Derville Murphy, LISP 2025 Short Story Winner

Could you please tell us about yourself and your daily routine? When and how did you start writing?

I have always read widely, enjoyed telling stories and come from a family of great raconteurs. My mother wrote witty poems in the style of Pam Ayres. I was the quiet one! For many years I worked as an architect, then in 2008, I returned to college and completed a PhD in art and architecture.

But about seven years ago, while caring for my elderly parents, I joined a creative writing course in UCD run by the wonderful Patricia O’Reilly. Inspired by her, I grew to love writing stories with quirky characters and twisty plots. Writing became a great solace and helped me cope with difficult times. I often think about how lucky we are as writers to have this other world to escape into.

Shortly after my parents’ death in 2019, I was lucky enough to sign a three-book deal with Poolbeg Press Ireland for: The Art Collector’s Daughter 2020, If Only She Knew 2021, and A Perfect Copy 2022.

I have recently finished a historical novel, Strongbow’s Daughter, based on the extraordinary life of feisty Isabel de Clare, a 12^th C influencer who navigated clashing Norman and Gaelic traditions to become one of the most powerful women of her time, and I am currently looking for a publisher. I have also been writing short stories, and this year I have been lucky enough to be commended in the Ennis Book Club Short Story Award; shortlisted in the Scottish Trust, Edinburgh Essay Award; and long listed for the Leicester Writes Short Story Award

- How frequently do you write? Do you have a writing routine?

I try to write most days. On one day of the week, I paint, and on another, I mind my grandchildren. Fortunately, I am an early riser, and I am usually at my desk by 6.30 am. I write until 9.30 am and then break for an hour for ‘life maintenance,’ and resume writing until lunchtime. In the afternoons, I try to walk, cycle, or swim, and meet friends, or do boring admin things.

- And what inspires you to write?

Before I became a writer, I painted in oils and mixed media. My practice as an artist has always informed my writing. Often, I will paint as a way of exploring ideas I am writing about, as a form of creative research. This can be a single image, or sometimes a series of paintings.

Art has been a huge inspiration to me. The novel If Only She knew, was about the life of a forgotten Victorian artist written out of history because of her political beliefs. An Art Collector’s Daughter explored the pursuit of beauty in people and art objects, centred on an art collection of what Hitler described as ‘degenerate art.’ A Perfect Copy tells how two owners of identical family portraits trace their shared secret history across Europe from London to Vienna and finally to Kiev.

I am currently working on two murder mystery novels, part of a series, one based on corruption in the building industry, and a second on dating, AI and Chinese industrial espionage. So, I guess I am branching out. But I will probably return to art!

- How does it feel to have your work acknowledged, whether through winning a competition or having it published or produced? 

I think, like a lot of writers, I suffer from imposter syndrome. Only recently, I called myself a writer, when someone asked me what I do. Other writers have formal creative writing qualifications, and I am conscious of the fact that I don’t. So, having my work acknowledged through being shortlisted, winning awards and being published is great for my CV and very important to me.

- What’s the most rewarding and challenging aspect of writing a story or poetry?

When I am content with a piece of writing, a story or memoir piece, I feel it sings to me. It is the same way I feel when I see a painting that is finished — no part of it jars or seems discordant. The work is balanced, harmonious and true to itself. This feeling is so rewarding and makes all the hard work worthwhile. The challenging part of this process is persevering until you know that you have finally reached this state with your work. This can take a day, a few weeks, or sometimes several years.

- How did you come up with the idea for your LISP-selected story? Is there a story behind your story?

The short story ‘Artemis’ was inspired by a real-life adventure I experienced three years ago. My husband Brendan, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and I were birdwatching in Tintern Woods near where I live in County Wexford. We had spotted woodpecker chicks in the trunk of a diseased tree and visited the nest every day, hoping to see them fledge. One afternoon we arrived to find the chicks gone, but one little bird didn’t make it. My brother-in-law, Eugene, suggested that there was a predatory pine marten in the vicinity. Never having seen one of these shy creatures, we set up a lure of strawberry jam spread on a fallen log, and fixed night-viewing trail cameras to see if we could catch the elusive creatures on film. We did, and we were overjoyed to see that the mother pine marten had brought three kits with her. I wrote an essay, ‘Midsummer Murders,’ for the local magazine On the Hook, describing our adventures.

When I came to write this fictional story, I wanted to capture the flight of the woodpeckers from the predator, and to reflect the dilemmas of the natural world in a human-interest story. The result was Artemis, which looks at coercive control and diverging views of what constitutes ‘good parenting.’

And, how long have you been working on it? 

I wrote this initially in March 2025 and have been tipping away at it since.

- Please share a few tips on writing poetry/stories.

I have learned an awful lot in the last year about writing short stories, much of this from reading and analysing classic short stories. Seeing what works, and what doesn’t. Looking at how Maupassant creates atmospheric settings as a foil for heightened emotion, how Tolstoy creates distinctive characters that are a manifestation of their time, and how James Joyce can describe characters physically in a few, often humorous, words.

Also, I found that having someone critique your work who you admire, and who you trust, can often be more constructive than subjecting your work to a group whose diverse views can be confusing.

- What is the best aspect and the most challenging aspect of competitions?

That your work is read blind is very reassuring for aspiring writers, knowing that you have as good a chance of winning as anyone else.

Currently, there are a lot of competitions out there, and they each charge a fee. Entering competitions can be a costly business. The most challenging aspect of competing is the level of talent out there. But you wouldn’t want to think about that too much!

- Finally, would you recommend that the writers consider submitting to LISP?

In choosing what competitions to enter, it is important to look at the reputation of the organisers, and the opportunities they present to promote a writer’s work and to make contacts that might help their career progression. Winning the LISP Short Story Award promises to deliver on these criteria and so far, has been a wonderful and empowering experience.