Derry woman achieves childhood dream with the publication of her first book

A Derry woman has achieved her childhood dream of becoming a writer as she prepares for the release of her debut book.

‘We Are All Creatures Of Struggle’ is set to be released on March 13.

Author Aimee Donnell is brimming with excitement for the book to hit the shelves of Waterstones, with this being one of the numerous outlets the book will be available for purchase.

She said: “First and foremost, I just always wanted to be a writer.

“Ever since I was seven, all I wanted to be was a writer. I always remember when you’re young in school and you’ve got your classmates saying they want to be a fireman or a teacher, but then as their job aspirations change, mine never did.

“I wouldn’t know myself if I didn’t write; in my spare time I write. I’m quite an introvert, and that is how I first started writing when I was a kid. I first just turned to make up worlds of my own, and I would squirrel myself away and just write and write and found so much enjoyment in the imagination aspect of it.”

When Aimee is not writing, she is developing the next crop of hopeful authors as an English teacher in York.

She is hopeful her students may be inspired by the publication of this book of poems and help grow her students' confidence in seeing someone they know achieve their dreams, similar to how her teachers helped her blossom.

Aimee said: “When I was really young, I went to Lisnagelvin Primary School.

“I had a teacher, and I will never forget it, who on his last day at that primary school, he high-fived me and said, ‘Mail me your first book when it comes out,’ because it was when I was seven teachers took notice of me having a flair for writing.

“Then when I was at Foyle, they were really supportive as well.”

‘We Are All Creatures Of Struggle’ dives into mental health, chronic illness, relationships, and self-image, hoping to give a voice to those who may feel unheard.

The book is a collection of poems that Aimee wrote over a five-year period when, during a particularly low period in her life, she turned to writing as an outlet to deal with her struggle.

She said: “I have been a Crohn’s disease sufferer ever since I was 16, and I can get quite down, and my mental health took a real spiral between 2019.

“Selfishlessly I started writing it for myself because I realised I was feeling very low and very unmotivated, depleted with life and a bit hopeless in a way, so I started writing these poems as an outlet.

“As the writing came out, I started to realise it had a hopeful overarching tone. While I was low, what I was writing was quite hopeful, and it was quite nice for me to read and to look at the back of my mind and think my self-conscious must be thinking that way, and so it started just for me, and then they started getting more and more relatable.

“I just started writing more and more and more and getting a real collection of them, and then I started thinking that people could really relate to these poems and it would be beneficial to share them with people, and that made me want to pursue publishing.”

The book is a personal exploration of Aimee; however, she believes that the book may relate to people, particularly regarding the subject matter.

She hopes that it may help individuals overcome the stigma of talking about their mental health.

Aimee said: “I think it is particularly important, especially in Derry, as people don’t really speak up as much when they need help, and some still think it is taboo. I think we all just need to reach out and help each other.

“I hope the book becomes like a voice for those that feel like they might be struggling or those that feel like they may have lost some sense of identity, and I hope it is a warm hug for them and they can see themselves in it.

“If one person can pick up the book and read it and say that they can relate in a way, then I feel like I have done my job, because I always wanted to relate to the books I read.”

‘We Are All Creatures Of Struggle’ is available for pre-sale now on Amazon and Waterstones, and it will be available in store from March 13.

And you can follow Aimee’s writing journey on Instagram by following @awriternamed_aimee.