‘A strange, original and unusual novel, which takes two unlikely worlds and yokes them together. Remarkable … I’ve never read anything quite like it’ Carlo Gebler
Dolly Considine runs a late-night drinking establishment catering to the needs of thirsty politicians and theatricals in Dublin's legendary drinking area, the Catacombs.
Julian Ryder (aka Paddy Butler) is an eighteen-year-old aspiring writer in need of shelter from his bullying older brother.
As the new live-in lounge assistant at Dolly Considine’s Hotel, Julian soon embroils himself in the shebeen’s gossip – and the guests’ bedsheets – and turns Dolly’s entourage into fodder for his literary ambitions. Reality quickly becomes difficult to separate from fantasy…
Set against the run-up to the Pro-life Constitutional Amendment of September 1983 and moving fluidly between the 1950s of Dolly’s youth and Julian’s Summer of Unrequited Love, the hotel becomes a stage for farce and tragedy. Between Julian’s fictions, Dolly’s Secrets, and narrow party politics – and featuring a papier-mâché figure of Mother Ireland giving birth and clashing sword-wielding dancers – this rich cocktail threatens to blow them, and even Ireland itself, wide apart.
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Eamon Somers
Eamon Somers was born and grew up in inner city Dublin. He was a campaigner and spokesperson for Ireland’s fledgling lesbian and gay rights movement in the early 80’s. During the economic downturn he was made redundant and, having moved to London, spent two years working in Haringey’s Lesbian and Gay Unit until Clause 28 and Council Tax cuts sent him into the charity housing sector where he continues to work.
Eamon’s story Spring in the Country won the Carmarthen short story competition sponsored by BBC Wales. Other stories have been published in Chroma, Tees Valley Writer, and ABC Tales. The Journal of Truth and Consequence (University of Phoenix) published Fear of Landing and gave it a Pushcart Prize nomination. Nataí Bocht was included (alongside Keith Ridgway) in a collection entitled Quare Fellas published in Ireland. An extract from his novel Dolly Considine’s Hotel was included in Automatic Pilot magazine in 2018.
Eamon is a graduate of the certificate in creative writing at Birckbeck College London - the forerunner of the current MA. He has attended many courses including Summer Schools at the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin run by the Stinging Fly Magazine, and Carlo Gébler.
Eamon is the father of three wonderful children. He and his Civil Partner (Tomás) are very proud of their three-year-old grandson Daragh.
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28th May 2023Did you get your copy of Dolly Considine's Hotel?
Did you get your copy of Dolly Considine's Hotel? Having waited almost 22 months since publication (July 2021) one of my crowdfunding supporters received their copies in the last month. No idea why the long delay has occurred, but if you have not received your copy/copies please let me know.
Incidentally while i will not be able to retire on the royalties generated by Dolly, the paperback is bubbling…
12th September 2022Queen's Park Book Festival (London)
Dear All,
just to let you know about the Queens Park Book Festival which is on this coming Saturday and Sunday (17th & 18th) at Queen's Park, London NW6 Full details of the festival available here. or below.
I will be reading in the "Community Tent" at 2:00 PM and it would be lovely to see and say hello to any supporters of Dolly Considine's Hotel. Bring your copy if you want it signed.
…
30th June 2022Dublin launch for Dolly Considine's Hotel - You are invited
Coming up to the 1st anniversary of the publication of Dolly Considine's Hotel, I can finally have the (covid delayed) launch party in Dublin.
It will happen on the 6th July, at the Irish Writers Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 - 18:30 to 20:30. and you are invited. Follow the link below for your free tickets.
I have invited poets Rosamund Taylor and Mark Ward to read from Queering the…
9th May 2022I've done an interview. Can I now call myself a writer?
It's coming up to Dolly's first birthday, and I have received my second financial statement which show that Dolly Considine's Hotel is generating a small profit. You have helped to make that possible. I would like to donate that profit to a charity or art project, and if you have a suggestion please put it in the comments box below. I will choose one and post an update later.
In the meantime award…
21st January 2022Please post a review for Dolly Considine's Hotel & belated Happy New Year
Let me tell you why I would love you to write a review for Dolly Considines Hotel and to post it on GoodReads and/or Amazon
Book sales went up during the pandemic. But big publishers benefited much more than smaller publishers like mine. Resulting in Dolly Considine's Hotel not getting the exposure that it might have had in normal times. In the absence of a big marketing machine, my best chance…
1st November 2021Dolly Considine's Hotel - Scandalous Launch Video
A strange, original and unusual novel, which takes two unlikely worlds and yokes them together to make a single whole. Remarkable … I’ve never read anything quite like it’ Carlo Gebler
Dolly's launch party was held in London on 16th September, many supporters were not able to attend. But now the videos of the event have been cleared for release. Watch at your peril. Part one is attached, To…
30th June 2021A very excited author receives a parcel in the post.
Thank you for your patience and support. It's taken two years, but your copy will be on its way shortly. If you ordered a digital version you may have already received a download link - don't lose it.
If you ordered Dolly through me, it will take a little longer as i need to receive your copy before i can send it on to you. This is exciting.
Please please please leave a review, even if the…
18th May 2021Seven Weeks to Publication
I had great fun (not) back and forth with my friends at Unbound to agree the wording for the back cover and the description to accompany the listing on the various websites. The old description was a bit melodramatic for my taste and was put together for the fundraising campaign. This is the latest version:
Dolly Considine runs a late-night drinking establishment catering to the needs of thirsty…
12th January 2021Dolly's coming, all is good.
What are you up to Eamon? Have you forgotten to wish all your lovely supporters a Happy New Year? It’s not too late.
Bah humbug. Happy New Year.
Do you have an update to share with us?
Yes yes yes. The editing has gone very well. Like a dream. Mary, appointed by Unbound, has been a total joy to work with, and I’m not just saying that because she likes Dolly Considine’s Hotel, but because…
17th September 2020Now where did I leave all those lovely supporters?
The good news is that Dolly is on her way. Yes, publishing is a slow build business, and CV-19 has held Dolly back, but she will triumph. You, my lovely supporters, will be in possession of your very own copies in July 21.
“But that’s ten months away,” I hear you say, and my reply is, “sorry I have to go and defrost the fridge. Back Shortly.”
I’m back, fridge defrosted and the man who came…
23rd June 2020Direct from the Editorial Desk - latest news - shock horror
You will know from my previous update that the lockdown has had an impact on getting Dolly Considine’s Hotel onto bookshelves. But Unbound’s Editorial Desk has been in touch (today) to tell me they can now appoint an editor, and work will start shortly on the design for the book cover.
“Wow.” My own editor, appointed by the Editorial Desk. I don’t want to get gushy but just typing “Editorial Desk…
17th April 2020Don't mention the ......
To my lovely suporters,
Let me start with an apology. I am shocked to be reminded by Unbound at how long it's been since I posted an update, and more importantly that I didn't say a big thank you to all my (and Dolly's) supporters the instant we reached 100% funding; achieved on 12th March. Unbound did let most of you know (17th March), but it was a dreadful oversight on my part not to do so myself…
9th March 2020Should I stop pedalling and let my coasting crowdfunding bicycle sweep me over the finish line?
Heck No. In fact, I'm beginning to panic...... I'm due to retire (from 32 years of public housing work) this Friday, and I set 13th March as the deadline to achieve 100% of the funding for Dolly Considine's Hotel. With the help of my 161 fabulous backers, I've managed to raise 93%. Which is unbelievably wonderful but the last 7% is proving difficult.
What can you do to help? You can certainly share…
23rd February 202090% and counting - when will the real work begin?
Well firstly and most importantly I would like to thank the 150 wonderful supporters who have given so generously to the campaign to have Dolly Considine's Hotel published. It is just awesome that we are 90% funded, and with apologies to the math geniuses among you, 90% means just 10% more to go; i can feel myself beginning to believe Dolly is going to be published. Or at least closer to being a published…
21st January 2020ALMOST100
Thank you for all your support. The lovely people at Unbound have given us a code [ALMOST100] to celebrate Dolly getting to 82% funded. The lovely people think it would be fab to get Dolly to 100% and I agree. Feel absolutely free to share this information with any friend who would like to read about Julian and Dolly's adventures. ALMOST100 easy to remember. Eamon unbound.com/books/dolly-considines…
5th January 2020Julian meets Malone for the first time. 77% funded, spread the love. Thank you funders.
The Summer of Unrequited Love: June 1983
With the crowd for the ferry bus gone Julian found a seat for himself and another for his backpack. A coffee and the recording of succinct observations about travel and travellers would pass the time until the record stall in George’s Street would be open. And now that Uncle Arthur was in his head, he would do as he’d written in the note to his mother…
10th November 2019110 Generous Backers
This is a joyful jolly time. Dolly Considine’s Hotel is 60% funded, I should be singing from the rooftops, thanking my supporters and encouraging them to tell their friends all about my exciting wonderful inciteful insightful optimistic magical book. But instead; I’m trying to figure out why I’ve been resisting writing and sharing this happy update with you.
I have one hundred and ten wonderful…
13th October 2019A teaser from October 1956 - a much younger Dolly learns about running an hotel.
Dolly was cleaning room eleven when she found the box in the bedside locker. She recognised the name printed on the side from hearing it whispered in the bar, and knew the content’s purpose immediately. The box went straight into the wastebasket carried from room to room and slid beneath the jumble of empty shampoo sachets, bits of cotton wool, train and cinema tickets, and the long blue wrapper from…
15th September 2019Dolly skips over 40 and goes straight to 41(%)
Dolly is 41, and as we are talking percentages, 41% is better than the 40% which the campaign was only briefly on Sunday morning. To you seventy-nine pledgers, a big thanks and I hope you enjoy the extract below. But your work is not done yet. If you scroll down to the bottom of this update you will see Twitter and Facebook buttons; please share with your followers. And if you have any comments there…
2nd September 2019The glass is one-third full, not two-thirds empty.
So, firstly thank you all for your generous belief in me and for pledging your hard-earned cash to make Dolly Considine's Hotel a reality. You really are helping to make my life's ambition a reality. But wow, what a month it's been. A roller coaster of a month, with a surge of happiness and a feeling of vindication when the percentage goes up, and a horrid dip on the few days when there were no pledges…
28th July 2019Wow, is this really happening to me?
It would be a gross understatement to say that I've been waiting for a moment like this for quite a long time. We (me and my funders and my publishers and my readers) are setting out on a journey which will have highs and lows, tears of joy and hopefully tears more tears of joy. I am genuinely touched by the support and encouragement I received so far, and hope that you will feel like a part of…
28th July 2019My wonderful first week
Dear Subscribers,
Thank you, it's so exciting to have received my first enthusiastic supporters. It's been an exciting and terrifying week contacting (I won't say reaching out to) friends and family to let them know that I am one step closer to having a novel published after so many years of waiting. Below is a bit more about how Dolly Considine's Hotel came about, and what it's about. I look…
