Emma's Guest Review: Caroline Finnerty - My Sister's Child

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

My Sister's Child is the story of two sisters, and one huge question. 

Jo is the elder sister, responsible and hardworking. Isla is carefree and has always avoided being tied down. The sisters have always had a strained relationship, but when Isla asks Jo for something that rocks the very foundations of the family that Jo has worked so hard to have, she is horrified. And, as Isla persists in her pleas, Jo fears she will lose the one thing she holds most dearly. 

Thought-provoking and compelling, this is a layered and moving story of sisterhood, love and lies and the finely-woven link between nature and nurture that will challenge the way you think about motherhood.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Author Interview: Caroline Finnerty

Today it's my absolute pleasure to welcome author Caroline Finnerty back to the blog so that we can find out a little more about her latest book My Sister's Child which was published last month.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book My Sister's Child?  
My Sister's Child is the story of two sisters, and one huge question. Jo is the elder sister, responsible and hardworking. Isla is carefree and has always avoided being tied down. The sisters have always had a strained relationship, but when Isla asks Jo for something that rocks the very foundations of the family that Jo has worked so hard to have, she is horrified. And, as Isla persists in her pleas, Jo fears she will lose the one thing she holds most dearly. The story deals with the very finely-woven link between nature and nurture and I hope it will challenge the way you think about motherhood.

Where did the inspiration come from to write about infertility?
I was reading an article about donor-assisted conception and about how quite often it is a close family member who acts as the donor which must throw up a huge range of emotions for everyone involved. At the same time I also wanted to write a story about sisters - two sisters who are very different people and who had a strained relationship going back to their childhood and the story just grew from there.

How did you go about researching egg donation to enable you to write this story?  
I started off researching on the internet and reading the experiences of people who had been through it from both sides i.e. both the donor and also the recipient. Then I contacted the SIMS Fertlity Clinic here in Ireland and Dr. David Walsh kindly answered my questions in regards to the technicalities of donor-assisted reproduction and also the legalities associated with it.

Describe My Sister's Child in one sentence.
My Sister's Child is the story of two sisters and one embryo.

Guest Book Review: Caroline Finnerty - Into the Night Sky

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Conor Fahy, owner of a struggling bookshop, is finding it hard to cope in the aftermath of his partner Leni’s tragic death. His friend Ella Wilde tries to be supportive but is herself in a fragile mental state – she has just been axed from her job as a TV presenter, having been caught shoplifting.

Then eight-year-old Jack White walks into Conor’s bookshop and settles down on the floor to read. Jack likes Ben 10, Giant Jawbreakers and Ronaldo. He likes his dad (when he doesn’t shout) but he doesn’t like the bad bugs that are eating up his ma inside her tummy.

Conor listens to the talkative boy but finds it hard to piece together what is really happening in his life. He is particularly mystified by Jack’s intense resentment of a woman called Rachel Traynor, not realising that she is a social worker assigned to Jack’s case and that Jack’s fate hangs in the balance.

They must each learn the healing power of love, and the need to let the past go and turn to the future.

Amazon link: Kindle or Paperback

Countdown to Christmas Day 15: My Favourite Christmas Book(s) by Caroline Finnerty

This evening's Countdown to Christmas feature is a guest post by Irish author Caroline Finnerty talking about her top picks for Christmas reads.

Christmas is my all time favourite time of year. All those lazy days of catching up on your to-be-read pile by the fire, the only thing you need to move is your hand to turn the page or to fish a sweet out from the tin of Roses. Here are a few of my picks if you’re looking for a warm read to cosy up with over the Christmas. I hope you enjoy them!

The Gift by Cecilia Ahern

Lou Suffern wishes he could be in two places at once. His constant battle with the clock is a sensitive issue with his wife and family. When Lou invites Gabe, a homeless man who sits outside his office, into the building nd into his life, Lou’s world is changed beyond all measure…

Cecilia Ahern is queen of the modern day fairytale and this book is exactly that, with all of the magic of Christmas thrown in. There is a message about what really is important in life at its heart. Think ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the modern day.

My top 5 books read this Summer by Caroline Finnerty

Today's selection of top 5 books read this summer has been chosen by Irish author Caroline Finnerty whose latest book The Last Goodbye is out now.  And thanks to Caroline I've now added another couple of books onto my ever increasing Amazon wishlist!

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?

During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath.

During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale.

What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to?

This was the first Kate Atkinson book that I have ever read and I will be going through her backlist to read more. I loved the premise behind this book about a girl called Ursula Todd who gets to relive her life again and again. I’ve always been intrigued by this concept of parallel lives or how the choices we make can result in different outcomes. A difficult concept to write about but Kate Atkinson pulls it off brilliantly.

Irish Fiction Month Interview: Caroline Finnerty

Tonight I'm delighted to welcome back Caroline Finnerty to my blog.  Caroline was my first ever interviewee when I started doing Author Interviews on the blog last year so I'm delighted that she's agreed to take part in another interview as part of my Irish Fiction feature month.

Why do think Irish Fiction has become so popular worldwide?
Ireland has always had a strong literary tradition but I think the surge in popularity of Irish writers over the last few decades can be attributed to authors like Maeve Binchy, Roddy Doyle and Marian Keyes. These writers opened a lot of doors for Irish authors because for the first time it was okay to write the way we speak. While there will always be a place for beautiful prose, the warmth and humour with which these authors write, has made literature accessible to everyone.

I also think Irish people have a unique sense of humour, which probably helps too – maybe it’s because of our weather (if you didn’t laugh you’d cry...) There is a phrase here ‘never let the truth stand in the way of a good story’ - it’s perfectly acceptable to embellish stories in everyday life. And whether you’re at the hairdressers or the post office, people are telling you stories. I think it must seep into our pores somehow…

Author Interview: Caroline Finnerty

Today I am proud to introduce a new feature that I'm adding to my blog which is Author Interview.  Hopefully this will turn out to be a regular feature, it all depends on the response to the emails I sent to publishers asking if any of their authors would like to take part.  I'm delighted to say that a few have agreed so there will definitely be at least 3 more!

The first guinea pig, I mean interviewee, is Caroline Finnerty whose debut novel In a Moment has recently been published by Poolbeg Press. 

How long did it take you to get your first book published?

I started writing IN A MOMENT while I was on maternity leave in 2009. Then I went back to work so it took me nearly a year to write 50,000 words between working full time and being a mum etc. When I heard about the Poolbeg/TV3 ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition, I wrote the other half in three months and sent it off. I was over the moon when Paula Campbell from Poolbeg called me saying I was a runner up in the competition and she wanted to offer me three-book deal! 

Do you have a set daily writing routine?

At the moment, I am on maternity leave again after having twins last November, so with three small children, I definitely don’t have a set routine. My daughter is in playschool four mornings a week and this is my main opportunity to write if I can get to twins to have a nap. Some days they’ll co-operate, most days they don’t. I also try to write when everyone else has gone to bed in the evening. So it is in fits and starts that I write - if I have five minutes I run to the computer to write and close my eyes to the messy kitchen and the table covered in Play-Doh.