Niamh Malone
Niamh always loved writing. Over the years she has written short stories and a book but never got them published.
When she worked as a clinical nurse specialist in stroke rehabilitation she published articles in healthcare within her area of practice.
Her life changed 8 years ago when she had a rare type of stroke. In 2019, she started writing her memoir. She had just moved, and it seemed the right time to start writing. She said the words just flowed out of her and onto the page. It felt like they had been trapped and needed release. Her first book is about the unusual relationship she had with her mother. She realised as she went on that it would take more than one book to write the full story, so there will be eight books in total.
Niamh would like to thank her daughter Alison for all her support and being there for her through all the years. She wishes to thank Kaleidoscope Group for advice, Paul Martin Editorial who brought her book to reality, and Fried who has come back into her life again — showing that anything is possible.
The Choices We Made (Irish Gothic Memoir)
Up until a year ago, I thought my life growing up was normal. I was not even aware that I was living in a cocoon, trapped within my thoughts. Last year a friend of mine did a tarot card reading for me where I found out that my life was far from the norm. The tarot cards revealed that the truth needed to come out—for me and my ancestors. This would not only enable us to heal but future generations too. This had to start with me confronting my childhood and adult life. That was how it all started.
I had a very unusual upbringing with my mother, where she repeatedly gaslighted me and tried to control me, all the way through to my adult life. I, fortunately, had a “sixth sense” and was always able to use this to stay in control and remain one step ahead of her. From two years of age onwards, she repeatedly instilled information in my head that I came from an aristocratic background in Galway—and by right, I was a lady. She repeatedly told me the same stories about my ancestors and stories from the past, but then later, she would deny ever saying them. Last year, I found out that they were all true.
Everything was said negatively and constantly reinforced through different situations throughout the day. My mother had ways of achieving her goals and “upped the game” as I grew older. I learned from an early age that I needed to stay in control of my life. However, she was still trying to control and break me up until the day she died, but it never happened, I never broke. I never listened and always did the opposite to what she wanted.
For the winter months, school terms, and Christmas holidays we lived in Dublin. For Halloween, Easter, and the summer holidays we went to the West of Ireland. I always saw and accepted Dublin and Connemara as two separate lives. I learned survival skills in Connemara, and combined with my sixth sense, I was able to retain my freedom through childhood to adult life—right up until this day.
I finally cut myself off from my relatives and gained full freedom in 2020.
Facts are written from memories of enforced situations that were repeated, again and again.
Other memories written are situations or events that stood out from my norm.