Interview with Maeve Binchy

As a child, I remember how after a long day my mother's greatest pleasure was escaping to the porch and reading a novel. The names of those authors that she so meticulously chose have always stuck in my mind as writers I, too, would eventually like to read. As you probably have guessed by now, Maeve Binchy was one of those authors and still today is one of her all-time favorites.

I can't remember at what point in my life I first read a novel by Maeve, but I can tell you the name of the book, CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. Immediately, I was transported to the world she created and knew that from that point forward, I would be a lifelong fan. When her latest release found its way to my doorstep, I was elated. I hurriedly put everything aside and departed on a journey of sorts to Ireland with Maeve and her main character, Father Flynn, and what a wonderful trip it was!

To my delight, Maeve graciously agreed to become a Jen's Jewels and what follows is the conversation we had. To be honest, I was a little nervous about interviewing Maeve. In my family, she is an icon. Not only is my mom a huge fan, but my mother-in-law loves her, too. How could my interview possibly do her career justice? What I can tell you is that she is one of the most gracious women in the business and it was such an honor to be able to speak with her.

As part of this interview, five lucky readers will win a copy of her novel, WHITETHORN WOODS. So please enter our Maeve Binchy contest with the correct answer to the trivia question that you'll find at the end of the column. I hope you win! Good luck!

Go grab a cup of tea and get to know Maeve Binchy...

Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your background and what it was like growing up in Ireland.

Maeve: I was born in 1940 and grew up in a very happy family in a place called Dalkey, which was then a village but is now a suburb of Dublin. It's on the sea, ten miles from Dublin city. My father was a lawyer. My mother had been a nurse before marriage. I was the eldest of four. I went to a convent school nearby. When I was young I wanted to be a saint. I hoped that I wouldn't have to be a martyr, but I liked the thought of St. Maeve's Day. I went to university and became a schoolteacher.

Jen: Have you always aspired to be an author?

Maeve: No, I had hoped to be a lawyer, like my father, and to become the first woman judge in Ireland, but after six weeks studying law, I knew it wouldn't work. So then I intended to run the first big mixed comprehensive school in Ireland. As a teacher I had long summer vacations, and one year I went to work in an Israeli kibbutz. I wrote letters home about the life there, and my parents thought they were so interesting. They got them typed and sent them to a newspaper. When I got back from Israel I was a published writer. I couldn't believe it!

Jen: How did you go about getting your first book published? Was it difficult for you to find an agent and a publisher?

Maeve: I wrote some short stories during the 1970s. They did not do very well. So then I tried a novel. I spent a year writing it, and sent out the first three chapters to five publishers. Four of them rejected it, and one took it. That was LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE. It became a best seller immediately and was translated into over thirty languages.

Jen: How is the publishing business different in Europe compared to in the U.S.?

Maeve: I don't really know the differences because I have an agent who sorts out all the contractual side of it. Some of my phrases are not familiar in the USA, like the word EEJIT, which means a sort of idiot but is more affectionate.

Jen: Just in case my readers didn't know, you are married to an author, Gordon Snell, who writes children's books as well as comedy for adults. What's it like having two authors under the same roof? Do you critique each other's work or to keep the peace do you leave that up to your respective editors?

Maeve: This is very easy because he is so kind and generous. We have one long desk in a sunny upstairs room like a studio. Lots of windows, light, and books. We work all morning, ideally from about eight-thirty to one p.m. Then we have lunch and read to each other what we have written. We are ruthlessly honest and we have a ten-minute 'sulking time' if one criticizes the other.

Jen: From conception to completion, approximately how long does it take for you to write a novel? And which part is the most enjoyable to write and why?

Maeve: I like the very beginning when you feel a great surge of power. ‘I am going to invent these people and tell their stories.' I love that part. Later on, well, it sometimes seems endless and the characters are going nowhere. I have a lot of self doubt. But by the end I have cheered up again.

Jen: Of all of the books you have written, which one was the most challenging to write and why?

Maeve: I think probably the most challenging was NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS. It was set in Greece so I worried in case I didn't get the atmosphere in a Greek village accurately but it seems to have worked.

Jen: Personally, I so love your writing style because I feel as if I can relate to your characters. How do you create such quirky and lovable characters? Are they modeled after people you know? Family members? Which character from all of your books is your personal favorite and why?

Maeve: No, I am a lawyer's daughter so I NEVER put real people in a book, but I do watch and listen a lot and I add little aspects of people that they never notice! Like most writers my favorite is my latest book, WHITETHORN WOODS. The characters are recent and near and feel like friends to me. From all of my books, my favorite characters are Signora from EVENING CLASS and Father Flynn from WHITETHORN WOODS.

Jen: In Whitethorn Woods, the secondary character that sticks out the most in my mind is Becca. Her story is so sad, but at the same time, it's so comical. How did you come up with her?

Maeve: I have always thought that people who are deeply in love are slightly on the edge of madness. So, I thought of a character like Becca who is so blinkered and full of tunnel vision that she saw nothing except her own love for a man, and prepared to clear all the obstacles out of her way.

Jen: Your latest release, WHITETHORN WOODS, centers around the St. Ann's well. Does this well truly exist? How did you arrive at the premise?

Maeve: Not as such, but all around Ireland there are holy wells which people venerate greatly and about which the Catholic Church is awkwardly silent. I have seen them all over the countryside, full of prayers and petitions, and often little baby shoes, which must mean that people are praying for the recovery of a sick child.

Jen: How have your religious beliefs influenced your work?

Maeve: I am not very religious myself. I do believe that there must be Something or Someone out there, but I don't have the certainties of my Catholic youth. When I was young, everyone in the country was religious so I try to reflect that.

Jen: What impressed me most about this book is how you were able to weave each character's life into the next without the novel feeling choppy or disjointed. Please tell us a little bit about your writing process.

Maeve: I have a big piece of cardboard on my desk, and as soon as I invent a character, I put his or her name on it, and I give them a birthday and a place to live. That way, I don't lose anyone along the way!

Jen: Father Flynn's character is so realistic because as in the novel, I think our society has a new set of expectations for the clergy of today compared to what they had for the clergy of the past. What do you like best about this character? What message, if any, were you trying to convey to your readers through him?

Maeve: Yes, I agree, the role of the clergy has changed, and a lot of good priests are at a bit of a loss to know how to look after their flocks these days. I tried to show an honest man caught in a dilemma. Did he stand up for the holy well or was it in fact mere superstition?

Jen: On the surface, WHITETHORN WOODS is a story about progress coming to a small town, but hidden beneath the storyline are cleverly layered themes, such as infidelity and betrayal. What is the biggest challenge as a writer as you try to masterfully incorporate all of these issues into a book?

Maeve: I think in every town or community, there are a lot of secrets under the surface. What looks like an ordinary place often contains a great deal of hidden drama. There really is a story behind every facade if you just look hard enough.

Jen: Are you in the process of writing your next novel? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Maeve: My next book will be about two very different women, a successful heart specialist and a Polish cleaner who has come to Ireland to earn a living. I hope people will like it.

Jen: Will you be in the U.S. for any book signings or conferences in 2007?

Maeve: Alas, I am not in great health so I cannot travel to the USA like I did in the old days. I have breathing problems but I feel very cheerful. I have had a happy life, great success, many good friends, and best of all, a wonderful marriage for over thirty years. Who could ask for more?

Jen: Do you have a web site? Mailing list? Blog?

Maeve: Yes, you will hear all you want to know about me, and probably more, if you go to: www.maevebinchy.com.

Jen: It has been such an honor to be able to interview you for my column. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with my readers. Your stellar writing style is what every aspiring author hopes to emulate. Congratulations on another successful release. I wish you only the best for the future.

Maeve: Thank you Jen, for asking these questions. They made me think a lot, and I hope I have answered them honestly.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Maeve and don't forget to pick up a copy of her book. As promised, five readers to correctly answer the following question will win their own copy of WHITETHORN WOODS. Good luck.

What is the name of the main character in WHITETHORN WOODS?

Next month, I will be bringing to you an interview with Gemma Townley, author of THE HOPELESS ROMANTIC'S HANDBOOK. You won't want to miss it.

Until next month.....Jen