TV adaptation
into a television programme.
Ordinarily this is where an author’s involvement in a TV project comes to an end, the executives taking control of the novel and reshaping it for a television audience.
‘Usually when a writer sends a novel to a company they have limited input, the TV people would take over. And it’s kind of like handing over your baby. But I’m writing the screenplay for it,’ Cat says.
‘We met in Dublin in February for it and I sold myself to them and they agreed to let me do it, so I’m fully involved. It’s been slightly delayed because of Covid but that gives me time to tweak it a bit.’
Like everything else, the project is currently in a state of flux, but Cat is hopeful the pilot episode will be ready to air in October of this year. And with Zanzibar having a partner group in the US she is hopeful that it will receive a global audience as well as a local one.
‘At the moment we’re working on putting the pilot together, pitching actors, it’s a slow process,’ Cat says. ‘I have some ideas for who might play the characters, but they’re a bit outlandish, I can’t go too mad, there is a budget after all. I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen with the filming of it but if anyone can drag a film crew to Kilmore Quay it’s me,’ she laughs.
While the character of Scott looms large in both of Cat’s novels, it is the women who invariably pull the strings, who emerge triumphant when the cards have all been laid on the table. Was this a conscious decision on her part? Did she set out to write a feminist novel?
‘All the women I know are strong and independent, they have a lot of inherent strength - Jen (the books’ female lead) had to have it as a single mother. I think Liv (Scott’s mother) is the strongest of them all, I’m
Rick O Shea, Cat, Kit de Waal and Rob Doyle
more interested in her than any of them, how she became like the Don Corleone of the Irish drug world.
‘But people have asked me if this is a feminist book? No, it’s fiction, it was never meant to be a feminist book.’
Cat’s work also examines class divides, the concept of having it all, the cars, the clothes, the money, and still being rotten inside. And this social conscience has led her to her next big undertaking, a PhD at the University of Limerick (UL).
‘I was part of the UL Winter School in their Creative Writing Department; we spent a full week in Doolin, it was a very immersive experience. Then I went back for the second year as a mentor.
‘I’m hoping to do a PhD there in Creative Writing; how it works is you a write a novel but with a sociological commentary attached to it. I want to look at the educational system in Ireland, particularly at second level. There’s a lot of people falling through the cracks there, I see it in my other line of work in Adult Education, so how do we go about changing that? The school system is really broken.’
As if working on a television pilot and pursuing a doctorate from one of the country’s best Universities wasn’t enough, Cat has recently submitted her third novel to her agent.
‘It’s the usual lovely tale of revenge, vigilantism and justice,’ she jokes. ‘It centres on two characters; Wanda and Emily, and is told from a dual perspective; they are inextricably linked.
‘ The first line is “The bodies have been there for weeks. The children do not know that but the older boy has the good sense to pick up his little brother and run.”
‘We know who the killer is by the end of the first chapter. This book is more of a whydoneit than a whodunnit. I’ve sent it to a few of my readers and they enjoyed it. It starts out in Wicklow, then goes to London, Arkansas, Arizona, Italy and then back to Ireland.’
And if that sounds like an arduous journey, it pales in comparison to the journey its author has been on, a journey which is showing no signs of coming to a conclusion any
WHEN it comes to new original music the amount of talented artists that are releasing singles, EPs and albums each week is incredible.
The fact that most of the more credible ones will receive little or no airplay on mainstream radio stations is not as relevant now as it used to because the internet provides an almost endless range of possibilities to discover new music.
This week’s featured artist is someone that most people will likely not be familiar with but that doesn’t take from the fact she is a formidable talent.
Merseyside’s, Esme Bridie’s album, ‘ Today it Rains’. showcases her poetic lyricism to perfection.
Beginning with ‘Self Destructive’ the album displays a myriad of influences ranging from Joni Mitchell to Joan Baez and the Waterboys.
The opening track also displays hints of Kate Bush.
Beginning with a gentle acoustic guitar pattern and some sparse percussive accompaniment the music provides the perfect foundation for Bridie’s exquisite vocal delivery.
The song has a haunting melody and it’s mid-tempo beat doesn’t take from the melancholic vibe of the track.
The harmony vocals throughout are fantastic and are used to excellent effect on this particular track.
‘What You Had Yesterday’ is a gentle folky ballad that sits very comfortably within Joni Mitchell territory.
The fantastic thing about Bridie’s style is that her songs are poetic stories which lyrically are very striking.
The production on the album is fabulous and even though the accompaniment, at times is sparse, each instrument, each sound, plays a crucial role.
‘ Tower of Regret’ is one of the stand-out tracks on the album and given the current turmoil going on in the world in terms of racial prejudice, especially in America, it carries a powerful message and particular resonance: ‘Empty mind and empty words, your rubber bullets they don’t hurt too much.’
The way the song changes rhythmically is very interesting and the uptempo nature of the music immediately after each chorus is compelling.
‘Only Lonely People’ takes things down a very introspective and melancholic path.
A gentle ballad it portrays the full extent of Bridie’s vocal capabilities in exemplary fashion.
This is a very thought-provoking song and would provide perfect accompaniment to one’s own moments of reflection.
Music and lyrics are two of the world’s most powerful tools.
They can inspire rebellion, protests and global movements and in addition to revealing the inner most thoughts of the writer lyrics and music, can also strike a chord in relation to particular moments in the listener’s life too.
That’s the quality of songwriter that Esme Bridie is. On ‘Big Brown Boots’ she begins with ‘you said do I look free, ‘cause I’m desperately pretending to be’.
It’s powerful stuff and the melody with which the lyrics are delivered compounds the overall impact.
These are songs that many people will relate to on various levels.
For a very brief moment the intro of ‘Strangers’ brings to mind the Elvis Presley classic, ‘In The Ghetto’.
However, it’s only on the intro section but the potency of the lyrics in both songs shouldn’t be underestimated.
The way ‘Strangers’ builds in accompaniment is wonderful to hear and the vocal delivery is fantastic.
‘In Love With the City’ is one of the most uptempo tracks on the album.
It’s also one of the most commercial songs in the collection.
The way the bass emphasises the vocal melody on the chorus is fantastic.
The bass also has a lovely, full warm tone while the snappy, crisp snare drum sound gives the rhythm wonderful clarity.
‘Old Love (How Did We Get This Way)’ takes things down again tempo-wise.
A gentle ballad it is similar to something that Jewel might come up with and focuses on love that has gone down a regretful cul-de-sac from which there is no return.
‘ The Queen Bee’ is another song that features fantastic bass accompaniment. It has a lovely, loose jazzy feel and the cello accompaniment is also brilliant to hear.
The melancholy continues on ‘Dirty Hands’ which highlights the need, for perhaps, everyone, to reflect and prioritise what’s really important.
‘Only Young’ begins with a lovely descending guitar line and it implores the listener to take pay attention to what’s being said.
The album culminates with the wonderful ‘Precious Life’.
The downbeat nature of the album is such that it’s the type of recording that could easily provide perfect background accompaniment during lazy evenings relaxing in company or as a means for the listener to take reflective time out.