Caimh_McDonnell

Caimh McDonnell

Caimh McDonnell

Irish novelist

Caimh McDonnell is an Irish writer. Born in Limerick, raised in Dublin, and later based in Manchester, McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer.[1][2][3] McDonnell writes comic crime thrillers and humorous paranormal fantasy.[4]

Early life and education

McDonnell was born in Limerick and grew up in Dublin. He attended Dublin City University graduating with a degree in Electronic Engineering, and started his career assembling computer servers.[5]

Writing career

After a career of many years in stand-up comedy, McDonnell became a full-time writer. He has written eighteen novels while his TV writing credits include Have I Got News for You, Mock the Week, A League of Their Own, The Sarah Millican Television Programme, and the BAFTA nominated-children's CBBC animated series Pet Squad which he created.[6][7]

His Stranger Times series, which melds urban fantasy, paranormal, and humour with crime, is written under the pen name of C.K McDonnell.[8][9]

Recognition

His novel I Have Sinned was shortlisted for the Kindle Storyteller Award in 2019.[10]

The Stranger Times series was nominated and shortlisted for The New Kid on the Block Award (Best New Crime Series) Dead Good Reader Award 2022.[11] The series was the winner of Best Audio Work at the British Fantasy Awards 2023[12]

Media

Both The Dublin Trilogy and The Stranger Times series have been optioned for television.[13][14]

Works

Novels

The Dublin "trilogy"

  • A Man With One of Those Faces (2016)
  • The Day That Never Comes (2017)
  • Angels in the Moonlight (2017) (prequel)
  • Last Orders (2018)
  • Dead Man's Sins (2021)
  • Firewater Blues (2022)
  • The Family Jewels (2022)
  • Escape From Victory (2023) (Novella)

Bunny McGarry (Stateside) series

  • Disaster Inc (2018)
  • I Have Sinned (2019)
  • The Quiet Man (2020)
  • Other Plans (2023)[15][16]

MCM Investigations series

  • The Final Game (2020)
  • Deccie Must Die (2022)
  • Meanwhile in Dublin (2024) (Novella)

The Stranger Times (as C.K McDonnell)

  • The Stranger Times (2021)
  • This Charming Man (2022)
  • Love Will Tear Us Apart (2023)
  • Relight My Fire (2024)

Stand-alone novels

  • Welcome to Nowhere (2020)

Short stories

Short story collections

  • How to Send a Message (2019)
  • Things that Fell from the Sky (2020 as C.K. McDonnell)
  • In Other News (2020 as C.K.McDonnell)

Short Story podcasts

  • The Bunnycast (2018-Present)
  • The Stranger Times (2020-Present; 3 seasons)

Personal life

McDonnell lives in Manchester and is married to Elaine, who runs a publishing company. He has worked for London Irish rugby club, making stadium announcements.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    "C.K. McDonnell - Biography". Penguin. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Caimh McDonnell - Amazon". Amazon. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  3. [3]
    "Book Review: The Day That Never Comes". The Quiet Knitterer. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  4. [4]
    "Caimh McDonnell - About Caimh". Caimh McDonnell. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. [5]
    Bell, Gail (17 February 2021). "Limerick author and comedian Caimh McDonnell, aka CK McDonnell, on his new supernatural novel The Stranger Times". The Irish News. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Johnson & Alcock". Johnson & Alcock. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  7. [7]
    Pet Squad (Animation, Comedy, Family), Darrall Macqueen, Inspidea, March Entertainment, 27 June 2011, retrieved 11 February 2022
  8. [8]
    Brown, Eric (15 January 2021). "The best recent science fiction and fantasy reviews roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  9. [9]
    "Colin Callender's Playground Nabs Rights to C.K. McDonnell's 'The Stranger Times'". Variety. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  10. [10]
    "UK Kindle Storyteller Award shortlist revealed". The Bookseller. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  11. [11]
    Dessau, Bruce (5 July 2022). "Caimh (C.K.) McDonnell Shortlisted For Book Award". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  12. [12]
    "British Fantasy Award Winners 2023 – The British Fantasy Society". 16 September 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  13. [13]
    White, Peter (9 June 2021). "'Veep's Chris Addison & 'Breeders' Producer Avalon To Adapt Caimh McDonnell's 'The Dublin Trilogy' Novels For TV". Deadline. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  14. [14]
    Barraclough, Leo (4 March 2020). "Colin Callender's Playground Nabs Rights to C.K. McDonnell's 'The Stranger Times'". Variety. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Other Plans | Caimh McDonnell". Caimh McDonnell. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  16. [16]
    "Other Plans". Waterstones. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
Stub icon

This article about an Irish writer or poet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Caimh_McDonnell, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.