1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE HONEYMOON AFFAIR
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
It’s a novel about facing up to your life as it currently is and not how you thought it would be. Izzy is vacationing with her cousin in the Caribbean location where she was supposed to be spending her honeymoon. Charles, a Booker prizewinner, is hoping that tropical skies will unlock his crippling writer’s block. Meantime, back in Ireland, Charles’s agent, Ariel, worries about losing him as a client as well as a husband. A short time earlier each of them thought they’d achieved their goals, but as their lives collide, nothing is what they expected.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The Caribbean is one of my favourite places in the world with its beautiful tropical vibes and scenery and would have been the ideal honeymoon spot for Izzy. I’m Irish, so I always set a large portion of my books in Ireland, which doesn’t have the blue skies but does have some stunning countryside. I like the locations to act as an extra character in the book and to provide the perfect backdrop for the action.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I’d probably argue constantly with Charles, but I’m sure I’d get on with Izzy, who works as a Customs Officer and is very practical about her job. I probably have most in common with Ariel, who I’d definitely hang out with — I love talking about other people’s books.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
There are two main female protagonists. Izzy is warm, caring and vulnerable. Ariel is smart, sassy and determined.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
How Customs Officers use technology to find hidden drugs and how to X-ray a freight truck.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go along, constantly checking back over what I’ve written. As different scenarios begin to unfold and the characters develop and do unexpected things, I need to revise or adapt what’s gone before. At the end of the book there’s a different edit of it as an entire manuscript. It’s a “three steps forward, two back” process for me.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love tapas. My favorite is prawns in garlic oil. I also love luxury chocolate.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I wrote my first books in my garage, which I eventually converted into a proper office space. It’s a long narrow room with windows at both ends and in the roof. I like having lots of light when I write. It was a two-story conversion — downstairs is a small library and there are plenty of bookshelves upstairs too. My writing desk is upstairs, beside one of the windows. The desk faces the wall and hanging on it is an old print of a Japanese woman reading a book. It can be either a chaotic or a serene space, depending on what point in the book I’m at.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I admire every single author who’s written a book because I know how hard it is. But I probably admire Maeve Binchy the most because she inspired me to believe that a female Irish writer could be successful outside of Ireland. Until Maeve’s success with Light A Penny Candle, nearly all of the well-known Irish writers were men, and very few of them wrote women as central, rounded characters. Maeve wrote women so sympathetically and so believably that it was like opening a door to our hearts. I wanted to write about modern Irish women who juggled careers and family commitments, and she made me believe it could be done.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I’ve got to be honest and say that my own first novel Dreaming of a Stranger (published in 1997) changed my life because it was the start of my journey as a published writer and the realization of a dream I’d had since I was about ten years old.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published).
I worked in finance, and I was off sick that day with a really dreadful cold. I felt utterly miserable and didn’t want to answer the phone because I thought it was someone from work with a query. It was also the time of landlines, and it took me ages to get to the phone. When I did, it was the editor of the publishing house I’d sent my book too. I couldn’t quite believe it. In fact, she was calling to say that she loved my writing but the book I’d written was too young for them as a publisher. However, she said that if I could rewrite it with the same characters a little later in their lives, they’d be interested in publishing it. I started the rewrite the next day.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
When I’m writing I can’t read anything with a deep emotional core, so I read a lot of crime fiction. I enjoy the craft that goes into crime/psychological thrillers. I also like both historical fiction and popular science.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Apollo 13 for a number of reasons not entirely to do with the movie. My late dad loved astronomy and it was a passion he passed on to me. We used to follow the lunar missions together. I remember him explaining to me exactly what had gone wrong with the Apollo 13 mission and how NASA was working to bring the astronauts home. Every time I watch the movie, I’m a kid sitting beside my dad again. I also love how it shows the best of the human spirit, courage and endeavor.
15--What is your favorite season?
Late spring into early summer.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
As I’ve had quite a lot of them, I don’t tend to do anything very exciting any more. My husband and I usually just go to dinner in our local bar.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I watched Shogun recently and it was superb in every respect. Faithful to the novel (which I read as a teen) and a wonderful representation of Japanese history and culture. It’s made me want to re-read all the Clavell novels. I enjoy political and comedy podcasts as well as the podcast of Desert Island Discs where well-known people pick their choice of music when cast away on a desert island.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Spanish/Mediterranean
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I play badminton competitively and padel socially. I’ve recently taken up pickleball too which is good fun. I also enjoy travelling.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
So far I’ve written contemporary fiction, fantasy books for children and a historical novel based on my grandmother’s life - I’m still thinking about my next move!
The irresistible, utterly satisfying new contemporary novel from No. 1 bestselling Sheila O'Flanagan
Izzy is in the Caribbean on the honeymoon-that-isn't after her fiancé broke her heart. She's not looking for someone new. But when she meets Charles Miller, a successful writer holidaying alone, the electricity is undeniable. And what does she have to lose?
In Ireland, Charles's ex-wife and agent Ariel flits from party to party, glamorous and poised. She's always in touch with Charles. Though they're divorced, they're very close. Ariel wonders if they should get back together. She's an independent woman, but she liked being part of a power couple. And she's sure she only has to say, and they'll pick up where they left off.
No matter how in control of life you think you are, it can shock and surprise you. As Izzy, Ariel and Charles are about to find out . . .
Women's Fiction Contemporary [Mobius, On Sale: August 27, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781035402878 / eISBN: 9781035402908]
Dublin-based author Sheila O'Flanagan is the author of many bestselling novels, including Her Husband's Mistake,The Hideaway,What Happened That Night, The Missing Wife,My Mother's Secret and All For You (winner of the Irish Independent Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award).
Sheila has always loved telling stories, and after working in banking and finance for a number of years, she decided it was time to fulfil a dream and give writing her own book a go. So she sat down, stuck 'Chapter One' at the top of a page, and got started. Her books appear regularly on the bestseller lists.
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