Introduction
Orna Ross (born Aine McCarthy, 1960) is an Irish author, former literary agent, blogger and an advocate for creativism. She is the founder of the Alliance for Independent Authors, a professional association for authors who self-publish their work, and has been named one of the top 100 most influential people in publishing by The Bookseller, the UK publishing trade magazine.
Early life
Ross was born in Waterford, Ireland and was raised in Murrintown, County Wexford. She attended Murrintown National School and the Loreto Convent Wexford. She completed two degrees at the University College Dublin, including a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Master’s Degree in Women’s Studies. She also worked for some years as a lecturer in culture and creativity studies at UCD, teaching a groundbreaking Creative & Imaginative Practice course that forms the basis of her Go Creative! book series.
Career
Writing career
Ross published her first two books, A Lover’s Hollow and A Dance in Time, with Penguin Books. In 2012 she self-published the first two books in a forthcoming trilogy, The Irish Trilogy I: After the Rising and The Irish Trilogy II: Before the Fall, She has since gone on to self-publish her next two works of fiction, Blue Mercy and The Secret Rose, a tribute to W.B. Yeats.
In 2015, Ross contributed a volume to Outside the Box: Women Writing Women. She collaborated on the box set of novels with six other female writers. Ross’ works of fiction are often set in her home country of Ireland, family drama sagas that have been lauded by the Sunday Independent, Irish Times, RTE Guide and many other review outlets .
Alliance for Independent Authors
Ross believes strongly in the benefits of self-publishing for authors both established and just starting out in their careers. In 2012, she launched the Alliance for Independent Authors (ALLi), a not for profit organization that aims to protect the rights of writers and promote self-published books.
In her capacity as the head of ALLi she has advised the BBC on publishing costs for an independent author. In 2014, she was referred to by The Guardian as an “indie star” of the writing world, and featured on the Guardian Books Podcast.
Works and appearances
Fiction
- Lovers’ Hollow, Penguin, 2005
- A Dance in Time, Penguin, 2008
- After the Rising,Orna Ross, 2012
- Before the Fall, Orna Ross, 2012
- Blue Mercy, Orna Ross, 2013
- Outside the Box: Women Writing Women, Orna Ross and Joni Rodgers, 2015
Poetry
- Ten Thoughts About Love, Orna Ross, 2011
- Ten More Thoughts About Love, Orna Ross, 2013
- Ten More Thoughts About Love 2, Orna Ross, 2013
- Poetry for Christmas: Twelve Inspirational Poems for the Holiday Season, Orna Ross, 2013
Non-fiction
- F-R-E-E Writing Notebook: A Go! Creative Tool. OrnaRoss, 2013
- Opening Up To Indie Authors: A Guide for Bookstores, Libraries, Reviewers, Literary Event Organisers ... and Self-Publishing Writers, Alliance for Independent Authors, 2013 (with Dan Holloway and Debbie Young)
- Choosing A Self Publishing Service 2014: The Alliance of Independent Authors Guide. Alliance for Independent Authors, 2014 (with Mick Rooney and GiacomoGiammatteo)
- A Compendium For Creativists: How To Apply Creative Principles to Life: An Anthology, Orna Ross, 2015
Podcast appearances
- Guardian Books Podcast (9 May 2014): Indie stars Hugh Howey, Orna Ross and Catherine Quinn explore how self-publishing is changing the literary landscape (Podcast)
- Thomas Shepherd (2014): (Orna Ross talks about self-publishing on BBC R4 PM. BBC Radio 4 (Podcast)
- Creative Penn by Joanna Penn (2014): Creating Money, Creating Meaning. Getting Into Financial Flow With Orna Ross
- Lover's Hollow by Orna Ross. Penguin Ireland. January 1, 2005. ISBN 978-1-8448-8052-2. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- A Dance in Time by Orna Ross. Penguin Books. January 1, 2008. ISBN 978-1-8448-8054-6. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- After The Rising: A Novel (An Irish Trilogy Book 1) by Orna Ross. Font Publications. September 30, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9548-7564-0. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Before the Fall: A Novel (An Irish Trilogy Book 2) by Orna Ross. Font Publications. December 21, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9548-7566-4. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Outside the Box: Women Writing Women [NOOK Book] by Jessica Bell, Orna Ross, Joni Rodgers, Roz Morris, Kathleen Jones. Women Writing Women. February 20, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Ten Thoughts About Love by Orna Ross. Font Publications. November 15, 2011. ISBN 978-0-9548-7568-8. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Ten Thoughts About Love (Poetry Pamphlet Series No. I) [NOOK Book] by Orna Ross. Font Publications. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Ten More Thoughts About Love (Poetry Pamphlet Series No. II) [NOOK Book] by Orna Ross. Font Publications. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Poetry For Christmas: Twelve Inspirational Poems for the Holiday Season [NOOK Book] by Orna Ross. Font Publications. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- The Artist Unleashed: POETRY FOR CHRISTMAS, by Orna Ross. Font Publications. November 27, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- F-R-E-E-Writing Notebook: A Go Creative! Tool (Volume 4) Paperback by Orna Ross. Font Publications. October 13, 2013. ISBN 978-1-9098-8800-5. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Choosing A Self Publishing Service 2014: The Alliance of Independent Authors Guide [Kindle Edition] by Mick Rooney (Author), Giacomo Giammatteo (Author), Orna Ross (Editor). Font Publications. ASIN B00CC0NYCM. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Thomas Shepherd. "Orna Ross talks about self-publishing on BBC R4 PM". SoundCloud. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- Joanna Penn (September 15, 2014). "Creating Money, Creating Meaning. Getting Into Financial Flow With Orna Ross". Creative Penn. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
Personal life
She has been married for over thirty years, and has two children named Ornagh and Ross (whose names she combines to use as her pen name). She currently lives and writes in London.