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 send me an e-mail with the correct
answer to the trivia question that you'll
find at the end of the column. I hope you win!
Good luck! Find
this book in our catalog.
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, the first five readers to
correctly answer the following question and send
me an e-mail at jensjewels@gmail.com 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
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Meet
the Author: featuring Jen's Jewels