What’s your new book, The Stolen Child, about?
It’s a domestic thriller focusing on a family fractured by the disappearance of their young son in 1984. Decades later, a stranger arrives in their lives with a theory regarding what occurred. However, someone is determined to conceal the truth.
How big a challenge was handling the time span in the novel?
I made things difficult because I had three timelines: the 1960s, 1980s, and present day. I wrote each timeline independently, as though each was a novella. The real challenge began when I had to weave the parts together so that the story unfolded satisfactorily.
Is it fair to say that it and your previous novel, The Lighthouse Secret (2024), are darker than your previous works, closer to the thriller genre?
My novels have always included mysteries; however, I’ve gravitated more towards suspense over the past six years. The thriller elements were the aspects I found most satisfying to write. I’ve been contemplating the premise for The Stolen Child for years, biding my time to transition genres.
This is your 12th book since your debut, Beyond Grace’s Rainbow (2013). How did you get started and how has your work developed?
I was 40 before I dared to start querying agents. After 47 rejections, I decided to self-publish Beyond Grace’s Rainbow digitally. It reached number one, ultimately leading to a two-book deal. Now I write one book a year, all commercial fiction, but have switched subgenres a few times, including historical, romantic, and family sagas in my backlist.
[ A riot of wallpaper and kitchen chandeliers: at home with Carmel HarringtonOpens in new window ]
You wrote Cold Feet: The Lost Years (2017), an official tie-in developing the characters from the popular TV series. How did you tackle that challenge?
My agent recommended me as a potential author. I had to write a 4,000-word sample. When the creator, Mike Bullen, selected me, I was gobsmacked and began watching the TV series with a notebook and pen!
How important is the setting in your fiction?
Paramount. An escapist read necessitates a vivid setting that nearly becomes an additional character.
‘When I hear a reader say that popular fiction is their guilty pleasure, it makes me sad.’ Tell us more about this line from an Irish Times article.
Literary snobbery exists in the publishing world, and it irritates me when it influences readers’ preferences. We should never feel inferior in any aspect of our lives, and certainly not regarding our book choices.
Why did you sponsor a writing bursary for a pupil from your old school, Loreto in Wexford town?
I was honoured to accept the role of Patron at Loreto Wexford by the past pupils’ union. I sponsored the bursary because I remember what it is like to be part of an academic curriculum that doesn’t accommodate creatives.
Which projects are you working on?
I’m almost finished with the first draft of my next thriller, which will be published in spring 2026.
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?
No, but I’ve undertaken several research trips to better understand characters’ reactions to their surroundings. One of the most enjoyable was a road trip from Kansas City to Las Vegas, which passed through Monument Valley and the Colorado Rockies.
What is the best writing advice you have heard?
Write the book that you want to read.
Who do you admire the most?
My parents, Tina and Michael O’Grady, are the best of people. They worked hard their entire lives to improve their family’s lives.
You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?
You can only use social media for one hour per day.
Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?
Here One Moment, another page-turner by Liane Moriarty. Wicked, anything Oz-related, I’m all in. Phone Truths, Carl Mullan’s podcast. He’s hilarious.
Which public event affected you most?
When the planes hit the tower on 9/11, I was in London working with an American multinational. We were evacuated from our building, as there were fears that there might be further attacks worldwide. Watching the horror unfold stayed with me.
The most remarkable place you have visited?
Maputo, Mozambique. This life-changing trip taught me that poverty and wealth can live side by side.
Your most treasured possession?
My great-uncle Terry bought his new bride, Margaret, a porcelain doll named Nina as a honeymoon gift in Italy. They gave it to me when I got married, along with a note expressing their hope that I would have as much love as they had.
What is the most beautiful book that you own?
My grandmother served in the RAF during the second World War. With her regiment, she performed in plays, including Hamlet. In her collection of Shakespeare’s works, Nana underlined the following sentence: “For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come.” We had that quote inscribed on her gravestone.
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Agatha Christie, Maya Angelou, Emily Brontë, JRR Tolkien, Stephen King and Liane Moriarty.
The best and worst things about where you live?
I live a few minutes from my parents, beach, and forest. However, not having public transport options can be tricky, making my husband and I taxis for our kids!
What is your favourite quotation?
“Be happy, persevere” from Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz – one of my mottos for life.
Who is your favourite fictional character
Odd Thomas is brave, funny, resilient, and someone I could happily befriend.
A book to make me laugh?
Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding. Frighteningly relatable.
A book that might move me to tears?
The Winter Garden, by Kristin Hannah, brought me to the ugly cry.
The Stolen Child by Carmel Harrington is published by Headline
