The birth of her first daughter Lily-Marie inspired her to jot down a few of her daddy’s stories on one of the many sleepless nights! 12 years after that,her mother encouraged her to ‘do something with the stories’ as it was approaching her 30th birthday. With no aspirations for becoming an author, Emma-Jane self-published her first story ‘Johnny Magory in the Magical Wild’ purely for family and friends, whilst working full time in Bord na Móna.
The team in her office told her they also knew the ‘story about Johnny McGory’ from their childhood… Much to EJ’s shock as her father had her and her siblings convinced that he himself had invented the rhyme!
The buzz of creating her first book had EJ hooked and she continued to self-publish more adventures whilst working full time in some of Ireland’s biggest corporates as the popularity and word about the books organically grew and spread.
She eventually left her HR career in the corporate world to pursue her passion full time in April 2019. Johnny Magory Business was established and has gone from strength to strength.
Growing up in Ireland each and every night Emma-Jane’s Mammy and Daddy told her “a story about Johnny Magory”.
These ‘made-up’ tales were usually derived from whatever sort of harm and devilment EJ had got up to that day and she couldn’t wait for bedtime for her mother to read a book and her father to tell her a story about what Johnny had done too!
Based on the old Irish rhyme “I’ll tell you a story about Johnny McGory. WIll I begin it? That’s all that’s in it!”, her father’s storytelling ensured
EJ and her siblings went to sleep excited about their next “adventure” in the morning. EJ spent her childhood outside, where she was happiest. EJ was an expert tree-climber, ditch-jumper and field-runner.
Some may have called her a tomboy; she called herself a wild ninja-warrior he-man, dinosaur-loving girl who was a “world champion” tree climber and animal whisperer!
Not a lot has changed in three decades (well maybe the humility!)
Amongst animals and trees is still where she is happiest.