MEGAN NOLAN:It was 2015 when I first got paid to write.
What style is that?
In short: Big, meaty books that are some sort of family saga.
Credit: Lynn Rothwell; Little, Brown and Company
A life told from beginning to end and really intriguing plot points.
I didn’t have much of a literary community in Dublin, since I dropped out of University.
How did the idea forActs of Desperationcome about?
I was interested in depicting the female protagonist’s obsession and single-mindedness about this relationship.
Your protagonist is involved with Ciaran, who doesn’t treat her very well, to put it bluntly.
Was it hard not to get emotionally involved with the story or take sides?
But I think a lot of people hate Ciaran more than I thought they would.
Do you have a message about relationships or gender politics that you’re hoping people glean from the book?
By the way, I had put all my energy into relationships.
Did you gain clarity for yourself through writing the book?
Did it feel like people in publishing understood the book, as you were selling it?
Mostly yes, but I remember some people had the reaction: I’m sick of these bad-girl stories.
I just thought, she’s not a bad girl.
It’s just a very particular time in her life.
Do you feel like the current American tendency to compare Irish books to other famous Irish authors is fair?
But the only thing is that I find it embarrassing for them.
At least I don’t run into people right now.
