In the latest of our books series teen author EILÍS BARRETT tells SOPHIE GRENHAM about her experience of homeschooling, her love of JANE EYRE and what it felt to GET PUBLISHED at 16 …
Teen wonder Eilís Barrett has captured the attention of media all over the country, including The Late Late Show, on which she recently appeared.
This is no ordinary adolescent; for Eilís is one of Ireland’s youngest published authors at just sixteen. Last year, she signed a two-book deal with Gill Books and her debut novel Oasis looks set to have Young Adult (YA) fiction fans racing to bookshops.
Eilís’s start in life has been unusual by today’s conventions. She and her three brothers have been educated by their mother at the family home just outside Ballinasloe, so that they may independently discover their passions in life. It is certainly not inconceivable that this environment contributed towards the young author’s intellectual precocity …
Eilís has spoken at Eason’s inaugural YA convention and has been hailed as one to watch by countless Irish publications.
On home
We live in the countryside, right next to where my mother grew up and next door to all my mom’s friends. My mom’s people have all been part of that community for so long that everyone feels like family, so when we moved to Galway when I was eight, it was like coming home. We built our house in a little field that belongs to my granddad, the same field that my mother used to write poetry in as a child. There’s a sense that everything around us is steeped in history, and I absolutely love that.
On creating
I do almost all of my work at my desk in my bedroom. It’s quiet, it’s my own space, and there’s a lock on the door, so it’s the perfect place to work in peace. It’s also right beside my book case, which serves as both inspiration and motivation. If I need to shake things up a bit I usually go into Galway city, the place where my heart belongs, and I write in little random cafes around the town. I’ve just recently discovered a little coffee shop called The Secret Garden, which is as cute as it is pokey. I think that might very well become a regular haunt of mine in the months to come.
On bookshops
Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway is the ultimate haven for a book addict. It’s a maze of new and second hand books alike and it’s as if it’s completely insulated from the outside world, making it feel as if you’ve stepped outside of the existence of time altogether. I could wander through the store for hours and never get bored.
On education
Homeschooling has been wonderful for both myself and my three brothers. It gives us all the time in the world to pursue what really matters to us, and I’ll always be grateful for that opportunity.
On literature
Jane Eyre was the first book I ever truly loved, and I’ve read it cover to cover more times than I can count. Jane Eyre was also the first book I read that made me forget about the outside world altogether, which is an experience I’m always looking for in a book nowadays. I still reread it regularly, and at this point the battered copy I own feels more like an old friend than a book.
On early success
I never intended to get published so young. But getting to see my book, a story I’ve poured my heart and soul into for two years, sitting amongst the books that I love? That’s an experience I wouldn’t change for the world.
Oasis (€14.99) is released this Friday the 8th of April nationwide. The sequel to Oasis will follow in 2017.
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