Explaining her decision to leave the station, Mac – whose debut novel, Mother Mother, is due for publication in May – said that she wanted to spend more time with her two children, and to work on writing fiction and podcasting. The presenter hosts the popular podcast Changes With Annie MacManus, which sees her interview fellow creatives about changes in their personal and professional lives. I could barely read this one fast enough. It absolutely fizzes with the energy of youth as Orla navigates her new life in the city. Living with a band on the brink of stardom and trying to find her own feet in the music business, her new life is full of opportunity and excitement. Set in Kilburn, The Mess We’re In is the story of a young Irish woman, Orla Quinn, as she embarks on her London odyssey with hope and expectation. Orla moves into a room in a house-share with her friend Neema and Neema’s brother, who is part of a band called Shiva. All the other band-mates live in the house also. Neema is a law student with a clear career path ahead of her, with Orla’s sights set on the music industry. Orla writes music, plays guitar and has studied music production. She understands the music but she has no direct experience of the music industry. Living with a band has possibilities for Orla but she needs to bide her time and put in some hard and dirty work. Sweet Thing is one of Annie MacManus’s favourite songs. For the Irish broadcaster, DJ, events producer and now novelist, songs and music offer a creative portal through which she imagines scenes, places, people and feelings. She says she sometimes thinks through songs, the lyrics offering a way to visualise. It’s no accident, then, that the spirit of Sweet Thing is imbued in her debut novel, Mother Mother, the book itself a new doorway she assembled, the threshold of which she’s crossing into the next phase of her creative life.

The ending felt rushed, the best part of a book is the feeling of catharsis you get at the end. Which this book didn’t provide. I would’ve like to feel more a build towards the end, even if things still don’t end up wrapped up neatly with a bow (which is not what i expect of every book i read). BBC Radio 1 DJ and broadcaster Annie Macmanus has announced details of her debut novel, Mother Mother, which is due to arrive in 2021. Now we eat dinner together and I put them to bed. I have witnessed the pre-bedtime hysteria that my husband had told me about with the traumatised air of a war veteran. I have learned that my sons need time to wrestle and chase each other around the kitchen after dinner. Every night, they change their minds about which toothpaste they like. My youngest always wants to read the same book about the life cycle of a shark. My oldest needs to know exactly which rooms I will go to after I walk out of his bedroom, and how long I will spend in each one.This image is very emblematic of me as a kid. I am nine and in Marlay Park in south Dublin, where I grew up. I was wild, feral and very comfortable in a tree. Although I am high up, I look so comfy – so comfy that I’ve slipped my feet out of my shoes. My expression and body language is saying: “This is nothing!” Orla has moved to London from Ireland in pursuit of a career in the music industry- Orla sings, produces and plays guitar, so music is a huge part of her existence. I adored the narrative structure and how Mary and TJ’s stories weave together. MacManus’ references to historical events, whether that be cultural, political or technological, are carefully placed in the narrative. Cultural references are not forced but are inserted naturally into the narrative. It can be easy to force references into a story to get a sense of place and space but every word of MacManus’ writing has purpose.

Mary McConnell grew up longing for information about the mother she never knew, who died suddenly when Mary was only a baby. Her brother Sean was barely old enough to remember, and their father numbed his pain with drink.

Two years later, I got my first job at the BBC. I remember ringing my Dad from the desk at Radio 1 and saying: “I got a permanent job!” He’s always been so supportive of whatever I’ve wanted, but like a lot of parents he was keen on me being secure, so getting a job at this big British institution reassured him that I would be sorted. On 31 December 2012, Annie Mac was one of the DJs selected by Channel 4 to hold a live six-hour, televised New Year's House Party. Annie Mac dj'd My kids are now aware that their world is unpredictable and that change, when it comes, can upend everything they know. Time will tell whether the pervasive fear of the past two years will have a permanent effect. I can tell you that they are currently happier and more settled than they have ever been. Maybe more resilient, too. Before I read Mother Mother, I was not aware of the author’s previous (and very noteworthy) DJ career. I like that she is starting a new path with her work. Full Other Voices line-up announced". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 18 November 2008. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018 . Retrieved 18 November 2008.