FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. Here are some questions I get asked all the time:
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WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1968. I remember being a sensitive child,
which was quite an unfortunate thing to be in Northern Ireland in those days. Every
raised voice startled me. I was absolutely terrified by the sight of middle-aged
male teachers caning unruly little boys six times on each hand. As a teen I despised
blood-and-thunder politics, was endlessly heartbroken by sectarian murder, and resentful
of what I saw as the oppressive nature of organised religion. I knew kind teachers
and family members, of course, and these people became my role models. I avoided
extroverts and exhibitionists wherever possible, and the best place to do this was
in the local library.
From an early age I sought refuge in books like THE SECRET GARDEN, THE BORROWERS
and CHARLOTTE’S WEB. I adored the twin concepts of escape and sanctuary, of the small
and the vulnerable triumphing against all odds, and vowed that when I grew up nobody
would ever again tell me what to do, what to think or how to live. Looking back,
it was probably small acts of kindness that saved Northern Ireland from civil war.
To this day I cannot bear any flippant referral to war.
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DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A WRITER?
No, it was always my dream to be an illustrator. In 1979 I read a version of THE
BORROWERS series by Mary Norton, exquisitely illustrated by Diana Stanley, and decided
I wanted to be an illustrator. I was a studious child but painting and drawing were
always (and still are) my first loves. I went to Art College in Belfast from 1988-1992
and gained a degree in DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION. My favourite illustrators are Diana
Stanley (THE BORROWERS), Chris Riddell (SOMETHING ELSE), Ross Collins (SUPPOSING)
and Nick Butterworth (ONE SNOWY NIGHT). My favourite artists are Vincent Van Gogh,
Stanley Spencer and Ilya Repin. I would love to write and illustrate a book for children
one day. I think it is the first and foremost duty of every parent to make sure their
child has access to books.
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HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED?
In 2000 I wrote a radio play inspired by a childhood incident where I once had acute
stage-fright and hid behind a curtain to avoid taking part in an Irish Dancing competition.
The play was called THE END OF THE DANCING DAYS. I was delighted when it went into
development with BBC Northern Ireland for several months but sadly it never reached
the selection stage. By then however I’d already begun work on THE TEAHOUSE ON MULBERRY
STREET. My debut novel was based on a short story I wrote called SADIE SPONGE & THE
BITTER LEMONS and featured an avenging housewife from Carryduff and her monstrous
in-laws. Sadie sought refuge from her faithless husband and demanding in-laws in
a shabby cafe on Mulberry Street, and so did several other unhappy characters. THE
TEAHOUSE ON MULBERRY STREET was published in Ireland in 2003 and in sixteen other
countries, briefly making an appearance on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list. I
barely noticed the next ten years passing as I wrote a further six novels in the
same quirky romantic style.
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DO YOUR NOVELS HAVE COMMON THEMES?
Yes, at the heart of every story is a loving couple, a much-cherished place of business,
and a supporting cast of harmless eccentrics. My early dreams of escape and sanctuary
influence everything I write. I don’t write about The Troubles and I don’t often
say what religious background my characters come from. My characters are individuals
living quietly heroic lives behind the privet hedges and half-drawn blinds of suburbia.
My favourite writer is Janet Mc Neill who also wrote about the private absurdities
of the human condition. My favourite novel of all time is THE MAIDEN DINOSAUR. It’s
a beautifully-written journey of self-discovery featuring lonely spinster schoolteacher
Sarah Vincent in middle-class, pre-Troubles Belfast. I first read this novel in 1984
and I still enjoy reading it today. In fact, it’s even more poignant now that I’m
entering middle-age myself.
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HOW DID YOUR COLUMN IN THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH COME ABOUT?
I was invited to submit a weekly opinion column in November 2007 following an interview
I gave to that newspaper as part of an earlier book launch. I was allowed to select
my own topics, and advised to write in a polemic style, but headlines were always
written in-house. I didn’t miss a single week until May 2011. I had a sort of epiphany
then, I think, where I decided it was time to get off my soap-box and let somebody
else ponder and debate the big issues. I wanted to start work on a collection of
paintings based on personal memory and recollection. I’d been writing practically
seven days a week for eleven years and I needed some time away from the discipline
of commercial writing. Painting requires no intellectual effort on my part. I simply
listen to evocative music, get out my paints, and time floats away. Painting is like
therapy for me. It’s calming.
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WHY DO YOU LIVE IN BELFAST?
I’m amazed how many people ask me this, as if Belfast was still as dangerous as it
was in 1972. As if we still had to be frisked before going into shops. As if bombs
were going off every five minutes. As strange as it may seem, Belfast gave me all
that I longed for as a child, namely personal freedom and individuality. It was a
wonderful period of self-discovery, free from the expectations of friends and family.
Belfast gave me a university education, a love of Victorian architecture, a home
of my own in the suburbs, and the inspiration for my novels. It’s just the right
size too. It’s too big and self-important to bother with provincial gossip, and it’s
far too small to feel alone in. I imagine all cities have their advantages and disadvantages
and Belfast is no different, but I think the city has glimpsed apocalypse and decided
to opt for peace instead. I’m hopeful for the future. And finally it’s been said
that the Belfast accent can sound sinister but I find its low tones very soothing.
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WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
My first publishing contract for six novels ended up spanning seven novels, seventeen
publishers and almost ten years. It was a huge undertaking and I spent too much time
and energy worrying about approaching deadlines, pleasing multiple publishing houses,
pondering cover designs, having ideas for publicity and marketing, following chart
positions and anticipating reviews. Then, around the time I had my epiphany about
the newspaper column, I decided to write a trilogy of gothic and melancholy love
stories, just for myself.
And so I began VICTOR & VERITY, the story of a young couple whose pure and true love
inspires murderous jealousy amid their neighbours on Colenso Parade in Belfast. I
am now working on THE SILVER HOUSE, a bleak and wintry love story featuring unhappy
writer Ivo Constantine and the beautiful but mysterious Anna. This novel is a murder-mystery.
The third novel will feature a time-travelling ghost. This phase of my writing is
hugely enjoyable because there are no publishers (at this stage anyway) looking over
my shoulder. My burning ambition is to have a gothic cover on one of my future books
as I have always loved punk music and steam-punk fashion.
I hope to complete the trilogy, finish my new collection of paintings and perhaps
arrange an exhibition within the next three years. I shall post my paintings on this
site as work progresses, and continue to answer all emails and letters from my readers.
My most recent novel, A WINTER’S WEDDING, is set in a London charity shop and is
available in Ireland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Poland. Thank-you for your
continued support and interest in my work.
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With warmest wishes,
Sharon Owens
February 2012
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