Published: Thursday, 4th March, 2010 7:05am

Bestselling Irish author starting new UK chapter

by Sam Berkeley

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Patricia Kay (pen name Erin Kaye)

ACROSS the Irish Sea, she's a best-selling author in the mould of Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly. But in her adopted home of North Berwick, Erin Kaye is a complete unknown.

But all that could change this month when the 43-year-old's sixth book 'The Art of Friendship' makes its debut appearance in British bookstores.

And having secured a new four-book deal with Harper Collins, the ambitous wordsmith (pictured left) aims to climb the literary ladder to the very top rung of the lucrative UK market. The book is being launched simultaneously in Britain and Ireland - through Harper Collins and Poolbeg Press respectively - for the very first time.

"My objective is to be as successful as some of the top female writers in the UK," she declared.

"The publishers think they can market me successfully here in a much bigger market. As far as the UK is concerned, I'm a completely new author. This is what I have been working for. Hopefully I will be able to build a readership here and make a success of it."

But despite her pedigree and track record, Erin Kaye (real name Patricia Kay) says she is not dining out on past achievements and fears success in the competitive British market could prove more elusive.

"I do not consider what I have achieved in Ireland to be a success because I have not been able to make a living out of it," said the mother-of-two, whose books have also sold in Norway and Japan.

"You really have to be selling books on a global scale to make money. My books sell on a par with the top 10 female writers in Ireland, such as Maeve Binchy. My books hold up with them in Ireland but this is now the next big step - trying to achieve success over here."

Her novels are set in the ficticious town of Ballyfergus, loosely based on Patricia's hometown of Larne in Northern Ireland, but are punctuated with recognisable North Berwick landmarks including a Marine Hotel. In her most recent offering, she charts the fortunes and pitfalls of four woman recounting their triumphs and tragedies.

"It's a story about friendship and forgiveness," explained Patricia.

Patricia moved to North Berwick with her husband Mervyn in 1991 and previously worked for Bank Of Scotland. It was producing internal newsletters for the bank than reignited a passion for writing and literature - something which had remained dormant since her secondary school days.

"I just decided in my early 30s that I had done banking for 10 years and I did not want to be in corporate life anymore," she told the Courier from her Ware Road home. "I had a notion to write a book. There were things I wanted to say."

Six books on, Patricia is still unearthing intriguing storylines and says she doesn't have to look very far for inspiration.

"It is drawn from life in North Berwick and from growing up in Larne," she declared, "from my life and the people around me. You do not have to go very far for story lines. It all happens here."

A book launch for 'The Art of Friendship' will take place at Kesley's Bookshop, Haddington, on March 11, from 7pm.