Carrickfergus author Jo Zebedee planning sequel to Inish Carraig after securing Arts Council funding

Jo is one of the 12 successful applicants to the organisation’s Artist Career Enhancement Scheme (ACES) who are set to benefit from a total of £82,559 funding.

Supported by The National Lottery, ACES is a professional development programme which provides funding awards to Northern Ireland’s most talented emerging and mid-career artist artists, helping them to create new work and develop their professional careers.

The funding boost will assist Jo, who runs independent Carrickfergus book store The Secret Bookshelf, in writing the sequel to her novel Inish Carraig.

Published in 2015, the sci-fi tale is set in a post-alien invasion Belfast after Earth has been defeated.

“My difficulty is time - I have so little of it,” Jo said. “The funding allows me to go on a few writing residencies, including one next week at Downhill Beach House, where I can work uninterrupted. It also allows me to turn down consultancy work, freeing some time to write up.

"With Inish Carraig, I've always planned a sequel, but struggle with some of the plotting of it. The ACES award includes some mentoring, which I hope will resolve some of the plotting areas.

“Writers can avail of support from the Seamus Heaney Centre in Belfast, but with me writing such a specialist genre, I really felt I needed to work with someone who was familiar with the genre.”

Jo approached Peadar Ó Guilín, an Irish writer of dark fantasy and science fiction best known for The Call. “I know Peadar from conventions over the years, and admire his writing so much,” she added. “I've always learned something about the process, and new understandings, on panels with him. I'm delighted that he will be mentoring me on the project.”

The Artist Career Enhancement Scheme forms part of the wider Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP).

Taking place against a backdrop of funding cuts across many sectors, the Arts Council recognition also provides a welcome stepping stone for Jo and the other awardees to advance to the next stage of their careers.

“It just means so much, especially knowing the environment we are in,” Jo added. “It gives confidence, and belief, as well as peer recognition, and it is a strong indication of belief in the direction of my career and the words that I write.”

Gilly Campbell, Joint Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to award £82,559 to 12 exceptional artists from Northern Ireland, thanks to The National Lottery players.

"These artists are already established and highly regarded in each of their fields and the ACES awards are given in recognition of their work to date. The award also provides them with the financial support to take their careers to that vital next level.

“The ACES programme has been running successfully for several years now and addresses the need for on-going skills development and training within the arts sector here. A warm congratulations to all 12 ACES awardees. We’re excited to see their ACES projects develop in the year ahead.”