Ask the Author: Zara Keane
Answered Questions (7)
Zara Keane
Hi Eileen,
Keane is my pen name, but it's also a family name on my grandfather's side. Most of my family is from Kerry, but some from Clare. I grew up in Dublin, though. :)
Zara
Keane is my pen name, but it's also a family name on my grandfather's side. Most of my family is from Kerry, but some from Clare. I grew up in Dublin, though. :)
Zara
Zara Keane
Hi, Naomi! I never say never when it comes to series. I have an idea for a Ballybeg spin-off, but I haven't had the time to write it. Maggie is definitely not done! The fifth book in the Movie Club Mysteries will be out in December. At the moment, I have eight stories planned for that series.
Zara Keane
I don't have enough writing hours in my schedule to wait for inspiration. If I have a chunk of time set aside to write, I do the following:
1. Make a cup of coffee;
2. Block access to the internet using an app called Freedom;
3. Open Scrivener and set a session target for the number of words I want to write or edit;
4. Fill in a scene plan to stop me wasting time writing nonsense I'll end up deleting later;
5. Start typing!
1. Make a cup of coffee;
2. Block access to the internet using an app called Freedom;
3. Open Scrivener and set a session target for the number of words I want to write or edit;
4. Fill in a scene plan to stop me wasting time writing nonsense I'll end up deleting later;
5. Start typing!
Zara Keane
I've just started writing 'Love and Mistletoe', a Christmas novella set in Ballybeg. It seems strange writing a Christmas story while sweating from the summer heat!
Zara Keane
I have both a practical and an emotional answer to this question.
The practical focuses on the ability to set my own schedule. I have three little kids, one of whom has special needs. We have a slew of appointments each week. Fitting those in around a traditional nine-to-five job would be very difficult. As a writer, I can work seven days a week if I need to, even if those working hours occur in the middle of the night.
The emotional answer concerns the pleasure I derive from writing, revising, and polishing a story. Writing is far more than a career for me.
The practical focuses on the ability to set my own schedule. I have three little kids, one of whom has special needs. We have a slew of appointments each week. Fitting those in around a traditional nine-to-five job would be very difficult. As a writer, I can work seven days a week if I need to, even if those working hours occur in the middle of the night.
The emotional answer concerns the pleasure I derive from writing, revising, and polishing a story. Writing is far more than a career for me.
Zara Keane
Up until a couple of years ago, my answer to this question would have been "badly". If I sat down at my computer and the words didn't flow, much weeping, gnashing, and self-doubt ensued.
There’s nothing like a deadline—not to mention a deadline for an editor you’re paying—to knock that myth on the head!
Seriously, though, I don’t believe in writer’s block any more than I do in the magical muse. The one and only thing that’s gotten me to finish a story is the good old arse-in-chair routine. Sometimes, the words flow. Other times, writing a page of coherent text is torture. Unless you’re one of the fortunate few whose first draft doesn’t suck, you’ll be seeing that manuscript a few times before you hit “publish�. Accept that your first couple of drafts will be rough, embrace rewrites, and set yourself an end date for the final version.
There’s nothing like a deadline—not to mention a deadline for an editor you’re paying—to knock that myth on the head!
Seriously, though, I don’t believe in writer’s block any more than I do in the magical muse. The one and only thing that’s gotten me to finish a story is the good old arse-in-chair routine. Sometimes, the words flow. Other times, writing a page of coherent text is torture. Unless you’re one of the fortunate few whose first draft doesn’t suck, you’ll be seeing that manuscript a few times before you hit “publish�. Accept that your first couple of drafts will be rough, embrace rewrites, and set yourself an end date for the final version.
Zara Keane
I love playing with popular romance tropes and asking "What if?". 'Love and Shenanigans' is my Vegas wedding story with an Irish twist. The basic premise came to me during a discussion with a friend about Irish divorce law. Divorce is still relatively new in Ireland. I still remember the furore when it was passed into law in 1996. The process takes five years from start to finish. Yes, you read that right! As fodder for a romance writer, it's gold. For real people stuck in a bad marriage, not so much.
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