She is the only author in the 20-year history of the awards to have an Irish-language book shortlisted in the children’s category. The writer lives in Bray with her husband Mark and their twin daughters Lile and Sábha. To vote in the book awards, which will be held on November 27, go to irishbookawards.ie/vote.
How did your upbringing shape your relationship with money?
I grew up in a single-income, working-class family. Although money was definitely tight, my parents always seemed to be able to find enough to invest in our education and to give my siblings and I access to the arts, with music, drama and pottery lessons and plenty of books. I’ve adopted that with my own children and they know I’m a soft touch whenever we’re in a bookshop.
Have you ever felt broke?
In 2014, I was made redundant from a job I loved. I decided to take a year out to spend time with my young twins and to reassess what I wanted to do for work.
Devlin reading from ‘An Fia sa Choill’ in Bray children’s bookshop Tales for Tadpoles
When the year was up, the redundancy money had dwindled to nothing, and I had no new job on the horizon. The panic did start to set in, and, for a while, there was a lot of juggling involved when it came to paying the bills. Thankfully some freelance work started to trickle in and I was able to build from there.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
I’m quite a frugal and low-maintenance person, so I don’t spend big on clothes and beauty. This is going to sound really nerdy… but if I’m being totally honest, I probably spend most of my money on books.
Did you ever have a big payday in your work?
I don’t know if it’s technically classed as a ‘payday’ but I was awarded an Arts Council literature bursary last year that really gave me a boost. Not just financially but in terms of giving me the confidence to develop work in a totally new direction – which you can’t put a price on.
What was your best ever investment?
Our home. Although it’s small (and with two leggy teens in the house, it feels like it’s shrinking day by day), I feel beyond lucky to have it.
What’s your biggest financial regret?
My husband and I bought our first house back in 2003 without either of us doing any real research into the area or even thinking too deeply about it. (It was Celtic Tiger times after all, and mortgages were being thrown around like confetti.) The house was in the midlands and far away from all our family, friends and social lives.
‘I’m obsessed with looking at property and monitoring the price of houses in our area,’ says the author
We were young and thought that we’d have a great adventure – but suddenly my daily commute was taking me four hours and my husband couldn’t find any work in his field in the area. We were both miserable and lasted less than two years there before we sold up and got out. I’m still thankful we managed to do that just before the crash.
Would you buy property now?
I’m obsessed with looking at property and monitoring the price of houses in our area. We have dreams of moving house – but it just feels impossible as the prices are skyrocketing everywhere. I can’t imagine how demoralising it must be for people starting out.
Do you have a pension?
I do, but I paused saving into it a couple of years ago when cashflow was a bit erratic. My accountant has been nagging me to reinstate it as I’m not getting any younger.
source