Niamh (/niːv/ NEEV) Ida Murphy is a British novelist known for writing escapist adventure fiction with lesbian main characters.
Niamh’s books are exciting page-turners that will take you on a wild ride. She loves writing stories with strong female protagonists who fight for what they believe in and never give up.
Her backlist of published books can be found on Goodreads
, as well as Amazon, or if you prefer to purchase from independent outlets her paperbacks are also available from Indiebound.
Biography
Niamh was born in Colchester, England in the 1980s and was the third of four children. Between the ages of four and nine, Niamh’s family lived in rural Wales. The thick forests, rugged countryside, hidden ruins, hilltop castles, and secluded beaches all fuelled Niamh’s imagination.
Education
Niamh struggled with her early schooling and preferred to hide away in books than sit through stifling classroom lessons. In an attempt to keep her at school for more than a couple of hours a week, Niamh was sent to Hockerill, a boarding school in Hertfordshire. This didn’t resolve all her schooling issues, and she was eventually homeschooled.
By the time she was sixteen, Niamh was able to attend school full-time and was accepted to Colchester Sixth Form. However, it was clear there were still some issues with attendance and at Nineteen she was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) also known as M.E. (Myalgic encephalomyelitis).
After completing her A-levels she studied Medieval Archaeology at UCL, combining her love of history and the mediaeval era, and she graduated with a 2:1 and went on to work for her local Archaeology Trust in Colchester.
In 2013 Niamh returned to higher education, taking on an MA in Creative Writing at Essex University, where she achieved her second 2:1.
Career
Niamh’s writing career began in 2011 when she started publishing short stories on the fanfiction site Academy of Bards. Her work was well-received by readers and so she decided to answer a submission call from Freya Publications.
Wanting to give herself the best shot at success, Niamh submitted two short stories to the call, Break Away, and Retreat, both contemporary romances. To her surprise, both stories were accepted, and Niamh officially became a published author when Sunkissed was released in 2012.
That same year, Freya Publications approached Niamh about publishing the full-length version of a short story she had been releasing on the Academy of Bards. Niamh accepted the offer and in December 2012 her debut novel, Mask of the Highwaywoman was published.
Always one to go her own way, Niamh experimented with self-publishing and in 2013 she published a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale, Gretel: A Fairytale Retold, which has been highly rated and loved by fans ever since.
After this experience, Niamh decided to make a career out of her writing and took a break from publishing to work on completing her master’s degree, which she completed in 2016. During this time, Freya Publications went into administration and handed back the rights to Mask of the Highwaywoman. After her experience self-publishing, Niamh decided against taking the book to another publisher and instead decided to publish the book herself on KDP.
In early 2017, Niamh followed up the success of Gretel: A Fairytale Retold, and Mask of the Highwaywoman, with a collection of her short stories titled Magic and Romance, followed shortly by her second novel, Escape to Pirate Island, which she showcased at L-Fest in the same year.
Niamh’s books have been well received and reviewed by The Lesbian Book Review, and The Lesbrary as well by various independent bloggers. As well as writing guest posts for websites such as Bibliosapphic, a blog dedicated to sapphic literature, she has also appeared on Women and Words, and her books have been part of the popular Lesbian Book Bingo run by Jae.
In 2018, Niamh began publishing her fantasy series, Dark Age and the first book in the series, Dragon Whisper, was quickly picked up by Tantor Media to be made into an audiobook which was released in 2019, with more to follow.
Since 2013, Niamh published her own work under her NIM Publishing label and in 2021 she launched a new website NIMPublishing.com where she provides insight and advice on the publishing world to help new young authors follow in her footsteps.
Publications
This is a complete list of Niamh Murphy’s published works:
| Title | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Sunkissed (Contributor) | 2012 | Anthology |
| Mask of the Highwaywoman | 2012/15 | Novel |
| Gretel: A Fairytale Retold | 2013 | Novella |
| Magic and Romance | 2017 | Short Story Collection |
| Escape To Pirate Island | 2017 | Novel |
| Dragon Essence | 2018 | Novella |
| Dragon Whisper | 2018 | Novel |
| Outlaw | 2019 | Novel |
| Scarlet | 2021 | Novel |
For a list of works in progress and free stories, head over to the free books section of the website.