Comparisons have been made to Bad Sisters and the combination of crime and a comic touch might suggest Richard Osman. What are your influences? <\/p>\n
Emer: I love comedy with an edge. Recently I really enjoyed So Happy for You by Holly Bourne and Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s your first book with Bloomsbury, a British publisher. Is that a big change? <\/p>\n
Sarah: We\u2019ve always worked with fantastic editors and the team at Bloomsbury is no different. It\u2019s a tricky time for the publishing industry, what with AI and the cost-of-living crisis, but we\u2019re confident that we\u2019re in safe hands.<\/p>\n
Noughties nostalgia seems to be a bit of a thing right now.<\/p>\n
Sarah: With everything that\u2019s happening in the world, there is certainly comfort in looking backwards to a time of dial-up internet, flip phones and impossibly low cut jeans.<\/p>\n
Emer: It is quite jarring to see the clothes I wore in my teens and early twenties referred to as \u201cvintage\u201d. I know how my mother felt when I went through my seventies bell bottom phase. <\/p>\n
Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling grew from a Facebook page to a five-book series, selling more than half a million copies and winning three Irish Book Awards. <\/p>\n
For those living under a rock, tell us about her and her world. How would you explain the appeal?<\/p>\n
Emer: Aisling was once described as \u201cthe Irish everywoman\u201d, which I guess goes some way in explaining her popularity. We\u2019ve always said there was a bit of Aisling in everyone and that certainly seems to be the case. Ais is no-nonsense, caring, funny and surrounded by a cast of characters that really capture life in Ireland. We\u2019re very proud of her. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s the latest on the TV adaptation? <\/p>\n
Sarah: The OMGWACA TV series is currently in what\u2019s known as \u201cdevelopment hell\u201d. It may never see the light of day but we\u2019re assured that it can be a long process so we remain hopeful.<\/p>\n
How did the series do in Britain? Is some Irish humour too specific to travel?<\/p>\n
Sarah: It never made the bestseller charts but I still get messages from UK readers who are enjoying the books. Father Ted, Derry Girls, Sharon Horgan \u2013 there\u2019s no denying that Irish humour travels well. <\/p>\n
How do you write a novel together? Are you always or ever in the same room? <\/p>\n
Emer: When we\u2019re actually writing, we\u2019re apart but we meet regularly to decide what\u2019s going to happen in the next few chapters. It\u2019s complicated but we\u2019ve devised a good system. <\/p>\n
How similar are your personalities, imaginations and writing styles? <\/p>\n
Emer: Everything is similar enough that we often forget who wrote which part of the book.<\/p>\n
You were both journalists for over a decade. How good a grounding was that for your fiction? <\/p>\n
Sarah: Interviewing people is a great way to nurture your natural curiosity, which is an essential part of writing fiction. Also, we are excellent at meeting deadlines.<\/p>\n
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Going to Listowel for Writer\u2019s Week does feel like that. <\/p>\n
Emer: We\u2019ve spent enough time in John B\u2019s pub anyway. <\/p>\n
What is the best writing advice you have heard?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Write it first, then make it good. <\/p>\n
Who do you admire the most?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Anyone who puts their beliefs into action, like Naoise Dolan who recently joined the Global Sumud Flotilla to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n
You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?<\/p>\n
Emer: A law against a phone making any sound on public transport. Not even a text ding. <\/p>\n
Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?<\/p>\n
Emer: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Weapons and The Creep Dive. <\/p>\n
Which public event affected you most?<\/p>\n
Sarah: After patiently waiting 16 long years, seeing Oasis in Croke Park this summer has made my life complete.<\/p>\n
![\"Our](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/F7SGGSM3G5CIVF6RB6JRW6OATU.jpg\")
Our Deadly Summer, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, is out next May. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw for The Irish Times <\/p>\n
The most remarkable place you have visited?<\/p>\n
Emer: We\u2019ve taken many holidays together and my favourite and most beautiful will always be Arranmore Island in Donegal. <\/p>\n
Your most treasured possession?<\/p>\n
Emer: My laptop. As long as it\u2019s with me, burgle away.<\/p>\n
What is the most beautiful book that you own?<\/p>\n
Sarah: A pop-up copy of The Night Before Christmas that I read to my kids on Christmas Eve every year.<\/p>\n
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?<\/p>\n
Emer: Graham Norton, Naomi Klein, Emma Thompson, Sue Townsend, Octavia Butler and Marian Keyes. <\/p>\n
Sarah: I\u2019ll show up to do the dishes.<\/p>\n
The best and worst things about living in Dublin?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Best: its walkability. Worst: the rise in racism and anti-immigration sentiment.<\/p>\n
What is your favourite quotation?<\/p>\n
Emer: \u201cGraves grow no green that you can use. Remember, green\u2019s your colour, you are spring\u201d. From To the Young Who Want to Die by Gwendolyn Brooks. <\/p>\n
Who is your favourite fictional character?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Adrian Mole<\/p>\n
A book to make me laugh?<\/p>\n
Emer: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. The Colin Firth interview scene is genius. <\/p>\n
A book that might move me to tears?<\/p>\n
Sarah: Such a Good Couple by Sophie White<\/p>\n
Our Deadly Summer, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, is out next May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tell us about your new novel, Our Deadly Summer, due out next May? Sarah: It\u2019s a huge departure…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158746,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[353,49,48,82136,75,25004,4419],"class_list":{"0":"post-158745","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-emer-mclysaght","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-for-you","14":"tag-magazine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}