New book by Carrickfergus author Sam Young is raising funds for MS Research Hub at QUB
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A Carrickfergus author’s new book, inspired by his late mother’s life story, is helping to raise funds towards research into Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Sam Young penned ‘The Cruellest Month’ as a follow up to his debut novel ‘Dancehall Days’.
The 69 year-old, who is originally from Omagh, began his creative writing journey at the age of 65 following his retirement from a career in financial services. "I just bought an A4 pad and started scribbling,” Sam recalled. “Dancehall Days was published on Amazon in June 2024; it’s based on stuff my mother told me about her life growing up in Omagh, just after the war.
"As she was fading away in a nursing home, she told me more and more about herself. Luckily I decided to make notes as the more she said the more I realised that her story should be told, [but] I couldn’t write it while she was still alive. She would have been mortified and couldn’t see what there was to write about.”
In September 2019, there was a double blow for the family when Sam’s mother passed away and his wife, Mae, was diagnosed with MS – all during the same week. “She had obviously been living with it for many years and the diagnosis was a blessing,” Sam added. “At first we thought the world had ended, but it hadn’t.
"I was going to write Dancehall Days anyway but when Mae was diagnosed, the dots joined up in my head immediately and I decided to donate all the royalties to MS, specifically MS research and even more specifically to the MS Research Hub in Queen’s University – so it’s all local.”
Although he initially planned to write his mother’s story in one book, the local author ended up expanding the tale into The Cruellest Month, with a third book to conclude the trilogy. “The books are subtitled ‘The Life and Times of Ann Brown’ – Ann is the main protagonist and is effectively my Ma,” Sam said.
Sam and Mae will be presenting their first cheque in November to Professor Denise Fitzgerald, head of the Research Hub at Queen’s. “This will be for £10,000 and was raised from sales of Dancehall Days – a lot of online sales, but mostly down to Mae and I going out to garden centres, shopping centres, MS support groups and so on. We even got a stall in St George’s Market one Saturday,” he said.
"The reviews of Dancehall Days have been embarrassingly good and have encouraged me to keep going.”
Dancehall Days and The Cruellest Month are both available to buy on Amazon.
The couple will also be setting up a stall at Hillmount Garden Centre, Beltoy Road on Friday, November 7 and in Eurospar, Victoria Road on Saturday, November 15.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Over 5,300 people live with MS in Northern Ireland, according to the MS Society.
The condition affects the brain and spinal cord, impacting how people move, think and feel. Symptoms are different for everyone, but can include fatigue, pain, vision problems and mobility issues.
Most people are diagnosed in their 30s or 40s, but it can affect people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and genders.