Louise and Miriam discuss what her life might have been like if she hadn’t lived in Beirut for two years in her late twenties - two years she credits with getting her out of a rut but also which she feels, given the amount of time she spent in the sun while there, sowed the seeds for the melanoma for which she is currently in treatment. Along the way they discuss how adversity can lead to creativity, the importance of a really good girlfriend and why professional cooking is great training for being a writer.Louise Kennedy is a short story writer and novelist whose work has appeared everywhere from the Stinging Fly and the Guardian to the Irish Times and Radio 4. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in both 2019 and 2020 and her debut novel, Trespasses, is a stunning and devastating love story set against the backdrop of The Troubles. Before getting her start as a writer Louise spent nearly thirty years working as a chef, and she now lives in Sligo with her husband and two children.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Neil Mason#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.