Fictional Characters in Panto: My favourite Panto Heroes and Villians by Clare Dowling

Today it's the turn of Irish author Clare Dowling to be creative for this festive feature.

It’s that time of the year again (oh no, it’s not!) when there’s a Christmas panto on at a theatre or town hall near you. Everybody’s got a favourite panto character or two, whether it’s Peter Pan or the Ugly Stepsisters (although I think they should get a medal for putting up with that wet rag Cinderella).  Pantoland wouldn’t be the same without beautiful princesses, wicked witches and men dressed up in enormous bloomers.  And hopefully a handsome prince to help the evening along.   

Here are a few of my favourite panto heroes and villains, except I’ve decided to mix it up by casting them with characters from my books.  Coming to a theatre near you…

The Character: Buttons.  One of the sweetest panto characters around.  Young and hapless, but capable of vicious jokes at the Ugly Stepsisters’ expense.  Deeply in love with Cinderella, except she has no idea.

The Cast: Anto Brady, from ‘A Special Delivery’.  Anto is an unintentionally funny teen who finds himself the butt of many jokes. Like Buttons, he too suffers from unrequited love, for the beautiful Nicola, who scarcely acknowledges his existence. Even if he’s a little rough around the edges, Anto’s a bit of a show stealer.  

The Character: Sleeping Beauty.  The first thing that should be said about her is that she sleeps a lot.  She’s also resilient and forgiving, even if she has to do a lot of hanging around waiting for that prince to come and kiss her.

The Cast: Nicola O’Sullivan, from ‘A Special Delivery’.  This would be casting against type, as the only thing Nicola has in common with Sleeping Beauty is that she, too, sleeps a lot, but for an altogether different reason.  Troubled and headstrong, Nicola never takes anything lying down.  And though she meets her Prince Charming in the end, it’s not quite as rosy as in fairytales.  

Guest Post: My Top 5 Reads This Year by Clare Dowling

Today it's my stop on the blog tour for Clare Dowling's latest novel, A Special Delivery, which I'm excited to be a part of as I am a huge fan of her writing having read all of her previous books.  Clare has given us a glimpse into the type of books she likes to read by telling us what her top 5 books she's read this year are.

So many good books are out this year that my to-read pile is bigger than ever!  I have a weakness for big emotional stories, and also a bit of humour and suspense, and my top five reads of this year have their fair share of all of them.  

I’ve been a huge fan of Jojo Moyes since the wonderful ‘Me Before You’, so I was first in line for ‘The One Plus One’, out earlier this year.  A story about a wonderful group of personalities, and their gassy dog, who go on a road trip from London to Scotland, this is a thoughtful, deep, and sometimes unexpected book that I just loved.  

‘The House Where It Happened’ is a novel by Irish writer Martina Devlin and it has major spook factor!  Inspired by a true but little-known story about the last conviction for witchcraft in Ireland, it’s told through the eyes of Ellen Hill, a housemaid in a seemingly haunted house. Full of strong female characters, it may keep you awake at night.  

Books Read: Clare Dowling - Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Clara's been away for too long. So, after ten great years in London, and with boyfriend Matthew in tow, she arrives home in small-town Castlemoy. The family welcomes her with open arms: her diet-shy mother, her closet-living sister and her actor brother who scratches a living doing voiceover ads for chicken. Not everyone is delighted to see her, though. Jason, her long-ago ex, seems to have old scores to settle. Soon Clara finds herself being watched, followed and manipulated from afar. 

As her dreams of happily-ever-after begin to shatter, Clara decides it's time to wrestle her life back before it's too late...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Irish Fiction Month Review: Clare Dowling - Would I Lie to You?

Why tell the truth...if you know it's going to hurt?

Hannah has known Ellen and Barbara since they shared student digs. So when Ollie, the father of her daughter Cleo, unexpectedly walks out, who better to turn to than her best friends? The reunion takes place in Ellen and husband Mark's converted farmhouse in France, where Hannah slowly becomes reacquainted with nature - the white-back pigs, the rooster with the mental health issues - and, more importantly, what she really wants out of her life. Then something shocking happens, which threatens not only her recovery, but the very bonds of her friendship with Ellen and Barbara. Her loyalty is put to the test - if she does the right thing, will it blow Ellen's marriage out of the water? And why does she find herself turning to Ollie, of all people, for advice...?

Irish Fiction Month Interview: Clare Dowling

Today I'm delighted to welcome Clare Dowling to my blog for a bit of a chat.  

I've read all of Clare's books apart from her last book, Would I Lie To You, which I have to confess is still sat in my backlog of review books... BUT I'm definitely planning to read it in the next week or so as part of this Irish Fiction month.

Why do you think Irish Fiction has become so popular worldwide?
I think it’s possibly because Irish writers approach most things with a sense of humour, even issues that are quite dark and bleak. And there is real heart at the centre of the stories.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
No. I wanted to be a ballet dancer originally – I think it must have been the pink frilly outfits – and then I wanted to join a circus. I fell into writing by accident, having trained as an actress and discovering that there were really very, very few parts for young actresses. I rather naïvely thought I would write one, and embarked upon my first stage play. It turned out to be best thing I ever did.