INTERVIEW WITH NIAMH MURPHY

GOT TO SKYPE RECENTLY WITH NIAMH MURPHY, (PRONOUNCED NEEVE) WHO’S BOTH A HISTORIAN AND NOVELIST. NIAMH SPECIALIZES IN ROMANTIC LESBIAN FICTION. SHE HAS WRITTEN STORIES WITH VAMPIRES, WEREWOVES, ELVES, MAGIC, KNIGHTS, SORCERESSES, AND WITCHES AS WELL AS CONTEMPORARY AND HUMOROUS STORIES, BUT ALWAYS WITH A LESBIAN PROTAGONIST AND A ROMANTIC ELEMENT TO THE TALE. CONSIDERING MY TALES, I CAN TOTALLY RELATE TO THE ROMANCE.

AS WE COZIED UP TO OUR COMPUTER SCREENS, WE EACH SAT DOWN WITH A CUP OF COFFEE (HERS WAS BLACK, WARM & SWEET—SHE SAYS IT’S HER BEVERAGE OF CHOICE), MINE WAS MY SPECIAL BLEND (A SECRET COMBINATION OF SPICES I ADD) WITH WHIPPED ALMOND MILK. THEN NIAMH WAS NICE ENOUGH TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS I ASKED. SO, I HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY THE INTERVIEW.

SO, NIAMH, HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO YOU WRITE?
When I am in ‘writing mode’ I like to write between three and six hours a day. Right now I am between books and so I am giving myself a break from writing completely, and close to a deadline I might have to work eight to twelve hours to get finished in time.

DOES WRITING ENERGIZE OR EXHAUST YOU?

Both. When it is going well, I am full of energy and it flows beautifully. I can often write several thousand words in one session.

If I hit a snag or something isn’t working then it’s as if all my energy is drained out of me in an instant.

I usually have to remind myself to just stop, walk away for a while, and give my brain a chance to reboot.

AS WE ALL KNOW RESEARCH CAN BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF WHAT WE’RE WRITING, FROM INTERVIEWING EXPERTS IN THE FIELD TO GOOD OLD FASHIONED DIGGING FOR FACTS. SO WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DO YOU DO, AND HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND RESEARCHING BEFORE BEGINNING A BOOK?

It varies. For “Escape to Pirate Island” I did a lot of research into women pirates and stories of women serving aboard ships. A lot of people think the idea is nonsense but the evidence of historical accounts of women serving and court documents of women whose gender was revealed, show that there were many women who disguised themselves as men and were eventually discovered or revealed themselves (sometimes after many years). I often wonder how many women remained hidden.

I also looked into daily life aboard ship, rules around privateering and how pirates self-governed, and the geography of the Spanish Main, making sure I researched the deserted islands and understood some basic survival.

But I always made sure that the story led the research and not the other way around. I have often read novels where historical facts have been awkwardly shoehorned into the story and this always bothers me. My story is a fun romp through a piratical adventure; so, I wanted just enough history to help the reader suspend their disbelief but no more.

TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON AT THE PRESENT TIME?

I am between projects, I published “Escape to Pirate Island” on May 26th and was all set to go onto a new project about mermaids. But now I am not so sure: a completely different project is calling out to me and I think I’m going to have to follow the call.

Which means my next project is going to be another Historical Romantic Adventure, this time involving Knights and tournaments, castles and pitched battles, evil kings and beautiful princesses!

IS THERE A CERTAIN TYPE OF SCENE THAT’S HARDER FOR YOU TO WRITE THAN OTHERS?

Tender or emotional scenes are the ones I tend to struggle with, I’m not very good at expressing my own emotions and so those scenes where my characters have to reveal their feelings are tough.

Getting the balance right between being cold and being twee can be a real challenge and I always find that getting feedback on those scenes is especially important.

WAIT, GETTING TWEE? WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN? IS THAT PART OF THE UK VENACULAR?

Ah, yeah, that word is quite well used here in the UK. It just means overly sentimental. Basically I’m talking about getting the balance between being over sentimental and lacking emotion. If something is too twee or too sentimental it can put people off, likewise if there is no emotion the reader won’t connect.

WHAT DO YOUR PLANS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS INCLUDE?

I have more ideas that I can write, but I would like to do a series of revolving around knights and Queens, I also have plans to work on a fantasy series about a young rogue mage. I have a mermaid story on the back burner, as well as a burning desire to write murder mystery.

SO TELL US SOME MORE PERSONAL THINGS ABOUT YOU. LIKE WHERE DID YOUR LOVE OF BOOKS/STORYTELLING/READING/WRITING/ETC. COME FROM?

My Dad would read a chapter of a book to me every night before bedtime, without fail. He gave me my love of the fantasy genre and read all the Narnia books to me, as well as the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, even though I was a little too young for them at the time. He even gave me my first copy of Harry Potter long before it became the phenomenon it is today.

THAT SOUNDS AMAZING. MY MOM DID THAT FOR ME. SO, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK?

I think it will have to be the Narnia series.

I love the fantasy, the magic, the portal to another dimension, and I always loved the white witch and the many forms she appeared in over the series. I used to love the sense that even the smallest children can make a difference and at the heart of the stories is often the idea of redemption.

I love the whole series but there was always something a little darker about The Silver Chair which greatly appealed to me and is something I’m going to explore in greater depth in a series I’m currently ruminating on.

SINCE I KNOW YOU HAVE BACKGROUND IN HISTORY, I HAVE TO ASK, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE PAST OR FUTURE, WHERE WOULD YOU STAY AND WHY?

I am a historian and archaeologist, I have studied the classics and the history of Rome and Egypt but… If I could time travel I would like to have a glimpse at the future.

Where is humanity going? Where will we end up? Will we ever reach the stars? Will we ever come to terms with our differences and learn to live in peace?

I might not be happy with what I would find but I would like to think that we are capable of great things.

THANKS, NIAMH, FOR SITTING DOWN WITH ME AND ANSWERING SO MANY QUESTIONS. I HOPE MY READERS FOUND THIS AS INTERESTING AS I HAVE, AND I HOPE THEY’LL CHECK OUT NIAMH’S BOOKS. TO LEARN MORE CHECK OUT THE LINKS BELOW.
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