Veronica’s Bookstore
Croatian/Irish author and spiritual director Dr Iva Beranek, who worked as Parish Manager in St Francis Xavier’s Church, Gardiner Street, speaks with Pat Coyle about her two children’s books. The first ‘Veronica’s Bookstore’ which was published in 2021 and the sequel ‘The Year of Celebrations’ which has recently been published (2025). Both are published by Independent Publishing Network with illustrations by Tatiana Andreieva.
The stories revolve around a young boy Matthew Alden and his family, in particular his grandmother who has passed away but still present through dreams and deeds she left as her legacy. Both books capture the importance of prayer, family, faith and love.
In this interview with Pat Coyle she explains why she wrote the books. She talks about the sense of hope she that she wants to inspire in both children and adults. And she underlines the importance of honoring and nurturing the imagination of children.
Growing up in Croatia, Iva’s family inspired her love of storytelling. As a teenager she had a great desire to move to Ireland but had to wait a number of years for this dream to be fulfilled. Now she has Irish citizenship and lives in Dublin where she completed her doctoral degree in Christian spirituality and healing from trauma.
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