Authors [ M ]
Anna McPartlin,
Author of Pack Up The Moon, Apart from the Crowd
“Refreshingly honest, laugh-out-loud funny and heartfelt, a marvelous debut from a talented new author”
Cathy Kelly
Having had so many varied careers ranging from: marketing to acting, stand-up comedy to claims examining, it is no wonder Anna could fluctuate between the serious and the light-hearted in her debut novel Pack up the Moon.
In the early nineties, Anna ran an alternative cabaret called ‘Tales of the City’ in a run down bar on Capel Street . The show comprised of a Dutch torch singer, a folk rock band, an ancient alcoholic queen of monologues, and a waitress in drag … not to mention comedy! Anna was a stand up comedienne for four years and it is her experience writing sketches that led her to believe she could write a book one day.
Friends and family are Anna’s inspiration. Given the amount of upheaval and tragedy Anna has experienced in her life from a very young age, it is no wonder friends and family are what she cherishes most and evidence of this is her quirky hobby of visiting a tourist attraction once a month with a friend.
Anna’s parents separated when she was five and her mother was diagnosed with MS when she was six. She lived with her mum and her gran until the age of twelve and was then fostered by her aunt and uncle who lived in Kenmare, Co. Kerry. At the age of 14, Anna shockingly discovered she had a half sister living thirty five miles away from her, who she has only gotten to know in recent years since the death of her father. At 17, she lost the most important person in her world, her mother, and a few years later she lost a close friend to suicide, as well as her father to cancer, though she never really knew him. Surviving loss and being faced with death inspired Anna to write Pack up the Moon, which she has described as an experience of ‘pure joy’ and even has her own personal soundtrack to accompany it.
Anna’s husband Donal is a drummer who has worked with Jack L and Junkster and owns his own music studio. Anna credits touring with her husband as one of the most exciting things she’s ever done … well that, and miming the backing vocal with Mike and the Mechanics on Kenny Live!
Books
Puck Up The Moon
An extraordinary novel brimming with love, passion, deep sadness and hope.
Pack Up the Moon is an extraordinary novel brimming with love, passion, deep sadness and hope. Heart-breakingly touching (we challenge you not to cry!), Pack Up the Moon heralds a new star in women’s fiction.
This is the story of Emma, an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. She fell in love at 14 with John and then 12 years later her world is turned upside down.
Somehow she will make it through but only with her the help of her friends:
There’s Frank, her brother, he used to be a pest, now he’s a priest. He is there for Emma when she needs him, but secretly he has his own crisis to sort out.
Clodagh is her best friend. She’s sexy and streetwise, a career woman who has never suffered from failure except when it comes to her love life.
Sean is John’s best friend since college and very different to him. - the kind of guy for whom girls form a queue. A slut he most definitely is, but arrogance is not a trait that inspires him. After one thousand one-night stands he is ready to settle down.
Then there’s Fran and Richard …
Fran is the group Mammy, born to be a mother. She just has to talk Richard round to her way of thinking. Richard is kind and sweet and he loves his wife, he’s just not used to not getting his own way. He has a life plan and so far he’s right on track.
Emma will survive. Along with her friends support she will begin to flourish again.
Apart From The Crowd
‘Refreshingly honest, laugh-out-loud funny and heartfelt, a marvelous debut from a talented new author’
Cathy Kelly on Pack Up The Moon
After the runaway success of her
bestselling debut novel, Pack Up the Moon ,
Anna McPartlin is back with a story of love, friendship and courage
If you asked the people of Kenmare about Mary, they’d tell you she was born unlucky. Some would say she’s a bit “strange.” But all admire her courage.
They’d tell you Penny is the life and soul of the party. Yes, she drinks a bit too much. And it’s true she’s a home-wrecker.
If you asked about Michael, the women would tell you he’s a cheating scumbag. But the lads in the pub would mention his affair with Penny with a trace of envy.
They’d tell you Ivan’s greatest strength and weakness is his heart. And his wife was a terrible woman to leave him, taking his children.
If you asked about Sam, they’d speculate with great relish on their mysterious American visitor. The truth will provide them with gossip for a year. But they’ll never know the thing that haunts him.
If you asked the people of Kenmare about the chances of love and happiness for these five souls, they’d shake their heads and look glum.
But sometimes they are wrong.