Nicola grew up in Monkstown, Co. Dublin and studied English at Trinity College, Dublin and at Oxford. She worked in publishing for several years before writing her first book The Out of Office Girl, which was shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year 2013 in the Romantic Comedy category.
Her second book, If I Could Turn Back Time, is out now from Headline. She likes cooking, running, watching make-up lessons on YouTube, New York, California, Friday Night Lights and Stila eyeliner. Nicola lives in Highbury, north London, with her husband and no cats (yet).
Hi Nicola, I love your new page. You're amazing, G xx
ReplyDeleteAww!! thanks!
ReplyDeleteWell done Nicola! I am really delighted for you. I remember you from Singers TCD, Cork Trip and much much more. Hope the books fly off the shelf. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Anonymous! Those trips were the best. Drop me an email or find me on Facebook so I know who you are! ? It's nicolaclaredoherty, all one word, at gee mail dot com.
ReplyDeleteHey Nicola.
ReplyDeleteI read "The Out of Office Girl" today after Lizzie had enthused about it. I hadn't planned on spending all day reading. I just started at breakfast and before I knew where I was I was on page 219 and there was no way anything else was going to get done today. What a debut novel, and what a superb piece of writing. I was so impressed, particularly by your ability to write characters that I really cared about (and in the first person too...yay!). I could almost hear your lilting voice as I was reading.
Certrain scenes will stay with me for a long time.The scene where Marisa takes Alice clothes shopping was just terrific, and crackled with life. As a guy I could never have written anything so convincing about shopping!
I'll have to admit at this point that I detest the phrase "Chick Lit". To me it sounds demeaning and derogatory, and has to have been first coined by a man! However, "Contemporary Fiction for Women" isn't much better. I far prefer the description of a damn good story, which I think far better describes what you've written.
I take my hat off to you. Thank you for writing this, and for having the balls to get it finished and get it published. It made my day.
I am so looking forward to reading your next novel.
All the best
Ian Kirkpatrick
Hello Nicola,
ReplyDeleteI'm Roberta, and I am from Turin, Italy.
I've just finished reading today your book, "La ragazza fuori ufficio" (that is the Italian Mondadori title for it) and I've liked very much. Congratulations, really. I've found Alice a kind of merge between a Bridget Jones and a Sophie Kinsella' character, and I liked her quite a lot. She does seem a realistic and nice girl. I've read the whole book in a couple of days, so it has been quite engaging.
I have to admit that, at the beginning, I had some fear that you could use the usual stereotypes about Italian people and food, but luckily there are not so strong (I mean, for example, when you talk about the people at the airport, you describe them all like short people, but there are both tall and short people, I assure you ;). The scene about the cappuccino has made me laugh, because it's true: usually people have it only during breakfast time, and not during the rest of the day. It's a thing that gives me trouble too, because sometimes I would like to have it during the afternoon, for instance, but I feel like an alien to ask for it. On the contrary, if I am abroad, nobody would consider it strange.
Well, I do look forward to read your next book, hoping that it will be published in Italy, again (otherwise I will try to look for it in original).
Have a good work, and best wishes
Roberta
Hi Roberta
DeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment, and I'm sorry to be getting back to you so late! I am THRILLED that you liked my book. A compliment from an Italian reader means a lot, because you're right, it is difficult to portray another country without using stereotypes, but I'm glad you found it OK ... and I'm so glad you liked Alice!
Thanks for reading,
Nicola x
Hi Nicola! I'm Marta from Italy!
ReplyDeleteI read your book, If I could turn back time!
You are a really good writer and I loved your book!
It is a love story, but is different from all the other I've read before! My favourite characther was Max, I wish I will find a boy as lovely as him!
I really admire you! Now I will recommend your book to all my friends!
Love from Italy ♡
Marta
P.s. Sorry, I know that my English isn't very well! I hope I didn't make too much mistakes!
Hi Marta
ReplyDeleteThat's so lovely to hear! I'm really glad you liked the book and I hope you find your Max too :) Oh, and your English is great - molto meglio che il mio italiano!
Nicola x