Fact to fiction: Jen Bray and Tanya Sweeney on becoming novelists

For journalists Tanya Sweeney and Jen Bray, 2026 has been a very exciting year so far. In January, Sweeney published her debut novel, Esther is Now Following You, while Bray published her debut crime thriller, The Lies Between Us in February. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of publicity for the pair, who are still working as busy journalists in two separate Irish newspapers..

In today’s episode, the two ambitious women join Roisin Ingle to talk about their move from reporting on facts to writing fiction. They talk about the road to publication, what inspired their two very different stories and what they’ve learned about themselves along the way. We also hear about three of Bray's novels that never saw the light of day and how Sweeney found the time to write between multiple house moves and becoming a mother.

But first podcast host Róisín Ingle brings us some stories of the week including Jessie Buckley's historic Oscar win and concerning news about the rise of "creepshots" being taken of women on nights out.

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