Book Launch Speech – Introducing Cullen Kennedy

Book Launch Speech – Introducing Irish author, Cullen Kennedy and his debut fantasy novel, 'Fireborn. Crown of Serraphion'. 30th October, 2025. 

Good evening, everyone and welcome to The Huntsman Inn,
It’s a genuine privilege to be here tonight to celebrate the launch of a truly extraordinary debut ‘Fireborn’ by an even more extraordinary (and, indeed, handsome young author as it reads in his bio towards the back of his book!), Cullen Kennedy.

Now, every writer’s journey is unique, but Cullen’s path to publication is one that deserves particular recognition. Most of us, when we set out to write a book, imagine long hours hunched over a laptop, fingers tapping away, coffee cups piling up, and ideas spilling faster than we can type them. But Cullen didn’t have that luxury. His words weren’t written by hand. They were written by will.

Cullen, as many of you know, lives with multiple physical disabilities and uses a wheelchair. But that chair has never been a limit since we’ve come to know him. It’s been a platform from which he has built worlds. And the tool that made that possible wasn’t a pen or a keyboard, but eye gaze technology. Yes. Every word, every sentence, every chapter of this dark and complex novel was written not through touch, but through determination. Through the steady, patient, deliberate act of writing with his eyes.

That’s more than a process. That’s perseverance in its purest form. Over two years, Cullen worked tirelessly, collaborating with the ShadowScript team to bring his imagination to life; not just to finish a book, but to build an entire universe of myth, darkness, and raw humanity.

What struck each of us who worked alongside him was not just his creativity, but his clarity. Cullen writes with an intensity that makes you feel every shadow, every heartbeat, every flicker of light that fights to survive in the worlds he creates. His characters are scarred but defiant and in that, I think we see something of the author himself.

This novel isn’t just a dark fantasy. It’s a triumph of spirit, imagination, and sheer persistence. It’s a reminder that art finds a way, even when the body resists. It’s proof that the human mind, when fuelled by passion and courage, can overcome limitations most of us can hardly imagine.

Cullen, you’ve shown us all what’s possible when talent meets tenacity. You’ve shown that no barrier can silence a creative soul determined to be heard.
On behalf of everyone at ShadowScript, and all those gathered here tonight; congratulations. 

It’s my great honour to introduce the author of ‘Fireborn’ the brilliant, resilient, utterly unstoppable and, of course, handsome, Cullen Kennedy.

-Susan McKenna, Publisher and Author © November 2025.