REVIEWS
AWARDS
Content
Mysteries
Science Fiction
Young Adult
Romance
About Murder at Irish Mensa....
"Can brains do what police procedure cannot? Read this unusual tale of a tree surgeon
working sleuthing between energy spent looking for a new house and tending her duties
as organiser of the meeting to find the answer. You'll enjoy the ride."
Larry Winebrenner, author of the Henri Derringer Mysteries
"This book had everything I like: cats; an unusual, feisty female; a (subtle) romantic
element; an interesting set of problems; a modicum of esoteric knowledge; gentle
humour; and a realistic characterisation of the sorts of people I tend to hang out with
myself.... It was the perfect weekend relaxation."
Francesca on Amazon.
"At first, I thought a Mensa was some kind of Irish cultural festival until I kept reading
and realized it meant super-smart people who could do things like solve puzzles in
flight magazines. The author did a fine job describing the heroine, Cara - I sympathized
with her need to find a home, love of cats and horses. A good read!"
Nancy Jill Thames on Goodreads.
"I am glad I found this author and that I read her Irish cozy mystery on days surrounding
March 17. I enjoyed both the writing and the story, and I even got part of the mystery
solved on my own, something I almost never do. This, however, did not lessen my reading
pleasure, since I was having fun learning more about the characters and getting a glimpse
of the way the story unfolded.I will certainly look to read the rest of the books in this
Mensa mystery series sometime soon."
Charlene on Goodreads.
About Murder at Scottish Mensa...
"Murder at Scottish Mensa by Clare O'Beara is the second in the Mensa Mystery series.
Cara Cassidy is a member of Irish Mensa, an international high IQ society. She and her
boyfriend, Mike Fraser--also a Mensa member, attend a Mensa Weekend event in
Scotland. While there, Cara is accosted by Danny Dreffin, who is later found dead.
Mike had had a confrontation with Danny after hearing what had happened with Cara,
and becomes the number one suspect in the murder. Cara, Mike, and others in Mensa
become involved in investigating the death to clear Mike's name.
I enjoyed this one as much as the first in the series, and look forward to reading more."
Marj's Mysteries 2014 Around the World Challenge.
About Murder at Dublin Mensa...
Mystery set in a very wealthy part of Dublin, sort of an Embassy row, with wealthy, older
families mingled in. Cara is a member of Mensa, but that doesn't seem important to the
plot - except, of course, that Cara is a smart, confident cookie. As a tree surgeon, she
sees things that others don't, and her friend Rick, asks her to see what she can find out
about the death of an elderly woman in one of the homes there. Cara ends up solving the
mystery, which puts her in great peril... A good read.
By Liz Marshall - Amazon
"I absolutely LOVE this series!!! I somehow missed #3 and read #4 first, but it really
doesn't matter with this series as all of the books are wholly separate and tell a story
all on their own. It's just that some of the characters are in all the books, and there
might be little things that go from one book to the next, but not enough to detract or
leave you feeling like you missed something. A good read, and challenging to see how
it will all play out and how the MENSA characters use their added intelligence to help
solve the crime(s). I would highly recommend this series to most of my reading friends
as most if not all are probably MENSA candidates themselves..."
Kay Compton, Goodreads
"As a writer and avid reader of crime stories, as well as lifelong scholar of criminal
justice I was incredibly eager to read this book. I have to say that
‘Murder in Dublin Mensa’ exceeded my expectations by being quite unique in many
ways.The storyline is smooth, realistic, adventurous, and full of mystery solved by a
non-detective character named Cara. The interactions between Cara and police
officer Ricky Norton are presented in a creative yet down-to-earth way.
Descriptive language painted a vivid and captivating picture that drew me in and
kept my attention all the way through. “Houses like that in Dublin are bound to be
preserved so you can’t slot in new Wavin plastic gutters and drainpipes, they’ll
have to be authentic iron.” I especially enjoyed blended information presented in
this work that both keeps the reader’s interest and shows Ireland as a beautiful land
of mystery simultaneously."
Snjezana Marinkovic, Author of Born in Sarajevo, If, My Dawn
"The third Mensa mystery lives up to the first two... Read it!"
Francesca on Amazon
About Murder at Wicklow Mensa...
"This book was a great trip behind the scenes in Ireland. It highlights several slices
of life and many different groups of people there. We get to see inside the lives of
an office worker, police officer, porno actress, artist, small business owner, and drug
dealer just to name a few. We even get to see a group of Dubliners take a trip to a
Mexican restaurant...
Cara’s connection with each individual made the story come to life as each
conversation with a new person helped her to piece together the mystery and locate
the killer... I would highly recommend this book to mystery lovers, food lovers
and anyone who is interested in traveling to or learning about another country."
Laura Miller on Goodreads.
"The neighbors of a man who hasn't been seen in several days, and who's known to be a
diabetic and supposed to be alone in his house, ask the police to perform a welfare
check. They recruit tree surgeon Cara Cassidy to enter an upstairs window, which will
keep them from having to destroy a locked door or lower window; once in the house, Cara
discovers evidence that a violent crime has been committed. And so the mystery begins..
I've enjoyed all five books in this series. As another reviewer here says, they're full
of varied and interesting sketches of life in contemporary Ireland. The characters are
well drawn -- even the very minor ones are recognizable individuals, and the major
characters are so three-dimensional that I now feel I know them and want to learn even
more about them. As in the other books, the mystery in this one, and its solution, are
believable and satisfying. I was especially impressed, here, by the way O'Beara lets us
know how horrific the murder is without actually showing the scene OR telling us what's
happened; we see, hear, and smell only what Cara sees, hears, and smells, and that's
enough to engage our imaginations."
M. Thornburg on Amazon
"I really enjoyed this one, and it took me longer to read than the usual books I read,
as it was way over 400 pages! Still, never bogged down or got boring, and the
mystery had plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. This is currently the last
of the Irish Mensa books, and I am fervently hoping that Ms O'Beara will be adding
to the series again soon. What a wonderful and challenging read this series is - it
keeps me interested and the characters are all extremely interesting because their
high intelligence has them thinking outside the box in a lot of novel ways. It also has
me thinking of finding out about MENSA for myself..."
Kay Compton, Goodreads
About Dining Out Around the Solar System...
"There's lots of pleasant surprises in store for you in this thoughtful, at times ultra-
cynical, fantasy excursion into the not so very far into the future dystopian society
of the UK and Eire....
This is high concept fantasy that does science in an holistic and well-researched
manner that takes you to unexpected places in the human spirit, whether that
resides in the breast of a native of London, or Dublin, or Mercury,
or Mars, or Saturn...
Well-written and observed, Clare O'Beara brings her considerable experience as
a journalist to bear in conjuring a totally believable future multicultural society with
bells (and knobs) on... This is a subtle meandering burn of a book with a gentle
but inexorable stranglehold on the suspense that pulls no punches for realism,
whether or not that's politically incorrect. The A-word causes a world of pain for
both our heroes, but they stick at it, and so should you, because the rewards are
all threaded through the whole and, most definitely, there in the ending.
Highly recommended for all those who don't need ray guns (or any guns much)
at regular intervals in their intellectual fantasy thrillers."
Jan Hawke, Owner and CEO DreamWorlds Publishing
"Dining Out Around the Solar System, by Clare O’Beara, follows the story of Donal,
who, along with his best friend Myron, grows from a teen with a love of books, into
an important investigative journalist. His published stories dig ever deeper into the
political morass of Great Britain’s underpinnings, making life for the friends dangerous.
Donal is a nascent hacker and novelist, living in the London of an alternative future,
where humans have discovered sentient beings on every other planet in the Solar
System and trade with other planets is starting to flourish. O’Beara’s writing is
approachable and well-researched.
If you enjoy suspense stories with science fiction twists, I believe you will find
Dining Out Around the Solar System by Clare O’Beara to be your five-star cup of tea."
DS Kane, Author of Swiftshadow, DeathByte, GreyNet
"It is a sci-fi story in which characters, interactions, social themes, romance, and action
all dominate the "sci" part. The two main characters are Londoners, one from Ireland
and the other from the Caribbean. In this story the aliens do not come from distant
solar systems, but from our own 8 planets (plus Pluto). The "suspension of disbelief",
required for any sci-fi story that isn't a science textbook, mainly involves not
questioning how human-like life could have evolved on the planets that we are familiar
with. The resulting story makes this well worthwhile.
Some of the action scenes are generated as some of the articles offend high ranking
government and criminal entities who retaliate, and with various hate groups who don't
like aliens. Another aspect of the story is a rich set of many well-drawn characters
and bit players with believable interactions. It is easy to like (or dislike) the characters,
but almost none of them are the kind of wallpaper figures that typically make up most
sci-fi stories."
Systemguy on Amazon
Mysteries
Science Fiction
Young Adult
Romance
About Murder at Irish Mensa....
"Can brains do what police procedure cannot? Read this unusual tale of a tree surgeon
working sleuthing between energy spent looking for a new house and tending her duties
as organiser of the meeting to find the answer. You'll enjoy the ride."
Larry Winebrenner, author of the Henri Derringer Mysteries
"This book had everything I like: cats; an unusual, feisty female; a (subtle) romantic
element; an interesting set of problems; a modicum of esoteric knowledge; gentle
humour; and a realistic characterisation of the sorts of people I tend to hang out with
myself.... It was the perfect weekend relaxation."
Francesca on Amazon.
"At first, I thought a Mensa was some kind of Irish cultural festival until I kept reading
and realized it meant super-smart people who could do things like solve puzzles in
flight magazines. The author did a fine job describing the heroine, Cara - I sympathized
with her need to find a home, love of cats and horses. A good read!"
Nancy Jill Thames on Goodreads.
"I am glad I found this author and that I read her Irish cozy mystery on days surrounding
March 17. I enjoyed both the writing and the story, and I even got part of the mystery
solved on my own, something I almost never do. This, however, did not lessen my reading
pleasure, since I was having fun learning more about the characters and getting a glimpse
of the way the story unfolded.I will certainly look to read the rest of the books in this
Mensa mystery series sometime soon."
Charlene on Goodreads.
About Murder at Scottish Mensa...
"Murder at Scottish Mensa by Clare O'Beara is the second in the Mensa Mystery series.
Cara Cassidy is a member of Irish Mensa, an international high IQ society. She and her
boyfriend, Mike Fraser--also a Mensa member, attend a Mensa Weekend event in
Scotland. While there, Cara is accosted by Danny Dreffin, who is later found dead.
Mike had had a confrontation with Danny after hearing what had happened with Cara,
and becomes the number one suspect in the murder. Cara, Mike, and others in Mensa
become involved in investigating the death to clear Mike's name.
I enjoyed this one as much as the first in the series, and look forward to reading more."
Marj's Mysteries 2014 Around the World Challenge.
About Murder at Dublin Mensa...
Mystery set in a very wealthy part of Dublin, sort of an Embassy row, with wealthy, older
families mingled in. Cara is a member of Mensa, but that doesn't seem important to the
plot - except, of course, that Cara is a smart, confident cookie. As a tree surgeon, she
sees things that others don't, and her friend Rick, asks her to see what she can find out
about the death of an elderly woman in one of the homes there. Cara ends up solving the
mystery, which puts her in great peril... A good read.
By Liz Marshall - Amazon
"I absolutely LOVE this series!!! I somehow missed #3 and read #4 first, but it really
doesn't matter with this series as all of the books are wholly separate and tell a story
all on their own. It's just that some of the characters are in all the books, and there
might be little things that go from one book to the next, but not enough to detract or
leave you feeling like you missed something. A good read, and challenging to see how
it will all play out and how the MENSA characters use their added intelligence to help
solve the crime(s). I would highly recommend this series to most of my reading friends
as most if not all are probably MENSA candidates themselves..."
Kay Compton, Goodreads
"As a writer and avid reader of crime stories, as well as lifelong scholar of criminal
justice I was incredibly eager to read this book. I have to say that
‘Murder in Dublin Mensa’ exceeded my expectations by being quite unique in many
ways.The storyline is smooth, realistic, adventurous, and full of mystery solved by a
non-detective character named Cara. The interactions between Cara and police
officer Ricky Norton are presented in a creative yet down-to-earth way.
Descriptive language painted a vivid and captivating picture that drew me in and
kept my attention all the way through. “Houses like that in Dublin are bound to be
preserved so you can’t slot in new Wavin plastic gutters and drainpipes, they’ll
have to be authentic iron.” I especially enjoyed blended information presented in
this work that both keeps the reader’s interest and shows Ireland as a beautiful land
of mystery simultaneously."
Snjezana Marinkovic, Author of Born in Sarajevo, If, My Dawn
"The third Mensa mystery lives up to the first two... Read it!"
Francesca on Amazon
About Murder at Wicklow Mensa...
"This book was a great trip behind the scenes in Ireland. It highlights several slices
of life and many different groups of people there. We get to see inside the lives of
an office worker, police officer, porno actress, artist, small business owner, and drug
dealer just to name a few. We even get to see a group of Dubliners take a trip to a
Mexican restaurant...
Cara’s connection with each individual made the story come to life as each
conversation with a new person helped her to piece together the mystery and locate
the killer... I would highly recommend this book to mystery lovers, food lovers
and anyone who is interested in traveling to or learning about another country."
Laura Miller on Goodreads.
"The neighbors of a man who hasn't been seen in several days, and who's known to be a
diabetic and supposed to be alone in his house, ask the police to perform a welfare
check. They recruit tree surgeon Cara Cassidy to enter an upstairs window, which will
keep them from having to destroy a locked door or lower window; once in the house, Cara
discovers evidence that a violent crime has been committed. And so the mystery begins..
I've enjoyed all five books in this series. As another reviewer here says, they're full
of varied and interesting sketches of life in contemporary Ireland. The characters are
well drawn -- even the very minor ones are recognizable individuals, and the major
characters are so three-dimensional that I now feel I know them and want to learn even
more about them. As in the other books, the mystery in this one, and its solution, are
believable and satisfying. I was especially impressed, here, by the way O'Beara lets us
know how horrific the murder is without actually showing the scene OR telling us what's
happened; we see, hear, and smell only what Cara sees, hears, and smells, and that's
enough to engage our imaginations."
M. Thornburg on Amazon
"I really enjoyed this one, and it took me longer to read than the usual books I read,
as it was way over 400 pages! Still, never bogged down or got boring, and the
mystery had plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. This is currently the last
of the Irish Mensa books, and I am fervently hoping that Ms O'Beara will be adding
to the series again soon. What a wonderful and challenging read this series is - it
keeps me interested and the characters are all extremely interesting because their
high intelligence has them thinking outside the box in a lot of novel ways. It also has
me thinking of finding out about MENSA for myself..."
Kay Compton, Goodreads
About Dining Out Around the Solar System...
"There's lots of pleasant surprises in store for you in this thoughtful, at times ultra-
cynical, fantasy excursion into the not so very far into the future dystopian society
of the UK and Eire....
This is high concept fantasy that does science in an holistic and well-researched
manner that takes you to unexpected places in the human spirit, whether that
resides in the breast of a native of London, or Dublin, or Mercury,
or Mars, or Saturn...
Well-written and observed, Clare O'Beara brings her considerable experience as
a journalist to bear in conjuring a totally believable future multicultural society with
bells (and knobs) on... This is a subtle meandering burn of a book with a gentle
but inexorable stranglehold on the suspense that pulls no punches for realism,
whether or not that's politically incorrect. The A-word causes a world of pain for
both our heroes, but they stick at it, and so should you, because the rewards are
all threaded through the whole and, most definitely, there in the ending.
Highly recommended for all those who don't need ray guns (or any guns much)
at regular intervals in their intellectual fantasy thrillers."
Jan Hawke, Owner and CEO DreamWorlds Publishing
"Dining Out Around the Solar System, by Clare O’Beara, follows the story of Donal,
who, along with his best friend Myron, grows from a teen with a love of books, into
an important investigative journalist. His published stories dig ever deeper into the
political morass of Great Britain’s underpinnings, making life for the friends dangerous.
Donal is a nascent hacker and novelist, living in the London of an alternative future,
where humans have discovered sentient beings on every other planet in the Solar
System and trade with other planets is starting to flourish. O’Beara’s writing is
approachable and well-researched.
If you enjoy suspense stories with science fiction twists, I believe you will find
Dining Out Around the Solar System by Clare O’Beara to be your five-star cup of tea."
DS Kane, Author of Swiftshadow, DeathByte, GreyNet
"It is a sci-fi story in which characters, interactions, social themes, romance, and action
all dominate the "sci" part. The two main characters are Londoners, one from Ireland
and the other from the Caribbean. In this story the aliens do not come from distant
solar systems, but from our own 8 planets (plus Pluto). The "suspension of disbelief",
required for any sci-fi story that isn't a science textbook, mainly involves not
questioning how human-like life could have evolved on the planets that we are familiar
with. The resulting story makes this well worthwhile.
Some of the action scenes are generated as some of the articles offend high ranking
government and criminal entities who retaliate, and with various hate groups who don't
like aliens. Another aspect of the story is a rich set of many well-drawn characters
and bit players with believable interactions. It is easy to like (or dislike) the characters,
but almost none of them are the kind of wallpaper figures that typically make up most
sci-fi stories."
Systemguy on Amazon
About Dining Out Around the Solar System...
"The title hooked me into reading a little. The story hooked me into reading a lot—
the whole book, in fact. What was so interesting? First, I’m a Yank and O’Beara is a
Brit (Irish, actually), so I enjoyed the exposure to the King’s (Queen’s?) English and
its unusual (to me) idioms, phrases, words, and misspellings (wink).
Second, Clare O’Beara knows a LOT about London, books, journalism, and people.
She skilfully worked much of her knowledge into the story, making it interesting and
entertaining. Third, the story is science fiction with hardly any science to muddle
through. There are aliens, but they’re natives of our Sun’s other planets and relate to
one another about as well as we Earthlings do. The social problems resulting from
that mixture allowed O’Beara to suggest some daring solutions from her fertile
imagination. Last, the story is clean — of editing errors, which I hate, but also clean
in the other sense. There’s some sex, but not explicit, and the language is appropriate
for all readers YA and older."
SF Writer, Amazon
About Dining Out With The Ice Giants...
"With this second helping in the Dining Out science fantasy series, we're filling in
some of the gaps in Donal and Myron's journalistic career and finding more quirky
insights into the secret lives of the visitors from the outermost planets in the System.
The Ice Giants are, of course, Uranus and Neptune, but immigrants from dwarf
planet Pluto are also prominent in this book where we find out more about their
early days in London before they go into the ice cream and frosty treats trade.
What I really like about O'Beara's dystopian London are the left field details that
take what's starting to happen in the present to logical but often surprising and
illuminating conclusions."
Jan Hawke, Goodreads
"Dining Out With The Ice Giants is a gem of a book that creates a world that feels just
like ours – but for the several species of Aliens who have immigrated in search of
employment. These alien immigrants end up filling the marginal roles that poor
immigrants fill in real world society. Suitably, the aliens’ willingness to work for low
pay elicits resentment and scorn from Earth citizens. Moreover, scoundrels both human
and alien find ways to manipulate and exploit the most powerless among the aliens.
Donal and his best buddy Myron are unofficial human ambassadors to the resident alien
communities in London... This book is highly enjoyable, thought provoking,
and definitely worth reading."
Alexis Grove, Author of The Aeon Trilogy
"Myron and Donal are journalists on a zine called London's Eye, and although they are
employed to report on the relatively uncontroversial issues of fine dining, wines and
entertainment, they rove the streets of London like a couple of hard-bitten
investigative journalists of film noir vintage. Except of course for the advanced
technology they and everyone else in this convincingly possible future London make
use of with such ease.
I used to live in the areas covered by the story, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Islington;
and am wholly convinced by Clare's evocation of the struggle that life has become
(may really become?) for the increasingly poorer ordinary folk. But against this
bleak background there is adventure and fun, with several plot-lines evolving through
the story, and satisfying revelations at the end [no spoilers] thanks to our heroic
duo weaving their way through streets, underground tunnels, computer programs,
restaurants, and hi-tech offices in Docklands in their fight for the right and for
justice. It's the next 50 years' equivalent of swashbuckling, and there are fireworks too!
Carefully researched and compellingly written, this is a book for fantasy/SF readers
who like to identify with the good guys and see the baddies get their come-uppance.
Thoroughly recommended."
Sue Bridgwater on Amazon and Goodreads
"Ok, so wayyy more sci-fi than I'm used to, but I found myself absolutely loving it!
Donal and Myron are journalists in a future London that is just fascinating. They are
from earth, but London is home to people from all sorts of different planets. The
journalists paths cross with a number of them. The best part of the book was the
descriptions of these aliens. The differences between them were crazy. A ton of
thought was put into that.
The book takes us through many of the stories they cover and it ends up being much
more than what you see at first glance. It's amazing that a book about the future can
become a sort of social commentary on todays world. Many of the problems we face
become front and center in this city amongst aliens. It's crazy, right?
The story was a bit slow for me in places but very interesting in others and hilarious
at some points. I wasn't expecting it to be so funny. All in all, a good read."
MacQueen on Amazon
About Dining Out With The Gas Giants...
"Like its predecessor, Dining Out (3) is a well-researched and thoroughly enjoyable
science fiction tale. It follows Myron and Donal, two intrepid journalists from the
London’s Eye zine, as they track down stories, including unusual sports, a missing
young woman, ugly protests against Off-Worlders, and a mysterious connection
between the Jovians, the Chinese, and South America. The last third of the book
involves a hair-raising adventure in the Andes.
This book delves deeper than Dining Out (2) into the effects of climate change and
poor environmental practices, as well as the social unrest that will inevitably
follow from them. Having spent time in South America, I find many of the
predictions in Dining Out (3) easy to believe. What holds all of this together is
the personal and professional friendship of Donal and Myron. While they come from
different backgrounds, they have a deep and mostly unspoken bond. I also enjoyed the
many references, from Lord of the Rings to Jean de Florette. This is a well-crafted,
fast-paced story. A treat, from beginning to end. Highly recommended!"
Kathleen Rollins, Author of the Misfits And Heroes series
"We find ourselves again following the reporting lives of Donal and Myron as they
cover a variety of cases and deal with things in their own lives. They live in a
London that is inhabited by aliens from all sorts of planets, although I shouldn't
say 'aliens' because that's considered racist. Whoops. Even though their world is so
very different from ours, they are dealing with many of the same things. Racism,
terrorism, student loan debt, women's rights in the workplace, etc...
Donal and Myron are great. They even had me laughing out loud at times. My favorite
was when they were talking about ties and how they are a phallic symbol. To wear one,
they had to make sure no one they were with would be offended. The humor throughout
the book is subtle at times and just weird at others but it's all hilarious."
MacQueen on Amazon
About Rodeo Finn
"Rodeo Finn by Clare O’Beara is a beautifully written book. I enjoy a book that is
both a good story and educational at the same time. If you have a young teen who
loves reading books about horses and would like to learn more about them, this is
a great book to read. It is clean with many lessons of life. I appreciate the way
Finn was a responsible, helpful, respectful young lady.
This is truly a great book for anyone to read but especially a young teen."
By Amazon Customer
A YA book that will intrigue young readers (and not so young!) who love horses. As well
as a good plot and interesting characters this book offers an insight into the care of
horses and life on a ranch in Arizona. I love the way the main character faces her
challenges, growing and changing through the story.
Hilary Hawkes, children's author, on Goodreads
About Silks And Sins...
"If Irish horse racing and living in the Irish countryside and being involved with horses
is of interest to potential readers, I would encourage them to try SILKS AND SINS
by Clare O'Beara."
Charlene on Goodreads
"You will be thrilled by this story of two sisters struggling with an inherited business
involving horses....
One of the enticing elements of this story is the large amount of instruction about
horse-racing built into the narrative without appearing instructive. One becomes more
knowledgeable about horses and racing without unduly noting it. It is a most welcome
part of Silks and Sins.
This book is most highly recommended."
Larry Winebrenner
Author of The Henri Derringer Mysteries
on Amazon
"I loved this story of two sisters, their loves and their lives. It's set in horse country
and I felt as if I was there all the way through the story. The descriptions are perfect,
the story light and fun. This novel is charming and intriguing, light and entertaining.
A great little read."
Lynda M. FILLER on Amazon
About The Prisoner In The Tower...
"The Prisoner in the Tower is a tale about a young boy who, after losing his father in war,
becomes a tender of canines in the King’s castle. He makes friends and learns things,
and eventually his paths cross with a lion in the tower. It’s a gift to the King, and is
kept in a shabby cage being fed instead of hunting...
The second part of the book is a brief historical account of big cats in ancient England,
and it invites the reader to contemplate the treatment of these, and other, animals. And
I think that’s the real strength of this short read; it brings the pain that animals in
captivity feel to life, and forces the reader to face a long standing cruel practice that
continues today of taking wild, untamed creatures from their natural habitat, and
imprisoned for the pleasure of people. Overall, it made me look at zoos in a whole
new light."
Barry West on Amazon
First Place, Print Journalism
National Media Awards
September 2013
Runner-up, Print Journalism
National Media Awards
2012
Winner, Arkady Renko Short Story Contest
Simon & Schuster UK
January 2014
Judged by Martin Cruz Smith.
Shortlisted, Head And Shoulders Confidence Award
Proctor and Gamble
November 2013
UK and Ireland Award, Shortlist of 10.
For writing and independently publishing.
Short Story Longlisted
RTE Guide/ Penguin
September 2012
Short Story Highly Commended
CDVEC Sports and Cultural Committee
April 2011
Clare is a top reviewer with
Net Galley,
Fresh Fiction, Goodreads and Amazon.
