Better
to have loved and lost, than never loved.
Paul
Starr, Irelands leading cardiologist dies in a car crash with a
pregnant young women by his side.
United
in their grief and the love of one man, four women are thrown
together in an attempt to come to terms with life after Paul. They
soon realise they never really knew him at all.
The
love they shared for Paul in his life and which incensed a feeling of
mistrust and dislike for each other, in his death turns into the very
thing that bonds them and their children to each other forever.
As
they begin to form unlikely friendships, Paul's death proves to be
the catalyst that enables them to become the people they always
wanted to be.
About Faith Hogan
‘My
Husband’s Wives.’
Faith
Hogan was born in Ireland. She gained an Honours Degree in English
Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a
Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway. She has worked
as a fashion model, an event’s organiser and in the intellectual
disability and mental health sector.
She
was a winner in the 2014 Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair – an
international competition for emerging writers.
Her
debut novel, ‘My Husband’s Wives,’ is a contemporary women’s
fiction novel set in Dublin. It will be published by Aria, (Head of
Zeus) on 1st of May 2016. She is currently working on
her next novel.
Author Interview
If
you could work with any other author, who would it be and why?
This
is a big confession, since he was quite unfortunate looking in later
years, but I loved Jonathon Swift! He was witty, smart, acerbic and
yes, perhaps he was a tad eh, single minded? He was all of those
things, and probably many more, but when I read him first, as a
teenager at school, I just fell madly in love with his brain!
Although I’m not sure how he’d take to writing women’s fiction!
The
other writer that I really admired was Maeve Binchey. I loved so many
of her books, they were just feel-good books, with simple stories but
they had that Maeve magic! I was truly honoured to be compared to her
by a number of reviewers. The thing about having had a chance to
collaborate with Maeve, I’m sure I’d learn so much from her as
well as coming up with a real fiction cracker!
2.
What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you
write?
Like
the vast majority of writers, I write when I get the chance. So,
first off, I’m a wifey and mammy (and Irish mammies are very busy
women!) Next up I work in a day job so that is meant to take up five
days. I’ve been lucky, in that I have been able to take one day per
week off to concentrate on writing.
I’m
up before most people each day and I love the quiet of writing in the
mornings. On one day per week I’m at my desk by nine am, the phone
switched to flight mode and I’m doing authorly things! (No, not on
ebay!) My favourite is when I’m writing something new –
unfortunately, in my case, the first draft is only one fifth of the
process!
At
the moment, I’m enjoying the buz of being recently published.
There’s a lot of social media stuff happening and my publishers are
great at providing opportunities to highlight the book.
My
best writing is done at home, I have an office at the top of the
house, several desks, a comfy chair for first drafts and an array of
children’s art and school photos on the wall in front of my desk.
3.
What is the hardest part of the writing for you?
The
hardest part, by far is when you can’t get near it. You know, that
thing called ‘life’ has a habit of taking over some days. I get a
little angsty if I feel I haven’t done anything for a few days.
Even a blog post counts!!
4.
When and why did you first start writing?
I’ve
always written. I’ve always been a collector of nice notebooks and
I’m the woman who will always have a pen in her bag! For years, I
just wrote bits, poems, short stories. Many years ago, I wrote a
radio play – I don’t think it was very good, but there was always
that thing in the back of my mind that it was something I should be
doing.
5.
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
Most
writers will tell you that the ideas are everywhere. You start with
just a thread, for me it was a ‘What if?’ question and it built
from there. Some of the characters were very clear in my mind and
they really did lead the story on from the beginning.
6.
Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?
Aren’t
we all?
I
love books, always have. Now, I’m addicted to my e-reader. The
thing is, I’ve come across so many great books that are calling out
to me… (I blame all you brilliant bloggers!)
In
the past, I read a lot of crime fiction, but these days, my choices
are a little more diverse!
At
the minute I’m finishing up on ‘The Casual Vacancy,’ by Jk
Rowling, it was one of those books that I always meant to read (I’ve
read everything else she’s written!) but I had a hard back copy and
it’s a real door stopper, so I had put if off, selecting e-titles
instead. I’m really enjoying it though.
Also,
on the bedside table, I’m heading into ‘Mothers and Daughters’
by Minna Howard and I’m really looking forward to this. We share
not only a publisher, but also an agent and I’m assured the writing
will be great, also I’m told the story is fab!
7.
Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers?
My
advice is the same as every other writer is going to give you. If you
want to write a novel, you have to sit on a chair for a long time –
for your own sake, make sure it’s a comfortable one!
Faith
Hogan’s debut novel, ‘My Husband’s Wives,’ is published on
1st of May 2016 by Aria (Head of Zeus). It is currently available to
pre-order on Amazon and all good E-reading sites. She lives in the
west of Ireland with her husband, children, a very fat cat called
Norris and a selection of (until recently!) idle writerly mugs and
cups. Follow Faith on Twitter at @gerhogan or like her on
Facebook.comFaithhoganauthor/ or, if you’re really interested, you
can catch up with her on www.faithhogan.com
