Interview with Aoife Clifford

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?

Second Sight is my latest book. It is my second novel. I wrote short stories before turning

Aoife Clifford

my hand to novel writing.

What was the most recent book you read?

I was lucky enough to get an advance reading copy of Maggie O’Farrell’s new book Hamnet. Maggie is a brilliant writer and I love all her work. My absolute favourite is The Vanishing of Esme Lennox and her non-fiction I Am, I Am, I Am. The new book was wonderful.

For a review of Second Sight, click here. 

How did you develop your character and choose your location?

I like writing about my homeland, Australia and I was interested in exploring the aftermath of bushfires (for obvious reasons if you have seen how calamitous our recent summer has been) so I knew I wanted to set it in a small town surrounded by bushland. As my first book had featured an inland setting this time I wanted to be by the coast (which is where most of Australia’s population lives).

My character is a policeman’s daughter. At the start of this novel, I was standing at my school gate chatting to other mums when a friend of mine began talking about burglaries in the neighborhood. She began to display "Nancy Drew" type characteristics and on asking further I discovered she was a policeman’s daughter and I instantly thought that would be a great protagonist for a crime novel.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book.

Not much research before writing as I don’t know what I need for the project. I will research when I know the questions. Some of the most interesting research I did for Second Sight was talking to a forensic anthropologist. She had such a fascinating job I included a forensic anthropologist in the book in her honour.

What books did you read as a child?

Lots. All the mysteries I could find – Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Three Investigators, The Famous Five, Agatha Christie. My favourite book for a long time was the Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas.

What drew you to writing? 

There are lots of different reasons but the catalyst for writing my first piece of work was being at home with small babies and realizing I was forgetting how to spell. I knew I had to take dramatic action.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 

I was given a piece of advice recently which was most people overestimate what they can get done in twelve months but underestimate what they can do in a lifetime so perhaps I tell myself that.

Who is your favorite author?

I have many favourite authors but to give just one, I am beyond thrilled that Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and The Light will finally be published this year. I loved both Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. She is a genius.

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?

Gita Sereny to talk about human nature, Hilary Mantel to talk about power, Maggie O’Farrell for some writing tips, Margaret Atwood for all of the above and Nigella Lawson because she seems an interesting reader, writes well and perhaps might cook the dinner.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?

I have a law degree but know I don’t want to become a lawyer. I would love to be an illustrator if I had the talent of someone like Janet Ahlberg who helped create some of the most perfect children’s boo