First off, tell us a little about yourself…
Hi Eddy! I’m Eve, author of Elsetime. I live halfway up a hill in southeast Ireland along with my twins, a dog called Happy and Bagpuss the cat. As well as writing, I paint everything from grown up pieces to fun children’s murals.
Tell us about your latest book…
Elsetime is a children’s book, for 9-12 year olds, published September 2020 by Everything With Words. Elsetime is based on a real-life tragic event, the Great Flood of London in 1928, and is a story of friendship, courage, time-travel and a very special crow:
It is January 1928, days before the Great Flood. Glory Bobbin, a twelve year-old orphan, works at The Frippery and Fandangle Emporium creating jewellery with her secret assistant, a peculiar crow. The river is about to burst its banks and a snow storm has engulfed the town when she meets treasure-hunting mudlark, Needle Luckett, who has travelled through time to reach Inthington. Can two children and a crow save the fourteen lives endangered by the flood? Can they change the future?
I cannot wait for you to meet Needle, Glory and Magpie the crow! The front cover and internal illustrations are the work of the wonderful Holly Ovenden and you can read all about it on my blog: https://startsomewhereblogbyeve.wordpress.com
What was your nickname at school? (If you had one)
Oh! I guess Eve was my nickname and it stuck! My real name is Yvonne but not many people know that. I was called Dimple for a while too!
Were you good at writing at school?
Like anything, it took a bit of practise. It wasn’t until I was in secondary school that I started to find real joy in creative writing, but never made the connection that writing could be a career. I must have thought books were written by magic and not by a real life person with a pen and paper!
What was your favourite book as a child?
The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum – just as enjoyable one-hundred or so re-reads later!
What was it that inspired you to become a writer?
A fortune teller! She told me to Write! Write! Write! So, I started that day, and by the time I had written one page, I had finally figured out what it was I wanted to be when I grew up (don’t tell anyone, but I was already well grown up when that penny finally dropped!)
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Giving up! Writing is a craft that needs to be practised. You wouldn’t expect your first painting to be perfect so nor should you expect your first attempt at a book to be perfect. Like a muscle, writing gets stronger every time it’s used.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Hey, Little-Eve, all those days you spent sticking paper into the bellows of your dad’s old accordion, click clacking its treble and bass buttons like a keyboard – you were doing it for a reason… to write! So, see that cool typewriter Santa brought you? Stop staring at it and its blank page and start somewhere!
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
I remember, one day when I was little, being allowed to explore our local library for what felt like hours on end. In addition to the familiar shelves of children’s fiction, I discovered sections on space-travel and cookery! On history! On hobbies! It blew my mind – the world was my oyster! This was many years before we could click on a screen to find the answer to any question. Basically, the library was my Google.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
Read even more! The most important ingredient in writing is reading. And if you can’t find a book you enjoy, read everything you can get your hands on. You won’t know if you like celery or gobstoppers unless you try them, so read everything out there!
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
The community of writers in Ireland and the UK are incredibly supportive and, thanks to social media, I am in regular contact with many inspirational children’s authors, too many to list here. I am also part of a small writing group – they literally fuel my writing with their friendship, encouragement and feedback. Priceless!
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
Painting more paintings!
Has a book ever made you cry? What was it?
One book that made me cry was White Bird by R.J. Palacio. It’s a very important book. And there is a little scene in Elsetime that makes me shed a happy tear every time I read it!
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Definitely Twitter.
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Reader’s block doesn’t happen to me often, thankfully, although it can be hard to concentrate on something if I have a lot on my mind. Also, sometimes it’s hard to pick up a new book if I’ve read something spectacular. Maybe I’m not ready to move on!
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Um, every day! I do believe that, if I am experiencing writer’s block, it means that the part I have most recently written might be bringing the story in the wrong direction. My sub-conscious mind is telling me to go back!
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
No! But I suppose, if I suddenly started writing horror books for adults, I’d consider it so that younger readers do not get a fright!
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Attending literary events and workshops – every penny was well spent!
What did you do with your first paycheck?
It’s kept safe and is only used for bookish things! Boring, eh? Perhaps I should remedy that!
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A bird – nature’s narrators: they can see all from above, are free to explore and never stop tweeting! Plus, I have a real soft-spot for a certain crow called Magpie!
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have three unpublished books and one half-finished.
What does literary success look like to you?
Tough question! Unfortunately, are we ever happy with what we already have? Or is that just ambition? But I suppose simply being able to write every day is success enough, regardless of whether things gets published or not.
Do you Google yourself?
No (disappears to do that right now!), but I have Googled my book!
And most importantly… What is your favourite biscuit?
Pssst! I don’t like biscuits!
Thanks Eve ( or should I say Dimples) for sharing with us. Mind you are in a unique category of people I’ve spoken to who don’t like biscuits… who doesn’t like biscuits!?
Find out more about Eve McDonnell:
Website: startsomewhereblogbyeve.wordpress.com | Twitter: @Eve_Mc_Donnell
*If you would like to do your own q&a to feature on the blog then send me an email…
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