Author
Q & A
I asked some of my writing friends to contribute
questions for this Q&A. Who better to expose
the gritty underbelly of The Last Will of Moira
Leahy and my process than those
who’d seen me struggle with it for the last many
years? My thanks to Amy Atwell,
Kathleen Bolton, Aimee Heavey, Heather
Heavey, Carol
Henry, Jeanne Kisacky,
Irene McGarrity and Thea McGinnis for taking the
time to do this—and for so much more.
Please click on the question you're interested
in to learn the answer.
1. I love the twining of the two stories, the
contemporary adventure and the flashback sequences
of the twins. Why did you choose this method to tell
the story instead of laying it out in a linear fashion?
What sorts of challenges did you face with the two
narratives?
2. What kind of research went into writing The Last Will of Moira Leahy?
3. A
good story always centers on great location(s).
What techniques did you use to cover the depth of
your characters’ travels? How important were these
locations to your story?
4. Do
you think all twins share a slightly magical bond
that transcends sisterhood? Do
you think identical twins might experience it more
than fraternal twins? And is that special twin
language really true or an old wives tale?
5. The keris is a compelling object of
folklore and becomes an important device in The
Last Will. When did you learn about the properties
of the keris? What is it about them that
fascinates you?
6. Was the keris Maeve
lost in the ocean as a child the same keris she
finds at the auction?
7. Many
families encounter guilt, deception, and loss. Were you interested in these themes before
you began working on the book? What interested
you in them?
8. The Last Will of Moira Leahy is the tale of
a woman's journey, both physical and emotional. As
Maeve explores Rome, she also explores her relationships
with others and her understanding of herself. Did
you envision both of these journeys from the beginning,
or did one grow out of the other as the story developed?
9. What do you think is the strongest
image/scene from The Last Will? Why?
10. At what point did you realize that your plot
had changed to become women’s fiction instead of
romance? How did you feel about this?
11. How did you go about changing the story from
romance to women’s fiction?
12. This book took you years to finish. How did
that lengthy writing process affect the story? And
what kept you sticking with the story for such a
long time?
13. Maeve goes through a lot of hardship and growth
in this novel! Was it difficult for you as a writer
to create such suffering for her?
14. What do you think drew Noel and Maeve together?
15. You had to change your title
from Unbounded to The
Last Will of Moira Leahy once your book deal came
through. How did you feel about that?
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