From page to stage: Emma Heatherington on new novels, musicals and everything in between

DONAGHMORE author Emma Heatherington is preparing to take to the stage with her first large-scale touring musical, Country Girl, following the recent release of her latest Christmas novel.

The new musical tells the story of young Rosie Ryan, who returns home to Ireland from Australia and inherits her grandmother’s pub. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Luke Adams, an up-and-coming Nashville country star, sparking a romance filled with love, laughter and heartbreak.

The production will make its debut at Armagh’s Marketplace Theatre on Wednesday, November 11, with a four-night run and a matinee performance. The tour will then travel to Cookstown, Enniskillen, Omagh and Strabane before heading south to Mayo, Galway, Wexford and Dublin.

The idea for Country Girl first began to take shape following Emma’s experiences touring with country music favourites Philomena Begley and Nathan Carter, giving her a unique insight into the world of live country music and the lives of those performing on stage.

Having spent the past eight years developing the show, Emma has written both the script and song lyrics, describing the production as one of the biggest and most personal creative projects she has ever undertaken.

“I have been a country music fan all my life. I grew up throughout the 90s where people like The Chicks and Garth Brooks were very big. About eight years ago, I was very honoured to have written the life story of Philomena Begley and, a year after Nathan Carter, so I got to see what the life of a touring musician is like,” Emma told the Courier.

“I have written the play itself as well as the song lyrics, I’ve never done anything to this scale before and it’s probably the biggest writing project I have ever taken on.

“This show has my heart. I have really put my heart and soul into this and it’s something I have wanted to do for a long time. I’m doing this purely because I believe in it, I believe audiences are going to enjoy it and I have great faith in it.”

Emma praised the efforts of the team around her who have worked incredibly hard to bring the show to life, both emotionally and musically.

“It’s been a huge effort from all involved, from the cast, the songwriting collaborators and the musicians. It’s been a big effort, so it’s definitely a massive project which has taken up 24/7 of my days over the past year and is coming from a good place.

“I couldn’t have done this without our director Lauren Hamill. She is just so dedicated and passionate about it and she has taken the characters in the story and really brought them to life.”

She also commended the work of musical director, Damien Cullen, musical producer and musician, Matt McGlinn, lead actress, Dominique Mullin, and choreographer, Lynda Wright.

She gave a special mention to her family for their continued support as the musical prepares for its opening night in Armagh.

“My sisters have been involved as well as my daughter Jordyn, who has been such a great help lately. It’s a real all-hands-on-deck project. And, my fiance Jim, God bless him, has been listening to this for a long, long time!

“I think you need people like that behind you to give you the confidence to do something like this because there’s a lot of risk involved.”

Emma offered a huge thanks to the musical’s sponsors.

“We literally could not do it without the sponsors because a brand new show costs a lot of money, and the local business community in Mid Ulster have been so supportive.”

“We have construction firms, engineering firms, Newell Stores and our lead sponsors, Rushmere and DV8. It’s been a labour of love and everyone has played such a huge part in this to make it happen.”

The cast features an array of local talent including Dominique Mullin, from Kildress, Cillian Calvert, from Kilrea, and Galbally singer, Lauren McCrory.

Alongside her work on Country Girl, Emma has also delighted readers with the release of her latest annual Christmas novel, Together for Christmas, which hit the shelves on October 22.

“It’s been out for around two weeks and it went straight into No. 5 in the Irish Times Bestsellers which is just fantastic and I’m over the moon.

“The feedback is fantastic so far, the readers are enjoying it and I think they have come to know what to expect from my novels each year- it will give them that cosy comfort and familiarity that we all like at this time of year.”

‘Together at Christmas’ is set at Ashford Castle in County Mayo and follows the love story of Moy native, Cara, and travel blogger, Dermot.

“I’ve been working on this for the past year alongside managing the show’s production so it’s been busy.

“I realised that people enjoy reading about places that they know or don’t know, and which they can discover after reading the book. I like to find places which will bring the reader to a lovely place outside of their bedroom or wherever they are reading, and a castle at Christmas, to me, sounds perfect.

“I’ve also found that a lot of readers from all over have followed the places I have written about like the Slieve League Cliffs and Fanad Lighthouse and who knows, we might get a few new visitors to the Moy after this!”

Alongside her creative success, Emma has also been facing her own personal challenges while living with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer that develops in plasma cells. The experience has given her a new perspective on life, influencing the way she approaches both her work and everyday experiences.

Despite spending much of the past two years seriously ill, she explained that writing has remained an important outlet, even during periods when she was physically unable to put pen to paper.

“I try to think of a lot of things as ‘one day at a time’ and though it looks like I have packed a lot of things into the last two years, most of those days were spent being seriously ill,” she said.

“A lot of the days I was in bed and wasn’t fit to write but because I work a lot in my head, I was still able to think about my stories and ideas and it helped me a lot psychologically.”

Emma also spoke about the importance of accepting help, being patient with yourself and holding on to hope during difficult times.

Recalling a four-week period in hospital isolation two years ago, she explained how she began writing down small things that made her smile each day, from a conversation with a nurse to a message from home.

She would revisit these notes on particularly difficult days to lift her spirits.

“I have no doubt that the writing side of my life has helped me deal with everything that I have been faced with. I love to step out of my real life sometimes and take myself away from the worry I have been going through.”