# JUDE O'REILLY > Author of the Michael North thrillers ## Posts - [Fresh Starts](https://judithoreilly.com/fresh-starts/): I’ve been thinking about Time. Perhaps because my kids are young adults now and making their way into the world without me. (It turns out parenting young adults requires a certain shift in parental attitudes, but that’s for another day.) Or perhaps I’m thinking about Time because my nonagenarian mother is occasionally delusional and when she is, I’m often three years old and called Elizabeth. Or perhaps my obsession with Time is down to the fact many of my contemporaries are retiring and have now perfected their recipe for lemon drizzle cake or are busy volunteering or looking after grandbabies. […] - [Letter to the World about Everything Unsaid](https://judithoreilly.com/letter-to-the-world-about-everything-unsaid/): March 2020. Dear World, It’s difficult isn’t it when you think you might die, that we all might die, what to put on the page. It suddenly seems way more important than it might otherwise. Are these my last words? Are these what I leave behind? I’ve left others obviously (four books worth and countless articles) but are they enough? If this is the ‘end of days’ then you don’t want to leave anything unsaid. Like ‘sorry’ for not forgiving someone who I thought should have come to my dad’s funeral and  didn’t. But you know. Bygones. Seems less important […] - [Talking Out Loud.](https://judithoreilly.com/talking-out-loud/): Interview with Judith O’Reilly October 2017. What is the greatest joy of writing for you? When it flows. When you sit at your desk and the words come and you read it back and think ‘That’s not too bad’. What are you working on next? Book 2 in the Michael North Thriller series. It’s called Curse the Day and I plan to bring it out in 2018. (I’ve a longterm ambition to write something funny but I’m damned if I can think of a plot or enough knock knock jokes.) Who are your favorite authors? So many. Ian Fleming. Lee […] - [Bridge over Troubled Water](https://judithoreilly.com/bridge-over-troubled-water/): Who knows what goes on in the mind of a terrorist? Who would want to? Lately, it seems their twisted logic dictates that even an eight-year-oldchild is their enemy, even a teenage girl wearing bunny ears in a worthyopponent. They loathe children then and blonde social workers who want to make the world a better place. Crazed with hate and bloodlust, they seek to destroy our young and beautiful, who dare to celebrate life in good company, with a drink in their hand and love in their hearts.  Twice, in London, they have chosen a bridge to start their killing […] - [Note to Self: Next Time Write Gone Girl](https://judithoreilly.com/note-to-self-next-time-write-gone-girl/): This is something out of the normal for me. The other two books I’ve written and had published by Viking, Penguin were non-fiction, but I got it into my head to write a political thriller so a political thriller I have written. To Hell with small details like the fact I should have written a psychological thriller  which the market is apparently crying out for. Hah – what does the market know. A political animal is what I was and a political animal is what I remain. I’d have loved to have written a book like Gone Girl by Gillian […] - [How to Write a Bestselling Children's Book - probably](https://judithoreilly.com/how-to-write-a-bestselling-childrens-book-probably/): When my two boys read a book these days, I quite often read the first one if it is part of a series. It got me thinking about how to write a children’s book, so I broke apart a few. As anyone with any sense who has tried to write anything longer than a shopping list knows – there is no formula for writing a great book. No way to replicate on the page sheer bleeding genius, inspiration, creativity and craft. Having said that …. I offer this back-of-an-envelope deconstruction as an aide to anyone out there thinking of writing […] - [How Do You Write a Memoir?](https://judithoreilly.com/how-do-you-write-a-memoir/): How to give good memoir (otherwise known as Top tips for memoir writing.) *get a life. You cannot write a memoir unless you live an interesting life. Live it. Live it the best way you can. Try to fit the writing around it. If you spend all your time writing about your life, life will be dull and your writing will be duller.*find yourself fascinating. This one is hard because – best will in the world – the kind of people who find themselves fascinating tend to be the kind of people you don’t want to be around. Nonetheless you […] - [Second Time Around](https://judithoreilly.com/second-time-around/): April 2017. I’ve blogged before. That is to say I ain’t no blogging virgin. My first blog Wife in the North did that viral thing of zero to 60 in a matter of days. That I have to say was a weird time. Your palms get a little bit sweaty when you realise you are filing reports from your life and they are being read all over the world just seconds after you heedlessly press Send. I’m older now and frankly the internet has changed since those heady days when blogs were the next big thing. There’s so much more […] ## Pages - [Heartbreaker](https://judithoreilly.com/heartbreaker/): Some wounds never heal Heartbreaker: out in May The new crime novel from Jude will be out in May A mother on the run It’s been three years since Daphne Monroe’s family were brutally murdered in a home invasion. Her once perfect life is in in ruins: no husband, no children – and no respite from the police who suspect her of committing the crime herself. Only one thing keeps her alive… the transplanted heart beating in her chest. But when an intruder breaks into her home, Daphne realises the killer is back to finish what he started. A killer on the […] - [Newsletter](https://judithoreilly.com/newsletter/): [newsletter] - [Blog](https://judithoreilly.com/blog/) - [A Year of Doing Good](https://judithoreilly.com/books/a-year-of-doing-good-2/): One Woman, One New Year’s Resolution, 365 Good Deeds ‘A funny, uplifting and admirable book’ Observer ‘Banish January blues with A Year of Doing Good by Judith O’Reilly who resolved to do one good turn day. . . utterly uplifting’ Woman & Home ‘Fizzing with energy Judith’s writing is open-hearted and funny. . . though not a guide to doing good, Judith’s story may inspire you to do a little more for others this year’ Express ‘Glorious sincerity. . .the admiring accounts of others’ lives, the detailing of the deeds gladly done or furiously resented, the unending chaos of family life […] - [Wife in the North](https://judithoreilly.com/books/wife-in-the-north/): How far would you go to be the perfect mother? ‘Genuinely funny and genuinely moving’ Jane Fallon, author of Getting Rid of Matthew ‘Cold Comfort Farm with booster seats. Funny, honest and moving’ Stephanie Calman, author of Confessions of a Bad Mother ‘I howled with laughter, tears of recognition at every page’ Jenny Colgan ‘Funny, poignant and beautifully written’ Lisa Jewell Buy Wife in the North on Maybe hormones ate her brain. How else did Judith’s husband persuade her to give up her career and move from her beloved London to Northumberland with two toddlers in tow? Pregnant with number 3 Judith O’Reilly is […] - [In Our Crime](https://judithoreilly.com/books/in-our-crime/): A collection of award-winning crime and mystery short stories 9 engaging short stories from cosy crime to mystery to outright horror. MURDER MOST FOUL A PACT WITH THE DEVIL and THE DISCOVERY OF A YOUNG GIRL’S BONES A magic trick that ends in murder and mayhem. A drowned scoundrel found floating in the sulphur waters of a Harrogate spa. A serial killer’s widow who just wants to be left alone and a grumpy vigilante with no one to love. A True Crime discovery of a young girl’s bones and the return of a native to a sinister Scottish island. In […] - [Sleep When You're Dead](https://judithoreilly.com/books/sleep-when-youre-dead/): Not a second to waste In thirty-six hours, thousands of innocent people will die. There’s not a second to waste. And no time for sleep… Michael North has a bullet lodged in his brain which could kill him any second. That makes him the perfect MI5 asset: he’s ruthless, loyal, brave. And, best of all, disposable. Teenage computer expert, Fangfang Yu, disagrees. She’s determined to keep her friend out of danger – however many cyber laws she has to break to keep him alive. Now North has been sent undercover into a doomsday cult on a remote Scottish island. He […] - [Contact](https://judithoreilly.com/contact/): Contact details for Jude Readers are welcome to contact Jude directly via judith@judithoreilly.com. Jude said: “Quick word. Just to say hi and thanks for checking out the website and getting this far. If you do contact me, I’ll do my best to get back to you. You can also find me on Facebook and on Instagram.” rep’d by Jon Wood of RCW Media downloads - [Michael North](https://judithoreilly.com/hero/): Full name: Michael Xavier North Age:27 Height: 6ft 4” Eyes: dark blue Hair: dark brown with white flash (front right) Birthmarks/scars: two inch scar on right side of skull covered by white flash of hair. Family: Mother, Jane (48) deceased. Known drug addict. Multiple convictions for possession/dealing/prostitution/assault.Father (unknown) Friends/allies: Fangfang Yu (14, geek/genius) Granny Po, Fangfang’s granny Stella, bar-owner/broad ‘Red’, waitress/art student Lord Lucien Tarn (a former Justice of the UK’s Supreme Court and his mentor) Padraig ‘Plug’ Donne, a mate from his teenage years ‘Bald Paulie’ Holliday, a neuroscientist and expert in machine learning/artificial intelligence Lilith, an assassin Mia Barton, an old friend from […] - [About the Author](https://judithoreilly.com/judith/): Jude O’Reilly is the author of the crime thriller, Heartbreaker, due out in May. Her three action thrillers have just been republished by Pellerin Books. They include Sleep When You’re Dead which was an FT Best Book of the Year. Lee Child has described her writing as ‘terrific’ and David Baldacci as ‘a sheer delight’. Under the name, Judith O’Reilly, she has also written two memoirs, Wife in the North and A Year of Doing Good. Wife in the North reached number three in the UK bestsellers’ chart and was a top ten bestseller in Germany. It was serialised by the Sunday Times and the Daily […] - [Curse the Day](https://judithoreilly.com/books/curse-the-day/): Buried secrets always surface At a global tech gala hosted at the British Museum, scientist Toby Hawkes is due to unveil an astonishing breakthrough. His AI system appears to have reached consciousness, making Hawke the leading light in his field. But when terrorists storm the building, they don’t just leave chaos and corpses in their wake. They seize Hawke’s masterwork, sparking a chain reaction of explosive events which could end the world as we know it. Michael North, ex-assassin and spy-for-hire, must find the killers and recover the AI. But he can’t do it alone. Hawke’s wife, Esme, and teenage hacker, Fangfang, […] - [Killing State](https://judithoreilly.com/books/killing-state/): If he won’t kill her, will they kill him? Michael North, assassin and spy-for-hire, is very good at killing bad guys. But now his shadowy bosses at the dark heart of the British government have ordered him to kill an innocent woman – and North can’t bring himself to do it. The woman is Honor Jones MP, a rising star in Westminster politics. She has started asking dangerous questions about the powerful men running her country. The trouble is, Honor doesn’t know when to stop. And, now that he’s met her, neither does North. Book 1 of the Michael North Series Buy Killing […] - [Books](https://judithoreilly.com/books/): New crime Michael North Series Short Stories Non-fiction - [JUDE O'REILLY books](https://judithoreilly.com/): Heartbreaker: out in May Praise for Jude O’Reilly “Starts off like a fired bullet and never lets up. A sheer delight”DAVID BALDACCI “A rip-roaring road trip into the dark heart of a corrupt, cynical British establishment.“FINANCIAL TIMES “Relentlessly plotted with a blistering pace, Curse the Day is a sharply-drawn, gleefully witty conspiracy thriller. Tackling tomorrow’s nightmare today, this is a superb novel.“M W CRAVEN “Judith O’Reilly is a masterful storyteller. In Curse the Day she’s woven a slick, fast-paced thriller brimming with characters that are both finely drawn and compelling. Do yourself a favour and buy this book.”L J ROSS “Grabs you from page one and […] - [Privacy Policy](https://judithoreilly.com/privacy-policy/): Who we are Our website address is: http://judithoreilly.com. Comments When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service Privacy Policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment. Media If you upload images to […] [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)