Paula Leyden moved to Kilkenny nine years back with her partner Tom O’Neill who is also a writer. Paula was born in Kenya, grew up in Zambia. The Butterfly Heart is Paula’s first published book which is set in Zambia. The sequel to it is coming out in May next year.
It is a tale set in Zambia and and is told through the voices of a young girl and an old man who has a way with snakes. The story contains folk tales and legends from Zambia, humour and sadness, old meeting new. It touches on, among other things, the issue of child marriage.
The Butterfly Heart by Paula Leyden, published Walker Books UK and endorsed by Amnesty International, winner of the 2012 Eilis Dillon Award for a first book.
Website: http://thebutterflyheart.net/
Old Friends – The Lost Tales of Fionn Mac Cumhaill by Tom O’Neill, published by Little Island.
Website: http://irishfables.com/
Both books available in bookshops.
