On the Town: A veritable who's who of the hottest Irish women writers turned out at the Clarence Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday night to help Patricia Scanlan celebrate the success of her 10th novel Two For Joy, which recently hit the top of the bestseller list.
Kate Thompson tore herself away from a heavy writing schedule to attend with husband, actor Malcolm Douglas, fresh from a stage run of The Tribunal Show.
"At the moment I'm just finishing up my sixth book, A Perfect Life, so this is my last night out before I head down to the west tomorrow to really get down to it," she says.
Thompson, formerly the Glenroe femme fatale Terri Killeen, has set herself gruelling schedule of 3,000 words a day and hopes to finish her book within the week.
"It's like squeezing the last of the toothpaste out of the tube, I'll go flat out for the next seven days and then it'll be done."
Douglas, who recently graced our screens as the lecherous Ferguson on RTÉ's Fair City, has more civilised plans for his trip to the west.
"Oh it's definitely a holiday for me. We just finished a run of The Tribunal Show in the Project theatre last week and with the weather being so very hot we really appreciated people coming out to see it."
Defending Ferguson's determined dogging of unlucky-in-love Nicola (Claudia Carroll) in Fair City, he says: "He pursued her as any red-blooded male would, and sure who could blame him."
Anita Notaro, who directed Douglas in his amorous on- screen advances and was celebrating the completion of her own latest literary offering, Behind the Scenes, had high praise for the woman of the night.
"I've just finished my second book but I'd never have written a word were it not for Patricia." Notaro met Scanlan at the recording of RTÉ's millennium eve programme and took the opportunity to "rub her for luck".
"I told her I wanted to write a novel and she offered to read my first chapter when I had it written."
Notaro has since managed to return the compliment.
"I read all of Two for Joy before it was published. I sat in my dressing- gown all day one Sunday and was glued until the last page, it was absolutely fantastic. I've read all her books and this is the best."
Marian Keyes also had the privilege of an advance copy of the Scanlan's latest and was equally impressed. "I read it in proof form and I think it's the best yet. It's a very mature work, very deft and subtle."
For Scanlan herself it was all a lot to take in. "My 10th book . . . it's hard to believe. We launched it the August bank holiday weekend and it went straight to number one in a day and a half. It was great feeling and it's great to have the support of the people here tonight."
