Interview with MaryPat Hyland

[Jackie - Fire & Ice Book Reviews]

Today I got the chance to interview MaryPat Hyland.

MaryPat is the author of


What was the first thing you remember writing?

A haiku with my mother in elementary school. It was such a beautiful
moment of collaboration. I cherish that poem.


Who are your inspirations when writing? Authors? Family? Friends?

My heritage is Irish and there is a grand tradition of storytelling in our
culture. I had a great aunt who was a "seanchaí" (the Irish word for
storyteller). She was a big influence on my life. I recall rooms filled
with relatives in rapt attention as she'd tell a joke in a way that you'd
enjoy the journey to the punchline as much as the arrival. As for writers,
the important influences on my style include Eudora Welty, Anne Tyler,
Flannery O'Connor, Maeve Binchy, John Irving and Frank McCourt.


What is your favorite genre to write and why?

Although I write mainly mainstream fiction, there is something so
delightful about the process of writing a parody, such as my third novel
3/17. I play in a traditional Irish music band and had observed for years
the weird ways Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The book pairs those
inspirations with Dante's Inferno concept of nine levels of hell. It was,
I suppose, a form of therapy to write that book, venting all the weirdness
witnessed over two decades of performing. Hah!


What are your plans for future books/ series?

I have another parody is already in the works, then there are a family
saga-ish tale, a collection of short stories and a children's book on my
to-do list.

Do you have a favorite character in your books? I love Andy Krall who
appears in my Maeve Kenny three-part series. He's a computer programmer
who hacks websites for fun. One day as I was writing a scene with him in
my first novel, he told me (as you write, of course your characters
converse with you) that he was a paraplegic. I pondered him in that
perspective for a few days and then thought, yes, you are. That aspect of
his life, when paired with his indomitable optimism and dark sense of
humor, made him both fascinating and a delight to be around.

Who/ what do you model your characters after? There's probably a little
bit of everyone I've ever encountered in my books. Some people I know,
others I've just imagined what was going on in their minds.

[Jackie - Fire & Ice Book Reviews]

Thank you MaryPat for the amazing interview! :-) If you have any questions for MaryPat, please leave them below! :-)