This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
A former schoolteacher, Irish author Roisin Meaney took the bull by the horns in 2001 and flew to San Francisco to write her debut, The Daisy Picker. To her delight, that book won a ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition with a publishing house, and she has written many more novels since. Her latest, Two Fridays in April, is out now.
Tell us about your latest book.
It’s called Two Fridays in April – and as the title suggests, the story is set over two days.
The first Friday is the first anniversary of the sudden death of Finn Darling, husband to Daphne, father to Una, and son of Mo, and it’s also Una’s 17th birthday. A year on, the three women are still struggling to come to terms with his death, each in her own way. The narrative accompanies the women in turn on their journeys through the day, and it also features Isobel, Daphne’s mother, who has had a troubled relationship with her daughter for years. The final section of the book details events which take place on another Friday, when things have changed a lot…despite its bereavement theme, it’s a book full of hope, and reconciliation, and moving on.
Where do you find inspiration for your books?
Everywhere and anywhere. I’m constantly on the lookout. I eavesdrop unashamedly – a beach sunbed provides great opportunities – and I people watch all the time. I also get inspiration from newspaper stories, TV and radio news items, my own experiences, related experiences. Endless opportunities, if I keep my ears and eyes open.
Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?
It starts after breakfast and goes on until I get tired of it, which could be anything from a couple of hours to several.
The length of my working day is also somewhat contingent on the distance I am from the next deadline – as the deadline approaches, my concentration span magically improves. Also, if a deadline is approaching, I tend to write every day, rather than five or six days a week, which would be the norm during less pressured periods.When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?
Not consciously – but I do tend to read my favourite authors while I’m writing – notably Anne Tyler and William Trevor – in the hope that some of their magic will filter into my writing.
What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?
Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. It’s a family saga peopled with a wonderfully real, flawed, eccentric family whose story sweeps you up and keeps you engrossed to the end. It was the first Anne Tyler book I read – Zimbabwe, 1983 – and I fell immediately in love with her writing. I’m currently reading her latest book, A Spool of Blue Thread, and it’s every bit as magical.
What female writer has inspired you?
See above! Also, I love Joanna Trollope’s characterisations and Anita Shreve’s stories, and Kate Atkinson’s everything.
Can you give us three book recommendations?
The Love Story of Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce: wonderful, heartbreaking.
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson: breathtaking in its scope, beautifully original plot.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: not for the faint-hearted, but one of the most memorable books I’ve read.
What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?
Plan first, but not too detailed. Plot tends to change a lot as I write. Two drafts before I submit to my editor, and then one or two more, depending on the reaction.
What was your journey to being a published author?
Took a career break from my teaching job in 1991, went to London and blagged a job as an advertising copywriter for three years.
Took another career break in 2001, went to America and wrote my first book, The Daisy Picker. It won a two book publishing deal with Tivoli Books.
Wrote ten more books, all of which were published, mostly by Hachette Books Ireland.
What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?
That if you have a book in the top ten you’re rich!
What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?
Read the kind of books you want to write, and find time to write every day, or nearly every day. Stick with it, don’t give up.
What are you working on at the moment?
The third book in the series set on the fictitious island of Roone, off the Kerry coast. The first, One Summer, came out in 2012, the second, After the Wedding, in 2014. This one is due out this autumn, and it is set around Christmastime. I never intended to write more than one book set on Roone, but the characters and location refused to go away when I had finished One Summer. The current one is the first of the books that’s not set over the summer months, and it’s interesting to revisit the place when the tourists have packed up and gone home, and the islanders are left to their own devices…
Thanks, Roisin!