I grew up in Monkstown, Co. Dublin and went to university in Dublin and Oxford. I worked in publishing as an editor for several years before writing my first book The Out of Office Girl, which was shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Awards in the Romantic Comedy category. I have written three adult books: The Out of Office Girl, If I Could Turn Back Time, and Girls on Tour, all published by Headline, and two books for teens: Love And Other Man-Made Disasters and Lola Offline, both published by Orion. They have been translated into French, German, Italian and Turkish.

Since 2021 I have been writing under the name Emily Bell. My first Emily Bell book, Baby It’s Cold Outside,  published by Penguin Michael Joseph, was an Irish Times bestseller. This Year’s for Me and You (2022) was the winner of the RNA Festive Holiday/Christmas Romance of the Year in 2023.  Last Christmas at Ballyclare (Penguin Michael Joseph, 2023) was also an Irish Times bestseller.

In 2017 I started working as a tutor in creative writing at the City Literary Institute (City Lit), teaching classes on character, setting and plot as well as setting up the very popular Writing Romance class. In 2023 I was approached to become a Submissions Editor for Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, assessing books that have been selected for their Scouting Programme.  I am a consultant reader for the  Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer’s Scheme and I also work as a freelance editor for clients including HarperCollins and Curtis Brown Creative.

I am always delighted to hear from readers who have enjoyed my books, publishers looking for structural editors, or anyone who would like advice on their writing. Please feel free to get in touch here.