Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108for awarding me the Monaco Bursary as Writer in Residence at the Princess Grace Irish Library [home to over 12,500 books dealing with all aspects of Irish culture]. It was a great honour and a privilege to be there, but also a great pleasure. As part of my next novel (working title: Skin Deep*) is set on the Riviera, there was no better way to absorb the atmosphere of the places I needed to describe. I believe that one must never write about a place unless one can smell it. Inhaling great lungfuls of Mediterranean air could only improve the authenticity of my work. Workinginthelibrarywasadreamcometrue.Surroundedbyartefacts andsome500booksbelongingtoPrincessGrace,Isatonabluearmchair underneath a painting by Jack Yeats and wrote for about six hours every day. Any questions I had were answered immediately by the library’s Administrator, Judith Gantley, the most efficient person I have ever met. Five minutes after my question was answered, I would receive an email with links to the answers to my queries and the names of people with whom I could consult further. Judith also sought out books and maps that would help me in my research and introduced me to many fascinating people that I may touch base with later as my work progresses. JudithwentoutofherwaytomakesurethatIhadeverythingIneeded, including beautiful apartment accommodation in Beausoleil overlook- ing Larvotto beach, a bus pass for the month and trolley bags for my shopping. I think I have made a friend for life. I wrote over 30,000 words in my four weeks in the library, roughly a third of a book. I have never achieved that rate of wordage before. My fingers were not permanently glued to the keyboard though, and several events gave me an opportunity to meet with readers, students and visitors. While Writer in Residence, the library hosted a talk and Q & A session about my work with the Trustees and Friends of the library. It was a wonderful and lively evening, and it ended with a book signing and small reception. Also, with the approval of English teacher, Jean-René Fonquerne, I gave a creative writing workshop to a group of industrious and charming students from the local Lycée Albert I. Another day, I spoke to a visiting group of Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland, led by the indefatigable Síghle Bhreathnach Lynch. I also had the huge privilege of reading for a visiting group of Royal Librarians of Europe, led by Thomas Fouilleron, director of the Monaco Palace Archives and Library. The hard work I did was tempered by social events and birthday parties. I will not easily forget the stunning views on my daily com- mute to work. I cannot speak highly enough of the experience I have had in Monaco. Fingers crossed that it will all bear fruit in the publication of Skin Deep* to be published by Penguin in September 2017. I am eternally thankful. I am incredibly grateful to The Ireland Funds About the Author Liz Nugent is an award-winning writer of radio and TV drama and has written short stories for children and adults. In early 2014 her first novel, Unravelling Oliver, was published. It went straight to the top of the bestsellers list and has been translated into eight languages. Unravelling Oliver won the Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. This book is available in French as Oliver, oú la fabrique d’un manipulateur. Her second novel, Lying in Wait, (Profil Bas en Francais) was published in July 2016 and went straight to number 1. It also won the RTE Radio Listener’s Choice prize at the Irish Book Awards. It is currently in the UK Sunday Times bestseller list and has been chosen for the hugely popular Richard & Judy Bookclub Spring 2017 list. Awarded biannually, The Ireland Funds Monaco Residential Bursaries were established to enable writers born or living in Ireland to pursue a current project during a one-month residency at the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. We are pleased to present this personal reflection written by author Liz Nugent on her experience in Monaco. connect 2017 • 95