Longford author is coming back to home county for launch of his new novel

Patrick Doherty, from Killoe, is to release his novel ‘Pure Innocent Boy’ under Dedalus Press. On October 7 at 7pm, he will launch this book in Longford Library and Hodges & Figgis in Dublin on October 8 at 6pm.

A big achievement, Patrick spoke about how much the local library has meant to him and why he is excited to return:

“Coming to Longford Library is massive as well. As a kid, I was in the library every weekend. My mother was a big reader and she brought us there every week. Most of the books I read as a child came from there. It’s really nice to be going back with a book of my own.”

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Studying arts in Galway, and doing a master’s in American Literature in University College Dublin, Patrick now lives in Seville in Spain with his wife, Despi, and two children. Describing the financial crisis as the reason for the move from Ireland, Patrick was an English teacher, as he could teach in the afternoons with flexibility to write in the mornings. He describes that he loves the Spanish culture, but has mentioned the choice between moving back to Ireland or Greece, where Despi is from.

“Pure Innocent Boy” was a long process for Doherty. Stemming from a short story, Patrick said how he re-explored the idea to expand it into a deeper novel:

“The actual characters and story aren’t based on any particular experience I’ve had. It came from a desire to change tact and write something that was a little more vivid and separated from myself.

It started out as a short story about a young man named Tadhg who’s suffering with mental health issues. I didn’t plan to write a book around it, initially, but it seemed like such a departure from the rest of the stuff I was writing at the time that I decided it was worth exploring the idea.

“I wrote the first draft during the lockdown. It took about three or four months. In terms of my process, when I get an idea, I get on my computer and I start writing like a madman. I like to get it as close to a finished draft as I can.

The editing and rewrites take longer and I put more time into that side of things than I do with the first draft.

It’s also important to say that my agent, Brian, helped guide me through the process, and was instrumental in how the book eventually turned out.

Then, last Christmas, Dedalus Books from the UK got in touch and said they were interested in publishing it.”

Hoping to give the readers a pure sense of escapism despite being a sad story, Patrick adds that he hopes that readers will feel that the narrative rings true for them. The characters are not based on any personal experience when asked, preferring to be more separated from himself.

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Patrick described that he had lots of failures but is happy to finally get a piece published. He has worked with Brian Langan of Storline Agency for about five years, who handled the submissions and negotiations. Despite setbacks, Patrick has advised aspiring Longford writers the following:

“Try to read as much as you can and get a feel for all the different ways you can tell a story. It’s also important not to get bogged down in one idea and not to get frustrated when something doesn’t come off the way you want it to. Whether you’re looking to make a career out of it or just want the satisfaction of expressing yourself, it’s always worth it. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have writing. It’s a coping mechanism.”