Madeline A Stringer

Hi, I'm Madeline Ann - that 'Ann' is important as my mum's family traces itself up the 'distaff' side to an eccentric called Ann Walters who lived in Stratford-on-Avon in the early 1800s. Family lore says she lived, with her butcher husband, in Shakespeare's house (the half that tourists don't see) and that her husband used to charge sixpence to get in to visit the Bard's place!

Maybe that's where I got my desire to write from.

I've been reading novels since I was 7 - I don't remember learning to read, I think I always could - and was brought up by my Mum on 'anything published by Puffin'. I think we read their entire output, she had a standing order for the new releases in Hodges Figgis, Dublin's best bookshop.

I signed up as a founder member of the 'Puffin Club', brainchild of the wonderful Kaye Webb, who was Puffin's editor at the time. I loved their magazine, and entered some of the writing competitions, coming second in one at the age of about 11.

Then life picked me up and swirled me off in a totally different direction - to study medicine. This was my Dad's idea, but it seemed okay at the time, and it was only later I came to realise that by doing it I wasn't playing to my strengths. But here I am, a career later (I went into alternative medicine, see www.madelineannstringer.ie) realising that I might have been happier playing with words. Medicine is a career designed to take up all your time and prevent you discovering these things!!

I have always 'scribbled', mostly not-very-good-poetry, but about ten years ago now I decided to write a novel. This was partly because I was curious to see if I could, and partly because my Dad had said, during his terminal illness aged 61, that he was sorry he had never 'designed a cathedral or written a novel'. He had trained as an architect, hence the designing, but I hadn't, so I had to do the novel! The eventual "Despite the Angels" is dedicated to my Dad, Richard(Dick)Stringer, as well as to my husband, who actually made me get on with the writing and supported me all the way through the process.

I have written another book in the same genre; I hope "Revisited Sins" will be published in 2014.

Also, I have written one-act plays, two of which have been successfully produced on the amateur 'circuit'- a competition held annually on the island of Ireland. I plan to publish these also, but anyone who would like to consider them for production is very welcome to contact me.

I am writing a third novel, set in 2537, and am thoroughly enjoying making up a world, after 'The Chaos' which I fear may be approaching..

As I am of an age where some of my colleagues have already retired, I look forward to a time when I can ease off on my medical work, and write more. I hope that my writing will supplement my meagre savings and allow me to retire - but only from medicine, I think I will always want to write!