Catherine Prasifka is younger than Chapter’s bookshop, born in 1996, she is actually younger than the mean age of Chapters’ staff, yet she has written a sharp, achingly observed debut novel reflecting the concerns, confusions and contradictions of life in Dublin for a recent graduate … fresh out of education and facing the reality of “what now?”

In ‘None of This is Serious’ she has managed what the mighty George Bernard Shaw described “the man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time”.

We are not going to précis the novel for you, suffice to say, it was Staff Pick for Irish Writer Discovered This Year and our staff reads a LOT of books from all genres!

So how did Catherine get on with the Chapters 10?

1. What is the first book you bought yourself?
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I think I was about 10. I'm sure I didn't have my own money at the time, but it's the first book I can remember deciding to read by myself. It quickly became an obsession, and no doubt contributed to my love of fantasy.

2. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep writing! When I was younger I had enormous ideas that I never seemed to be able to put down on the page properly. I think it was easy to be disheartened, but it's all part of the learning process.

3. Did publishing your first book change your writing process?
Only in one way: I'm very cagey with my work, and I tend to not show it to people until I think it's as good as I can possibly make it. I've learnt that getting advice from people earlier in the process can save a lot of headaches.

4. What were you most wrong about when you imagined being a writer?
What my day-to-day life would look like. I thought I'd be writing all day, every day. Sometimes that works for me, but having downtime is also important. You have to refill your creativity well. I do that by walking, reading widely, and talking to people - which I never would have considered a part of the process before.

5. Which 3 books do you think everyone should read?
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees, Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett, and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff.

6. Do you have a favourite book to gift and if so, what is it?
The Turn of The Screw by Henry James. I think everyone likes a good ghost story, especially when the days are getting shorter and colder.

7. What song always gets you on the dance floor?
Anything by Taylor Swift.

8. Tea or Coffee?
Iced coffee!

9. Do you Google yourself?
I really try not to, but I did before my book came out. I have a fairly unique name, so I wanted to know what came up.

10. Why do you love Chapters?!
I love browsing the shelves and stumbling across something unique I wouldn't have picked up otherwise!

We ask our writers for an image that represents them or means something to them and we love Catherines choice!
@prasifcat can be found on twitter, Instagram, and tiktok!