About Gráinne
Gráinne grew up in Kilmichael, in rural county Cork. At university, she studied Applied Psychology, then forensic research, where she worked as a research assistant. Switching to human resources, Gráinne worked in training and development for several years before moving to Belgium with her family. While in Brussels, Gráinne began to work as a self-employed proofreader, primarily working with research consultancies in the areas of human rights and environmental issues. She returned to Ireland in 2016 and now lives near the West Cork coast with her family, where she continues to work as a copy editor.
Since 2012, Gráinne has been writing both long and short fiction. Her work often reflects her interest in family and identity, in those bittersweet moments where we have to stare life down and choose who we want to be.
A winner of the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2019, Gráinne’s novels have been shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award 2019 and Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award 2019 and longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2018 and Mslexia Novel Award 2017. Her short stories have appeared in the Fish Anthology 2020, RiPPLE Anthology 2017 and Nivalis 2015.
Gráinne’s short story Further West, was longlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in May 2021.
Gráinne’s debut novel Where the Edge Is was published by Legend Press in September 2020. The Ghostlights was published in 2021, followed by Winter People in 2022. Greener will be published in Spring 2024. All are published by Legend Press.
Blog posts
For apersonalanthology.com
For writing.ie
For the Caledonia Novel Award
Author Q&A (Gráinne was a shortlistee in 2019 for her novel, A Thousand Ways)
For booksbywomen.org
Jill’s Book Cafe
Writing CV
Pushcart Prize 2021 nominee & Best of the Net 2021 nominee, ‘Time Immemorial’
Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award longlist 2021 ‘Further West’
Fish Lockdown Prize 2020, 3rd place, ‘Safekeeping’
Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award 2019 shortlist, ‘A Thousand Ways’
Fish Short Story Prize 2019 shortlist, ‘The After Life’
Caledonia Novel Award 2019 shortlist, ‘A Thousand Ways’
Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2019 finalist, ‘A Thousand Ways’
Third prize, Zoetrope All-Story 2018, ‘Further West’
Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2018 Longlist, ‘Where the Edge Is’
Mslexia Novel Award 2017 Longlist, ‘Where the Edge Is’
Luke Bitmead Bursary Shortlist, 2016, ‘Where the Edge Is’
Bath Novel Award Longlist, 2015, ‘On a Sunday’
Longlisted for the KWS Hilary Mantel Short Story Competition October 2014
Fish Prize Short Story shortlist 2014 & 2013
Virginia Prize for Fiction 2013 shortlist, ‘On a Sunday’