Tune in to this podcast, hosted by PR Director and co-founder at Unique Media, Breda Brown, for a discussion between best-selling historical fiction writer Marita Conlon-McKenna and debut historical fiction writer Marianne Lee. Marita Conlon-McKenna became a household name after the exceptional success of her Children of the Famine trilogy, beginning with Under the Hawthorn Tree. This year, the writer released The Hungry Road (Penguin), a novel for adult readers set during the Great Irish Famine. In her debut, A Quiet Tide (New Island), Marianne Lee breathes life into the personal story of  Ellen Hutchins, a nineteenth century botanist who lived a rich but  tormented life. Breda Brown will host a conversation between these two  writers of historical fiction on the difficulties of, and reception to,  historical novels.

Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland’s favourite authors. Her books include the award-winning Under the Hawthorn Tree which is set during Ireland’s great famine. Widely translated and  published, it is now considered an Irish classic. Her other books  include bestsellers The Magdalen and Rebel Sisters. She is a winner of the International Reading Association Award, USA and a former chairperson of Irish PEN.

Marianne Lee grew up in Tullamore, Co. Offaly and now lives in Dublin  with her husband. She has a degree in Visual Communications from the  National College of Art and Design and an MPhil in Creative Writing from  Trinity College Dublin. Marianne works as a designer and copywriter and  has published a selection of poetry as well as self-recorded an album  of music. She sings Bach and paints landscapes. A Quiet Tide is her first novel.

Breda Brown is the presenter of the Inside Books podcast. In each  episode of Inside Books, Breda chats to people associated with the world  of books – including well-known authors, publishers, editors, agents,  critics, booksellers and more.

Interviewees have included local and international authors Rachael  English, Martina Cole, Anthony Horowitz, Pat McCabe, Stephen McGann,  Peter James, Alan Shatter, Jo Spain, Patricia Gibney, Peter Carey,  Dermot Bolger, Mary Kenny, Martina Fitzgerald, Paul Howard, Sarah Webb,  Emily Hourican, Stefanie Preissner and Catherine Fulvio. Industry names  interviewed on Inside Books include Michael McLoughlin (Penguin),  Vanessa Fox O Loughlin (Writing.ie), Declan Meade and Sarah Gilmartin  (Stinging Fly), Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis Goff (Tramp Press), Maria  Dickenson (Dubray Books) and Madeleine Keane (Sunday Independent Books  Editor). Inside Books is available on all audio channels and the twitter  handle is @InsideBooksIRE

A former print and radio journalist, Breda also reviews crime novels  for the Sunday Independent, MCs and moderates events and contributes  regularly to radio and TV programmes. She is also the co-founder of  Unique Media, the communications firm that produces the Inside Books  podcast.