“Callyhill” is a vivid, fictional town that feels incredibly real. Was it inspired by any particular place in Ireland, or is it a composite of various places you’ve known?
It is not based on any place; it is totally fictional. But I was raised and live in a small town and from observing the different changes in the community from when I was growing up to the community the town has become, did have me thinking about how people react to change.
Many of your stories explore themes of immigration, belonging, and identity. Why were these topics important to you to write about, especially in an Irish setting?
Ireland has a history of emigration as a colonised country for 800 years. We have faced obstacles, unwelcomes, in the countries where the Irish have settled as well as acceptance. We pride ourselves on being the country of a thousand welcomes but there has been a rise in our own country with opposition to migrants and refugees settling in Ireland. I wanted to address this in my stories and show that beneath the numbers spouted in the media, that those seeking refuge are more than a number, they are a person. A person just like us.
As a mom of four, how has motherhood shaped your perspective on the characters you create and the struggles they face?
My writing is generally family and relationship-based stories. Being a mom gives me the experience and knowledge when writing about such matters. Like everything that we face in daily life, we learn from it, it becomes a part of us and so I bring those feelings of worry I may have for my children’s futures, joy at their happiness and successes, but mostly the power of a parent’s love for them into my writing. I think how would I react if I was in a character’s shoes who has stressful decisions, if that character is a partner or child? Having raised four children keeps me focussed on the trials and changes they encounter compared to what my life as a child encountered, so my character’s at times will be imaging what they experience in a more modern Ireland.
You mentioned that marketing your books is “hard work, but it must be done.” What has been the biggest challenge for you in promoting “To Live With A Stranger”?
Promotion is hard for any artist, full stop. I think it was getting awareness that I had a new novel out, proved difficult. With social media and algorithms finding your audience can be trial and error, so this is why I am learning more about engagement.
Which character in “My Husband's Sin” was the hardest for you to write, and why?
In this novel, My Husband’s Sin there are four prominent characters, the main being Lacey Taylor. The hardest to write was not an individual character but Lacey’s three siblings. Having them react to the revelation revealed at their mother’s will reading meant I had to reflect their three different responses. Although they are four siblings, not each child will remember events in the same way.
Crochet and other crafts help you take a break from writing. How do these hobbies influence your creativity? Do you find inspiration in them?
Oh yes, I find inspiration everywhere. I have used my love for crocheting/knitting etc in my novels. I have characters with the same love for crafts as I do and so it’s incorporated into some of my writing. But when I sit down to unwind with my crochet project, it clears my mind, I take a break to sit with my Mother and sister, both crafters. The chat and time together focusses my mind on other issues and so I may come away with an idea on how to solve a character’s dilemma, or the seed for a new story.
You love hearing from readers about what they enjoy—or don’t enjoy—about your writing. What’s the most surprising feedback you’ve received?
I was out walking one time, when a lady who was out running passed me. She doubled back and told me how much she enjoyed my books. I didn’t know this lady had read my books and I felt on top of the world. Another time, a reader complained I used American words such as elevator in the novel considering it was set in modern Ireland. We use both the words, elevator or lift here. The younger generations use elevator more so, probably influenced by US shows and films but it is heard used here. Oh and I used the word apartment rather than flat! Yet again we use both words in Ireland.
Your stories capture both tenderness and heartbreak. How do you balance those emotional highs and lows in your writing process?
When drafting a story, I don’t know how my characters are going to react until an issue arises for them. I call on my own feelings, how would I respond to that issue? Life is not all roses or thorns, life happens in waves and I do my best to balance those waves by having characters that go through the ups and downs of living. To Live With A Stranger is a novel where the characters all have different backgrounds and baggage but find joy in life too.
What’s the one story in “Callyhill” that you feel best represents your overall message about community and human resilience?
I find it hard to pick one. In, Dear, Mom and Dad, Katie far from her homeland endures homesickness and intolerance in her everyday new life working in a nursing home. But she has a purpose for being here. Keeping her thoughts on that she ploughs through the hurdles of settling, thus discovering she can be happy and also find love. The Crochet Circle shows community coming together and how one person learns about the resilience a refugee needs to survive in a new land, teaching her not to be quick to judge.
If a reader picks up “No More Secrets” looking for a story that might change the way they see the world, which character’s journey would you recommend they pay close attention to?
No More Secrets involves a young girl, Harriet, leaving home to discover the truth about why her parents never got on and what part did her maternal grandmother play in their relationship? Harriet’s grandmother, Cora is a woman whose life’s ambition was to succeed in everything, destroying whoever or whatever prevented this from happening. When Harriet comes to live with her, most people who believe themselves to be tough and unbreakable find they have a heart that can show love. But not everyone wants to change and Cora is one such person. Harriet discovers some people you just have to walk away from.
You live in Ireland, a country known for its rich storytelling tradition. How does being Irish influence the way you approach writing?
I never thought being Irish influenced my writing. Where it might influence is my inspiration for plots and ideas as we are a nation who has suffered colonisation, unfair state/church rule, which isn’t all that long ago. My generation may be the last generation of writers who will draw on those topics for stories. Younger and upcoming writers will have experienced a different Ireland and so their stories will reflect that. But regardless of where you are from, I think the writer is inspired by their history and it is that that is captured.
If you could sit down with one of your characters over a cup of tea, who would it be, and what would you ask them?
Alesky. His life story is what I would like to ask more about. Alesky is a character in Callyhill Echoes of Change. A man who lived during WW2 and ends his days in an Irish nursing home, having come to Ireland with his bride to begin a new life. A man who showed resilience and spirit when many would have caved.
Many of your characters navigate the experience of being an outsider in their own town. Have you ever felt like an outsider, and did that experience shape how you wrote these stories?
The characters you refer to are in Callyhill Echoes of Change. I cannot say I have felt an outsider thankfully. I have friends who have felt this way unfortunately and it does influence their thoughts of others, be it in their daily work or local communities. Life is short, we should strive to make it the best we can not only for ourselves, but for everyone we encounter. It is said, people remember how you made them feel, not for how you look, when away from their company.
“Callyhill: Echoes of Change” weaves together many different lives. Do you plan to return to Callyhill in future books, or is this town complete in your mind?
Once finished a book or collection, I do not think I will return to them again. Yet it has happened with my debut novel, My Husband’s Sin. That turned into a trilogy because readers contacted me asking what happened next. Even though all three books of The Lacey Taylor Story can act as stand-alone novels. Regarding, Callyhill Echoes of Change, I have been asked, again by readers, would I write Rosa’s story as my next novel. Rosa is a character in Mr. Perkin’s, a story that highlights one of the horrible issues of Ireland’s sad past.
How were you introduced to AllAuthor, and would you say that this website has been helpful?
I discovered AllAuthor through writing friends while searching for author sites. I do find this website helpful and like it when emails from the site arrive. I have used the sites services for promotion and when in contact with AllAuthor team members, find them helpful and friendly. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in AllAuthor for giving me this chance to share my writing journey and hope readers will find it inspirational and encouraging.
