After 17 years at the BBC Annie MacManus walks away to start a new chapter. For two decades she has devoted her life to music and shining a light on the creativity of others. Her on air and on stage shows have become the stuff of legend, helped a generation form their musical tastes and thousands of artists find their audience.  With the release of her stunning debut novel Mother Mother, Annie takes a leap of faith into the unknown to become the creator in the full glare of the spotlight. She spoke to Jarlath this week about what prompted her to start down this dramatically different path. We hear about how a ridiculously busy schedule has taken its toll on her and how spinning multiple plates made the writing process almost impossible. Later we hear about her journey into music from Queens University in Belfast and how the passion for chat and music has always been her fuel. Jarlath explores how she honed her skill as an interviewer, the Alex Turner interview that proved the power of silence and the background to her incredible Irish Times piece on immigrant ache. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 400 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation. For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected]. Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.