A Goodreads user
asked
Celine Kiernan:
What was your inspiration for Into the Grey and was hard coming with the story?
Celine Kiernan
Hi Eva, so sorry for the lateness of my reply. My inspiration for Into the Grey is a little complex as different aspects of the book come from different areas of inspiration.
The idea of waking up to find a malevolent ghost occupying the previously empty top bunk of the bed in which you're sleeping is very straight forward. I slept in that bunk bed! The house in Skerries, the fair-ground, the bunk-bed and the creepy way the lights of the cars used to sporadically light up the top bunk are all memories from my childhood summers. I've never forgotten lying in bed, staring at the mirror, and wondering what I'd do if the next flash of light revealed something sitting in the empty bed above me.
The history of the Finnerty family is based very loosely on the history of my own family which was divided along maternal and paternal lines into people who had fought for the British during both world wars, and people who had fought against the British during the Irish war of Independence. The history of Ireland is a complex one, full of grey areas, and at many times it's difficult to understand who the heroes are and who the villains - often those who believed they were doing the right thing have survived only to be told by history that they were traitors or villains of one type or another. I wanted to explore this idea of looking back at your life and not recognizing the stories that are being told about you: of looking in the mirror and not recognizing the face looking back at you; of looking at your brother/loved ones and not knowing who they are or what they represent.
I also wanted to tell a creepy ghost story. This is the main thrill of story telling for me - to tell compelling stories which have (if you want to look for it) lots and lots going on beneath their surface.
I hope this answers your question?
Again, sorry it took so long to get to you.
The idea of waking up to find a malevolent ghost occupying the previously empty top bunk of the bed in which you're sleeping is very straight forward. I slept in that bunk bed! The house in Skerries, the fair-ground, the bunk-bed and the creepy way the lights of the cars used to sporadically light up the top bunk are all memories from my childhood summers. I've never forgotten lying in bed, staring at the mirror, and wondering what I'd do if the next flash of light revealed something sitting in the empty bed above me.
The history of the Finnerty family is based very loosely on the history of my own family which was divided along maternal and paternal lines into people who had fought for the British during both world wars, and people who had fought against the British during the Irish war of Independence. The history of Ireland is a complex one, full of grey areas, and at many times it's difficult to understand who the heroes are and who the villains - often those who believed they were doing the right thing have survived only to be told by history that they were traitors or villains of one type or another. I wanted to explore this idea of looking back at your life and not recognizing the stories that are being told about you: of looking in the mirror and not recognizing the face looking back at you; of looking at your brother/loved ones and not knowing who they are or what they represent.
I also wanted to tell a creepy ghost story. This is the main thrill of story telling for me - to tell compelling stories which have (if you want to look for it) lots and lots going on beneath their surface.
I hope this answers your question?
Again, sorry it took so long to get to you.
More Answered Questions
Zoe Crosse
asked
Celine Kiernan:
I picked your book because there was a little brown girl on the cover, like my daughter, Summer. I'm trying to write a book on my MA at Bath Spa with girls like Mop and Summer.I learnt a lot about how to make ethical points without sounding didactic from you. I'm writing a report on the lack of diversity in children's picture books. How did you come to chose to write from the POV of a child of black and white parents?
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