Ian Cassidy

Ian Cassidy

I have two pen names Aoife Cassidy & Daisy Cains.

I have been writing since I was a schoolboy when a story I wrote based on Edward Thomas’ Adelstrop won a school prize. I am still proud of this achievement because also at the school at that time was the novelist Giles Foden.

I’ve continued to write with varying (read limited) degrees of success, I’ve published a few short stories & essays including Never Said a Word.’ which appeared in ‘Roads Ahead’ edited by Catherine O’Flynn. Published by Tindal Street Press. ISBN 9781906994006.

Writing as DAISY CAINS, I’ve been published in many LGBT publications including Hyacinth Noir Magazine, Beltane Issue and in Image Out Write. Vol 3. ‘Personal Pronouns’ ISBN 9781312461956. ‘How to but online; A Trans Guide.’ #Trans Anthology. ISBN 9781370420001 and a short story ‘Serendipity’ has recently been accepted for an Anthology called’ Happy Hours Our Life in Gay Bars’.

I want to be the Alan Hollingshurst/Sarah Waters of transgender literature and produce literary novels with transgender themes, I want to make them accepted and recognised by the literary establishment by making them unremarkable and unrecognisable so that a ‘literary novel with a transgender theme’ becomes simply a ‘literary novel.’

In 2016, Aoife was successful in winning a place on the prestigious Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, having previously taken part in one of their shorter courses.

Also Aoife was selected as one of Writing West Midlands Room 204 writers for 2018, an Arts Council sponsored scheme providing mentoring and support to fifteen promising writers.