Duffy and Son
Eugene Duffy is turning 70; his son Jim is turning 40.
For decades now, they’ve been running the family hardware shop and living in good-natured bachelor harmony. But time is marching on, and with thoughts of old age weighing heavily on his mind, Eugene is growing increasingly concerned about his son’s future.
He resolves to help by finding Jim a wife. And he’s not going to let anyone – let alone Jim himself – stand in his way.
Married to a Cave Man
Redmond and Nancy. Vincent and Julie. Leo and Deirdre. Three young couples doing their best to keep the magic alive amid the nappies, bills and dirty dishes in recession-hit Dublin.
When each of these husbands decides that that he deserves a man cave – a space where he can be alone with his toys – simmering tensions come to the boil.
A heartfelt comic novel about the trials of modern marriage. It’s about compromise. It’s about respect. It’s about resisting the urge to murder your partner while they sleep.
Dead Cat Bounce
Joe Flood is under illusions – he knows that things can and do go wrong. They’re generally small things, though, and they usually have the decency to go wrong one at a time. No longer.
Wisecracking but clueless, caring but confused, Joe is a man determined to do the right thing – just as soon as he works out what the right thing is.
Peter and Mary Have a Row
Peter and Mary have been together since their teens. Happily so, for the most part. But now, suddenly, something seems to have gone wrong. Is it serious? Is it nothing? Do they need help?
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, they’re going to get it. Because in a small town where everybody knows everybody else, personal problems don’t remain personal for long. The troubled couple is soon receiving plenty of attention – and not all of it is welcome.
Note: The Bright Side and Little Black Everything are mine but they were published under the name Alex Coleman for (sigh) marketing reasons.
The Bright Side
Jackie met Gerry when she was just seventeen and became pregnant almost immediately with twins. That was 1984. Twenty-two years later, they are still together – but all is not well in Jackie’s world. Her son treats her with open contempt. Her daughter mocks her behind her back. And her sister barely speaks to her.
Things go from bad to catastrophic when Jackie comes home early from work one day and catches Gerry with their next-door neighbour. Horrified, she packs a bag and flees the house. And then she has a thought. This crisis is going to win her a lot of sympathy. Maybe it’s just the thing she needs to get her other fractured relationships back on track. Although she feels guilty about making such cynical use of her predicament, Jackie is delighted with the results – at first …
Little Black Everything
Holly Christmas is twenty-eight year old teacher who shares a small house in Dublin with her cat, Claude. She has always seen herself as a refreshingly honest individual who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. When her current boyfriend tells her that it’s over between them, he goes to some lengths to point out that the fault is entirely hers. Holly tries to laugh it off, but when she gets back to her lonely little house, she begins to think … She’s heard this sort of thing from men before. Where she sees refreshing honesty, they tend to see shocking bluntness. Could this be the real reason why her love life is such a disaster?
When the school term begins, Holly’s finds that she has a new colleague, James. He’s a relentlessly cheerful, affable people-person. In short, he’s everything that Holly is not. At first, she is merely intrigued by him. How does he do it? Intrigue quickly turns to attraction. And problems …
Nice Things People Said:
‘A very funny and sparkling debut from a writer who is here to stay’ – Joseph O’Connor
‘Genuinely funny … entertaining … bittersweet’ – The Irish Times
‘Very talented … the ability to turn the mudane into pure hilarity’ – Irish Examiner
‘Funny, engaging, perceptive … combines searing honesty with humour’ – Irish Independent
‘Sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, but always a page-turner’ – RTÉ Guide
Damien Owens 