Compelling piece of work... O’Donnell brings a freshness to her narrative, thanks to the brilliantly evoked voices of her two young female protagonists.... Warm without being cosy, explicit without being shocking, and emotive without being schmaltzy, this is a powerful coming-of-age tale with a clear eye for the travails of 21st-century deprived living. ― The Scotsman
The Death of Bees was my first novel. It was awarded The Commonwealth Book Prize in 2013. I also received The Alex Award in 2014, which was presented to me by the American Library Association.
The Death of Bees was a New York Times Bestseller and has been translated into 23 languages.
Closed Doors was my second novel. It was published by Random House and HarperCollins in May 2014. It's been translated into twelve languages.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/books/review/closed-doors-by-lisa-odonnell.html
Before writing The Death of Bees and Closed Doors, I was a screenwriter for Film and TV. In 2000 I won The Pathe/Orange Prize for New Screenwriters. In the same year, I was shortlisted for the Dennis Potter New Writers Award.
I was a tv writer for a time. I was also a script reader for the BBC. I've also worked in script development at the BBC.
For the last decade, I've worked in Higher Education. I've taught and lectured at many Universities including Strathclyde, Newcastle, and Oxford University.
I have a genuine passion for storytelling. I'm particularly interested in where it all comes from. I'm fascinated by experience and how it shapes our stories. I'm especially supportive of storytelling as catharsis, releasing us from all kinds of pain. I understand writing isn't always about getting published, sometimes a writer just wants to process their story, write it down, and then let it go. If that's your goal I can help you with that.
I offer various tinkering services, which include one-to-one mentoring, story coaching, editing, manuscript appraisal, and story consultations. I also work as a ghost writer for people who want to record their personal history for their families or for a much larger audience.
If you choose to work with me, you'll be working with a professional with experience you can count on to advance you as a creative and to support you as a storyteller.
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