So not only did I receive a gorgeous review copy of the fabulous new novel, as well as a copy to give away to you lucky lot, I was also privileged enough to be granted a fab interview with the author herself!
I keep my interview questions the same so that readers can compare answers different authors gave to those questions. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen I give you-Sinead Moriarty!
1. First question-bit of a cliche-how did you get into writing?
I have always wanted to write. My mother is a writer, she wrote children’s books and I secretly harboured the desire to be a writer too. I always found writing essays came easier to me than any other subjects at school.
2. Do you write full time & if so, have you always done this?
I wrote my first book while working full time as a journalist on a Marketing Magazine in London. But after the success of that book, The Baby Trail, I gave up my job and I now write full time which is just wonderful.
3. Do you have a particular writing style or genre that you prefer?
Natural. I always say to aspiring writers, trust your own voice. It is unique. Don’t try to imitate anyone, the reader will see right through it.
4. How do you develop your characters as you write, are any of them based on real people?
My characters are a mixture of everyone I have ever met in my life, or read about, or seen in films or plays. I don’t believe that any writer truly knows their characters until the book is finished. We get to know our characters as we write them. It’s an amazing process.
5. What was the inspiration behind This Child of Mine?
I really just want the novel to make people pause and think. It’s about the moral dilemma of ‘would you take a child if you thought their mother was endangering their life?’
6. What is your writing process-do you map it out first? Write a bit at a time?
I’m a real plotter and planner. I do a full chapter breakdown before starting any book. It’s a technique I learnt at a creative writing course and one I’m still using on book 10!
7. How much of you is reflected in your novels?
My first book was inspired by my real life struggle to get pregnant. The Baby Trail is a bitter-sweet comedy based around a couple trying to have their first baby. But since then I have written about a range of issues that I don’t have personal experience of but that I feel passionately about.
8. What kind of research do you do before/during writing your novels?
I do a lot of research before writing my novels. I think every writer has a responsibility to research their subject matter thoroughly. I’ve written about anorexia, breast cancer, mixed race relationships, adoption, infertility and many other topics, so research is a huge part of every book.
9. Do you have any plans to develop any of your novels further, write sequels, turn them into a series?
My first three books are a trilogy. And I’m currently working on a sequel to Me and My Sisters. It’s a ‘what happens next’ to the three very different sisters.
10. How much attention do you pay to the reviews that you get?
You have to be careful. The good ones make you feel wonderful and the bad ones can crush you. I always just throw the bad ones out and focus on the positive.
11. Are friends and family supportive of your writing?
They are all incredibly supportive. I am blessed with my family and their cheer-leading. Although my young children think writing is ‘a really boring job’!!
12. How do you feel leading up to your publication day?
Very nervous. Even after nine books, I still feel nauseous when a new book comes out. I can’t imagine everbecoming complacent.
13. Which other authors inspire you or are there any you particularly enjoy reading?
I admire every single person who has ever finished a book whether it has been published or not. It is an incredible achievement and a lot harder than it looks.
14. Finally...what are you working on right now?
My current book is the sequel to Me and My Sisters. It’s about three sisters who are all going through very modern day problems. It’s a funny and moving story about modern life and all of its trials and tribulations.
Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK and she is a four times nominee for the popular fiction Irish Book Award. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are funny, humane, moving and relevant to modern women. This Child of Mine is Sinéad at her very best.
Sinéad Moriarty lives with her family in Dublin. Her previous titles are: The Baby Trail; A Perfect Match; From Here to Maternity; In My Sister's Shoes; Whose Life is it Anyway?; Pieces of My Heart and Me and My Sisters.
Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed!
