

And now I also write a business column for the Irish Times.

When I’m writing a book I want to do three things:

* Tell a good story
* Make the reader feel like they know the characters
* Make each book better than the last

I don’t write for any particular audience but I suppose I must have people like me in mind – people who have busy lives and who like to escape into someone else’s for a while.

I love writing books. I hope you enjoy reading them. ...more

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Hi Sheila, i just read finish A season to remember and i loved it. Love the way you write on people's emotions and their circumstances and how they react to it and finally learn how to respond to it..the story on Claire is really touching... I feel happy content and warm reading the stories! :) and to read your biography here above makes me feel inspired as well! How was it to trust yourself and resign from monthly $?

Sheila O'Flanagan Hi Puspathevi

I'm delighted you enjoyed A Season to Remember - I always want my readers to feel close to the characters and understand why they do the …moreHi Puspathevi

I'm delighted you enjoyed A Season to Remember - I always want my readers to feel close to the characters and understand why they do the things they do, even if they wouldn't have reacted the same way themselves.

I loved reading as a child (and still do, of course) and I always liked writing my own stories. Even though I ended up working in finance, it was my dream to write a book one day. I started lots of different novels without finishing them but finally told myself that it was important to me to write a novel from beginning to end. I wrote my first book when I was still working in finance and that was a good thing as it meant I didn't feel any pressure to make money from it. But when I realised that I could write a book and finish it, and when the opportunity came to write more, I decided to trust in myself and leave my job.
It's always a little scary to give up a well paying job but if you're changing it for something you really believe in and want to do, if you're doing it for yourself and not for anyone else, it's the only choice you can make.
I've been lucky that I've been able to make enough money from writing books to pay my bills - and I'm very, very grateful that I was able to follow my heart and do what I wanted to do. Sx(less)

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Hi Sheila, I really loved your book Connections. I literally read it in three sittings. Your writing style is excellent. My question is: What was your inspiration for writing this book?

Sheila O'Flanagan Hi Sarah

I'm delighted you enjoyed Connections. The inspiration for the book came to me when I was on a holiday in the Caribbean, and I saw a newly mar…moreHi Sarah

I'm delighted you enjoyed Connections. The inspiration for the book came to me when I was on a holiday in the Caribbean, and I saw a newly married couple arguing on the beach! I began to wonder about how things would work out for them and that started me thinking about everyone else on the beach and what their stories might be. So as I was lying on my sun lounger every day I continued thinking about them and coming up with ideas. When I got back to Ireland I wrote Jennifer's story and the rest of them just followed on. I wrote that book in the winter so it was nice to imagine being in a sunny place. In a weather-related twist, I edited my other short story collection, A Season to Remember, in Spain during a heatwave - even though the book is set at Christmas!
all the best
Sheila(less)

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Sheila O'Flanagan’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 83,268 ratings · 4,412 reviews · 98 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Missing Wife 3.91 avg rating — 8,943 ratings — published 2016 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What Happened That Night 3.99 avg rating — 4,273 ratings — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Mother's Secret 3.77 avg rating — 4,179 ratings — published 2015 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	BAD BEHAVIOUR 3.99 avg rating — 3,741 ratings — published 2007 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three Weddings and a Proposal 3.81 avg rating — 3,690 ratings — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hideaway really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3,321 ratings — published 2018 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Her Husband's Mistake 3.82 avg rating — 3,463 ratings — published 2019 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Yours, Faithfully 3.99 avg rating — 3,049 ratings — published 2006 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Women Who Ran Away 3.84 avg rating — 2,947 ratings — published 2020 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Things We Never Say 3.94 avg rating — 2,637 ratings — published 2013 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Crystal Run (2 books)
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Sheila O'Flanagan (Goodreads Author)

3.69 avg rating — 219 ratings

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Sheila O'Flanagan wrote a new blog post Crime Files x Harrogate Prize Draw Enter the Crime Files x Harrogate prize draw to be in with a chance of winning a stack of new and upcoming books from the Crime/Thriller reading commu Read more of this blog post »
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Quotes by Sheila O'Flanagan (?)

“Seems an awful waste to be in the same country and do nothing about it.”
― Sheila O'Flanagan, If You Were Me

tags: best-friends, career, faith, family-life, first-love, in-laws, wedding

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“Dreaming Of A Stranger Destinations”
― Sheila O'Flanagan, What Dreams Are Made Of

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“Manchester”
― Sheila O'Flanagan, Far From Over: A refreshing romance novel of humour and warmth

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