Hello Studio NI! If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to lately, the short answer is… everything. The long answer? Pour a cuppa or a large vino. I won’t judge! The Stones Corner series continues to surprise me. I still remember sitting at the kitchen table thinking, ‘Right, here goes. I’m going to write a book. Let’s see if I can actually do this.’ There was no grand plan. Just sheer stubbornness and an idea. Since then, I’ve revised the entire series - refining, strengthening, making sure each book is the very best I can produce. These stories, born in Derry and based during some of our hardest decades, are travelling far beyond where they began. Book clubs. Readers abroad. Messages from people I’ve never met telling me, ‘That’s my story too,’ or ‘I remember that.’ That’s why I started to write. To educate. To remember. To make sure we don’t quietly forget. And then there’s the big one. Project Children: Across the Miles. This isn’t just another book. This one is even more personal. I’m travelling, recording, and listening. Ireland. The United States. I’m speaking to the children who boarded planes in the 70s, 80s and 90s. To the host families who opened their hearts and doors. To the volunteers who made it all happen quietly and without bragging. To interns connected to the Project Children and the Mulcahy Scholarship. There are tears in some interviews. Laughter in others. And a depth of gratitude that catches you off guard. This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s about memory. Legacy. The invisible ties that bring people together across decades and an ocean. There will be photographs. Carefully chosen. Meaningful. A book that, years from now, someone will lift down from a shelf and say proudly, ‘That was me.’ Target publication is 2026. It’s going well and I hope you’ll love it. And now. Oakleaf Press. This is where things are really happening. I didn’t set out to create a publishing house. I set out to write a book. But when you walk the road yourself, the editing, the design decisions, the printing costs, the marketing panic at 2am, you start to realise how many good writers give up before they begin. So we’re building something different. Structure. Real editorial standards. Honest advice. Design that stands up in a bookshop. No vanity nonsense. No smoke and mirrors. Just professional publishing done properly and launching our website at Ireland's Publishing Show on 17th March. Watch this space! If you’ve ever said, ‘There’s a book in me,’ listen very carefully — I shall say this only once. (Yes, ’Allo ’Allo! still lives in my head.) I said once, ‘I’m going to write a book.’ And guess what? I did. Four! You can too. But please, trust me, you don’t have to stumble through it alone. Let me help you. As to other news. Conversations are happening about literary festivals in Derry. Cross-border collaborations. Canada Ireland 180 cultural initiatives. Working with universities so graduates get paid, meaningful experience in publishing instead of 'work experience.' Why should writers from the North West always feel they have to leave? Why not build something to be proud of right here? Behind the scenes, my desk is in absolute chaos. Transcripts stacked high. Interview notes. Funding applications. Design drafts. Forty tabs open on my laptop — Word, LinkedIn, Canva, Excel, forgotten tea going cold beside me. Know what? I wouldn’t change it for the world. If you’re reading this, if you’ve thought of a book, want to tell your story, or you’re quietly thinking, ‘Maybe it’s my turn’ — talk to me. This is bigger than one book now. And honestly? It’s only the beginning. Jane | 
