I’d never heard of the name Mary Malone until we joined Twitter and Mary tweeted about her newest novel Never Tear Us Apart. Mary then offered us a copy of the book to review and I read it pretty much as soon as it arrived. I absolutely loved it and you can read my review here. Mary kindly agreed to do an author interview with us and here it is!

1. Describe your novel, Never Tear Us Apart, in a sentence.

Never Tear Us Apart is a story of revenge and retribution, fuelled by the paranoid voices in a woman’s head.

2. What, if anything, are you currently working on – will it be another Poolbeg Crimson novel?

I’m currently working on my fourth novel, Playing With Fire. A ‘who burnt the house down’ story. It will be published by Poolbeg Crimson in May 2010.

3. What inspired Never Tear Us Apart?

My fascination with the voices in women’s heads and how we can never truly know what another is thinking – even our nearest and dearest.

4. Never Tear Us Apart is very dark and deals with some serious issues, how difficult was it for you to kill off one of your characters?

To be perfectly honest, I found it extremely tough. I became very attached to my characters, understanding the motivation behind their actions. Never Tear Us Apart is my first psychological thriller. I wrote the darker scenes late at night. But I often lay awake for ages afterwards, the scenes I’d written playing on my mind and disturbing my sleep, often coming to life in horrific nightmares. At one point, I definitely took on my main character’s madness!

5. How did you get published?

Like many authors, I have a colourful collection of rejection slips. I wrote my first novel, Turning Heads, in 2004. Unfortunately this never made it to publication but will always remain very close to my heart. But I was determined to keep going and wrote my second novel, Love Match in 2005. Persistence – along with several rewrites – eventually paid off when Dodder Books snapped it up only three days after submission. They also published my second novel, All You Need Is Love. When I ‘took a turn to the darkside’ with Never Tear Us Apart, I submitted it to Poolbeg Crimson. Paula Campbell loved the premise of the story and offered me a contract! So persistence is the magic word when it comes to publication.

6. Who are some of your favourite authors/books?

My favourites have changed over the years, beginning at a very young age with an Enid Blyton obsession. The authors I run out to buy are Sidney Sheldon, Patricia Scanlan, Colette Caddle, Melissa HIll, Mary O’Sullivan and Sheila O’Flanagan.

7. What is your normal writing day like?

I don’t have a ‘normal’ day to be honest. I work in the Central Statistics Office four days per week between September and June, so I write for approximately four hours every night (or as long as I can stay awake!). On my days off, I write in the mornings and generally again in the evenings.
Around the time of publication, I generally concentrate on publicity for a whole month. Usually exhausted after intense editing and proofing, I enjoy the break from writing and enjoy the buzz of visiting bookshops, libraries and literary events, recharging my batteriest to do it all over again!

8. What’s the best thing about being an author?

The magic of creating fictional characters and scenarios that end up being the topic of conversation or sometimes argument! I’ve often been stopped in a cafe or on the street and asked why I allowed a particular event to occur! At funerals – for some obscure reason – mourners often introduce me to family members as ‘the one who writes the books!!’

9. Finally, what advice would you give to those wanting to get their books published?

Learn as much as you can about the craft of writing, ask advice from writers you admire and put constructive criticism to good use. But above all, never give up. Persistence wins out in the end.