Author Spotlight: Emily O'Beirne, The Sum of These Things

When I read The Story of Now a few months ago, I was floored over the fact that this intensely beautiful life and love story was a debut release. Author Emily O'Beirne made her mark with that one book and its sequel, The Sum of These Things was one of my most highly anticipated releases this December. Being given the honor to not just read and review both books, but to also get to know Emily better with a Q&A compromise some of the high points of my life as a book blogger this 2015. 

I hope you enjoy the interview!

A Q&A with Emily O'Beirne

1. How did you first get into writing?

I’m not sure. I just started writing. I always wrote and I always read voraciously, too. It just took a long time until I had a story to tell. I wrote a few novels when I was younger, but never really did anything with them, because they weren’t quite there.  It’s taken until now to find the stories I want to write (and now I can’t stop!), but I have always written. I spent many years in journalism and academia, too, so my writing energy was being put there instead of fiction.

2. What was your inspiration for A Story of Now and The Sum of These Things?

Gail Peck, girls with difficult mothers, and wanting to fill that gap in queer stories about that all-important period between adolescence and adulthood.

3. Why did you decide to split Claire Pearson's story into two books instead of just writing one novel?

Necessity, really. It was too long. See, when I started writing this, I had no intention of publishing it. So I took my sweet damn time over Claire’s coming of age. Part of it was because I wanted it not just to be the story of this character’s first big love, but also about her coming into her own in all the aspects of her life. And I also wanted her friends to have their stories, too. I was greedy, I guess. 

When it came to publication, it could have been reduced to just the first book, shortened and with some of the things that are not tied up until the Sum of These Things removed, but my publisher was happy into make two books of it, to tell Claire’s whole story. I’m really glad, too, because it’s meant to be more than just a romance.

4. Who would you cast in the roles of Claire and Mia if the books were ever to be made into a movie?

I really don’t know, but I often find myself casting my characters in real life. I see people on the tram or walking by and I’m like, ‘that could be so-and-so!’ One day I was waiting for a tram and there was a girl waiting there. I looked at her and I thought ‘Wow, she could be Claire.’ Her hair wasn’t quite the dark enough and she was a touch too short but everything else fit my imagined Claire. It was so strange. I just stared as this girl stood there, waiting for the tram, listening to her music, oblivious—thank goodness—to this weird woman just gaping at her. 

5. If you could give Claire one piece of advice, what would it be?

To breathe and to think before she reacts. She’s learning this a little by the end of the books, I think, thank goodness.

6. Who do you identify with more: Claire or Mia and why?

A little from both columns, but neither particularly. I have rougher edges and more of an attitude like Claire, but that’s about it, really.  Neither are much like me.

7. What are your plans after the A Story of Now series?

More books. I’m kind of in a love affair with writing at the moment, and I almost can’t keep up with the ideas in my head. I think it’s because I spent so long in the dry land of academic and journalism, so returning to fiction has been lovely. 

I’ve finished another story, which I’m now editing and shaping to send off to my publisher to see if it fits for them. I’m really happy about this one, too, because it was one I’d started a very long time ago, but A Story of Now rudely interrupted! 

I will send that off and then get started on another character that has started writing herself in my head. I’m pretty excited about this one, too, because if it works out, this book will be written in the first person. This is new and different for me. And change is good.

8. What words of wisdom would you share with aspiring authors who look up to you as inspiration?

First of all, the simplest piece of advice I can give is to just sit down and write. It’s amazing how many people talk about wanting to write but don’t just do it. 

The other would be to really know your characters. Spend a lot of time with them in your head. If you truly know your characters, everything they say and do and feel in your story will follow.  Oh yeah, and prepare to be anti-social at times. And broke a lot.

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My sincerest gratitude to Emily O'Beirne for taking the time to answer my questions and for sending me all the necessary information for the book spotlight and to Ylva Publishing for generously proving the ARC for The Sum of These Things. ♥

Read my five-plus-starred review of The Story of Now and my five-plus-starred review of The Sum of These Things.

Check out my book spotlight on The Sum of These Things.

Purchase the The Story of Now series on Ylva Publishing.