My fourth in The Irish Village mystery series, Murder in an Irish Pub, will come out February 26,
How did you develop your character and choose your location?
The location is based on a walled town in Ireland I fell in love with-- Kilmallock, County Limerick. Siobhan O'Sullivan, my main character, is a mix of people I know, people I've met, parts of me, and then as usual somewhere in the process becomes her own and starts telling me who she is.
What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you write in the morning or evening?
For me it has varied during my twelve years of writing. I've never had a certain time of day because I've always worked other jobs. I used to be a sign language interpreter and I worked freelance so I would write in-between work assignments. I used to love writing in coffee shops. Now I teach writing in the evenings from my live/work loft so I write from home during the day, but my hours still vary depending on whether it's a first draft, rewriting, or final edits.
Do you belong to a writers group or are you in touch with other writers? How does that help your writing?
I've always had a fantasy of belonging to a great writers group as my sister once did, but that never came to fruition. Now I do have author friends but we are not in any official group. I am surrounded often by aspiring writers due to teaching which I love.
Do you model your character after yourself or any one you know?
As an acting teacher once told me, you are part of every character you play. So that's always a given. And often bits and pieces from people I know. But as you write the character then takes all of that in and becomes his/her own person. It's magical!
If your books were made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead character?
Who is your favorite author?
I've always rebelled against picking just one. Impossible! From literary to classic to mysteries...Margaret Atwood, Amy Tan, Alex Marwood, John Irving, Stephen King, Herman Hesse, Agatha Christie, Michael Chabon, Dan Chaon, F. Scott Fitzgerald, all the way to Mary Higgins Clark, who can beat Where are the Children? to John Grisham and Sandra Brown to Colum McCann, and Paul Murray and Sohpie Kinsella, Donna Tartt, I'm a multi-genre reader -- Lois Duncan and Suzanne Collins for YA plus many more-- and I'm always trying new authors. I can't do it. I can't pick one. Thank goodness I don't have to.
How do you keep track of character details from book to book so they are consistent?
I keep notes and look back to the most recent book which looked back to the most recent book, to make sure I'm tracking. It's a challenge.
If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
Wildlife photographer.
For a review of Murder in an Irish Churchyard, click here
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