Áine Greaney, author of Trespassers and Other Stories set to be published on March 4, 2025.
Who is Áine Greaney?
I had the privilege of meeting the incredibly talented and exceptionally kind Áine Greaney while hosting an online book drawing in celebration of my birthday this year. Áine graciously entered her book, Trespassers and Other Stories, into the drawing. Shortly after entering the drawing, I received a thoughtful message from Áine through my blog's contact form, which was a pleasant surprise. In her message, she expressed her appreciation for my blog and inquired about the process for submitting an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for my consideration to be read and reviewed. Having just started my blog at the end of December, I was thrilled that an accomplished author such as Áine, had enough faith in me to reach out and ask me to read their ARC. I eagerly accepted to read Áine's book, and the rest is history.
I absolutely fell in love and was captivated with the relatable and intriguing stories in Trespassers. It was engaging and offered a profound perspective on what it feels like to be a woman experiencing displacement. I felt something stir deep within me and was compelled to keep reading each page like a moth to a flame. Áine's writing style left a lasting impression on my heart and mind, and I couldn't help but share my enthusiasm for her work with others. My encounter with Áine Greaney and her extraordinary book was an unexpected moment that enriched my journey as a book blogger. It reminded me of the ability that literature has to connect people and the importance of supporting talented authors who share their stories with the world. Continue reading to find out what Áine had to say when I sent over a series of questions to better understand her and mind and motivations.
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The Interview
Chapter Chirp: Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you decided to become an author?
Áine: I grew up in rural Ireland. One day, when I was about eight years old, I found a children’s adventure novel by Enid Blyton, the popular British author. I devoured that book and wanted more. Once I got hooked on reading, I lived a dual life—one with my family and real friends at our tiny village school. My other life “happened” between the covers of my kiddie novels with my fictional “friends.” As I got older, I ghosted those friends for my new buddy, Nancy Drew. I always wanted to write my own stories. But I never wrote anything until I emigrated alone, from Ireland to upstate New York, where I still remember going into the local Woolworth’s (discount department store) to buy my first writing notebook and a pen. Now, in my home in coastal Massachusetts, I still have my first acceptance letter from an American literary magazine.
Chapter Chirp: What is your favorite thing about this book (i.e: character(s), theme, title, cover art, etc.) and why?
Áine: Unlike my four previous books, I think I am thematically more daring in these stories that move back and forth between coastal Massachusetts and Ireland. As for the characters, my favorite thing about them is their age range. Two stories in “Trespassers and Other Stories” have main characters who are almost eighty. Some stories' characters are middle aged. In three stories, the main characters are in their teens. Regardless of their age or social class or setting, it was my job to step back and let these characters say what they had to say about the world in which they found themselves.
Chapter Chirp: What was the most surprising aspect that you learned while writing your latest book?
Áine: Before I thought of creating and pitching a collection, some of these stories had been published in literary journals as standalone pieces. The others sat in my computer, half-finished. One day, as I sat reading all the published and unfinished stories, I noticed a theme: Young or old, rich or poor, all of my characters felt displaced. So I learned that, even though I’ve lived in the U.S. for a long time now, I keep noodling away at the issue of place, displacement and where or if we all find that place where we feel at home.
Chapter Chirp: What advice would you give to someone aspiring to write a book and become an author?
Áine: First, look at a calendar to find (or free up) a slot of writing time—an hour or a half hour--a few times per week. Second, no matter how busy you are or how many people in your life need you, you deserve to put your words on a page. Writing is who we are; not what we do. So go and be who you are. Third, a professor of mine in Dublin once said, “Just do your own work.” I often remind myself of that. Disregard social media or the bestseller lists and just write as you want to write. While working on a longer work, submit a standalone piece to a journal. It’s a huge buzz to see your words in print. It also builds you writer’s résumé. Finally, when my writing students tell me that they have no new plot or story to tell, I turn all bossy and remind them that they—and only they—are uniquely qualified to tell their own story. So do yourself and the world a favor and sit down (or stand up) and tell that story.
Chapter Chirp: How long did it take you to write your current title and what was your inspiration for this book?
Áine: I’m working on what I think is a young adult novel, “Nobody Home.” The story opens in a church-basement thrift store where 16-year-old Lucy, the main character, watches her social-media obsessed mother shoplifting (again). As Mom gets fired from jobs and evicted from apartments, Lucy must parent her own parent. Until that day when Mom concocts and tells the whopper lie—the lie that forces Lucy to choose between her own life or life with Mom.
This winter, I’ve left this fictional story aside to stew while I work on a hybrid (non-fiction and poetry) piece about growing up on our farm in Ireland.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I think it's pretty obvious to say that Áine can officially add me to her list of fans. Not only does she have an interesting life but also interesting stories to tell. I very much look forward to her future work and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I would like to add, that I greatly appreciate the time she took to sit down and reply to my questions with such thoughtful answers. I encourage my readers to learn more about Áine and support her work by visiting her author website https://www.ainegreaney.com.
Have you read any of Áine Greaney's books? What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below.
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