Interview With Author Eileen Joyce Donovan
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Eileen Joyce Donovan’s debut historical novel, Promises, won the 2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Literary Excellence. Her historical fiction, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma won the 2021 When Words Count nationwide competition. She’s also had short stories published in various anthologies, and non-fiction essays in assorted Chicken Soup for the Soul editions. Her latest book, The Campbell Sisters, was released March 7th. She’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s National Book Association, Women Fiction Writers Association, and Authors Guild. She lives in Manhattan and enjoys going to concerts and plays, as well as reading books that catch her fancy.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE CAMPBELL SISTERS was released March 7, 2023. Helen Campbell is the eldest and most practical of three sisters, daughters of hard-working Irish emigrants living in New York City in the 1950s. She does what she can to keep the wild-child middle sister, Carolyn, in line and support the youngest, Peggy, as she pursues her dreams of becoming a doctor. Then Helen meets Charlie.
While it’s love at first sight for those two, Carolyn’s antics threaten to derail all the sisters’ future happiness. However, through thick and thin, the three sisters strive to prevail, though not necessarily in the ways they thought they wanted.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write all my manuscripts in longhand, do a quick edit, then type them into my computer, print the pages to reread and edit the next day before starting the whole process all over again.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many authors have affected me and my writing, going all the way back to Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, up to Sara Donati, Kate Morton, Mary Doria Russell, and TJ Klune. And so many others. I think everyone I read influences me in one way or another.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a contemporary women’s fiction/romance – a new genre for me.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve relied on social media so far, but with this last book, I did a blog tour. Hopefully, that will help with name recognition.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read everything you can, in and out of your genre. And never stop taking classes, whether on line, or in person. Read newsletters, blogs, and of course, books. Don’t get discouraged by rejections. We’ve all been there and are often still there when branching out to different genres/media/formats (short stories vs. novels). Don’t be afraid of trying something new. Join a writers’ group/critique group if possible.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To believe in myself and be willing to put myself out there, warts and all as the saying goes.
What are you reading now?
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Hopefully, a lot more novels in the future. Maybe a mix of historical and romance.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, what a tough question. The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. But there are so many more I’d want to bring. This is just a small sample of some of my favorites.
Author Websites and Profiles
Eileen Joyce Donovan Amazon Profile
Eileen Joyce Donovan’s Social Media Links