Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: Each book in the current series has taken several years to write. A Band of Roses took the longest, as I was discovering who the characters were while sifting through tons of research.
Q: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
A: Despite the fact that I’m not working a “real” job right now, my schedule is full. I try to write every day, usually early in the morning when it’s quiet and my only interruptions are a cat or two in need of a hug. Monday evenings I host a writers’ group, which gives me an incentive to spruce up a few pages. For most of the year, I attend a writing class Tuesday nights to polish those pages. Besides promoting, research, and planning what to write next, I have the usual household chores and family and social commitments. When my children were younger, I doubt I could have managed all this. I have great respect for writers with growing families who find time to write—and write well.
Q: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
A: My desk calendar has a different picture of Ireland for each day. I have to turn the page to the right date before I can start writing. I take the silly thing with me when I travel.
Q: How do books get published?
A: Good question. It’s a mystery to me.
Q: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
A: Current events are the main inspiration for my stories. I know my characters well and enjoy placing them in real life situations, which are often more incredible than any writer could ever invent. A Band of Roses opens with English commandos claiming a tiny uninhabited island hundreds of miles off the Irish coast. Sounds ridiculous, but it happened. And how would Talty and the gang react to a pushy oil company trying to take over northwest Ireland? That’s going on right now, and the related events inspired my second book. What would Talty do if she met President Obama? As Ireland’s Deputy Head of State, she’d have a great time in D.C. hobnobbing with the VIPs. A good news story can trigger daydreams that have made me miss my exit on the highway more than once.
Q: When did you write your first book and how old were you?
A: My first novel-length book is A Band of Roses. I was old enough to have put two children through college by the time I finished writing it.
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
A: Cooking is one of my favorite pastimes. I enjoy exploring different ethnic cuisines and have recently mastered some delicious Turkish and Irish dishes. I also love to travel, especially to Ireland.
(Part 1) | Part 2
