As I travelled I found that numerous people I worked with or met knew little about Derry’s troubled history

Inever dreamed I’d be a writer, yet I’ve written four novels over the past three years. I was always a reader. It was and still is my salvation. Reading kept me sane when I needed to hide from the world. And it still works. As such, I have been blessed with the gift of imagination. I grew up during the height of Troubles in Derry. I remember it vividly; like many, I recognise how those dark days impacted our outlook on life and choices.

I was the second youngest of a family of five, three girls and two boys. My grandfather ran a prominent business in the heart of the Bogside. Unfortunately, the company was brought to a standstill and failed because of the many violent events, including the Battle of the Bogside.

As a result, my family fell high from the tree, we lost our home and income, and we five children and my parents ended up squatting in a nearfinished council house.

Life for me before and after the Troubles was tough. I left home at 17 to get out of Derry and seek my fortune in London. Boy, when I think of it, I was so green.

Nevertheless, Lady Luck was on my side, and the girl did good. I worked hard in between my youngest brother at 21, falling to his death off a cliff in Donegal. Sadly, my father never recovered after identifying him and just couldn’t cope. He died a few years later at 56. To lose two men in the family hurt like hell, but worse still, I lost my last brother a few short years later, at just 39. All our ‘boys’ had gone by then, and my sisters, mum and I were left heartbroken.

I lived in London and Nice for over 30 years and finally returned to Derry/Donegal in 2017 with my husband. Both our daughters were happy and settled, living in Oxford and Auckland.

Through my work, I travelled worldwide and found that numerous people I worked with or met knew little about our troubled history. Specifically, why did it start and last so long?

The result was that I suddenly decided to write a book and tell them. Subconsciously, I had a story to tell, and when I first told my husband I wanted to write, he’d a cheeky giggle, but once he knew I was on a mission, he has been incredibly supportive since. Born in Cork but growing up in

London, he had little understanding of the Troubles. While researching my first book in the series, Stones Corner, Turmoil, commencing in 1972, I found it a mixture of heartache and inspiration.

From the research and without warning, my characters began to jump off the pages and talk to me; I felt their pain, despair, grief and happiness, among many other emotions. They became alive, and once I began to tell their story, I simply couldn’t stop.

One book pivoted into two, then three and finally four. The tetralogy was born. Stones Corner, Turmoil, Darkness, Light and Hope are based on life in Derry, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Belfast from 1972 to 1998.

I’ve heard many times you should write about what you know. Therefore, I’ve shared some personal experiences in my storyline, combining the good, bad, and ugly. As my imagination ran wild, I created characters I’ve grown to love, and some, I admit, I detest.

My writing incorporates real-life experiences, including heartache, hurt, grief, fear and horror. I’ve never worked so hard in producing this series. However, when readers tell me they can identify with and empathise with my novels, there’s no better feeling in the world. For me, it’s all about making that connection.

In November 2021, my husband was diagnosed with liver cancer and told he should visit our family in New Zealand to say goodbye. But, by some miracle, we were called back, where he underwent a marathon ten-hour surgery and, nearly a year later, got the all-clear. Miracles do happen.

To finish, what does this and everything else tell me about life? It tells me to accept, learn and live.

Accept that crap happens, learn from your mistakes and live. Never take no for an answer; never give up.

I manifest all the time. One day, I will see my books in that number-one spot. One day, my books will be made into a series or a film. One day, I’ll walk up that red carpet and accept that Oscar. Who says I won’t? What would life be like without dreams? Barren, empty and devoid.

My life has never been barren, empty or devoid, nor will it ever be. If there is a message to be learned from reading articles like this, from people like me, it’s to go after your dreams and make them happen; if you don’t, no one else will. If I can do it, you can...

The Stones Corner Series is a tetralogy by Jane Buckley published by Orla Kelly Publishing. Part four, Hope, will be out in December

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