Tell us about your new novel, Heap Earth Upon It
It is a dark story of longing and obsession. It is set in a small Irish village in the 1960s and follows the four O’Leary siblings as they try to outrun their past and start new lives. But the locals soon begin to realise that not everything is as it seems with the O’Learys.
Which was the bigger challenge, setting the work in 1965 or having four different first-person narrators?
Setting the work in 1965 was more challenging, as I wanted to be sure that I was true to the era. Rural Ireland in the 1960s is quite different to the cliched image we see in the media, and I wanted to get that across in a way that felt real.
What do you make of the comparison to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca?
It’s an unexpected, massive compliment.
Tell us about your debut novel, Sunburn (2023), a coming-of-age lesbian love story set in rural Ireland, which was shortlisted for the Nero, Polari and British Book Awards debut prizes
Sunburn is the story of a young girl who falls in love with her best friend. It celebrates the intensities of first love, and the realities of being gay in conservative spaces.
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It was also set in the past, in its case the 1990s. Why?
Partly because homosexuality was only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993, so it was a time of progress in Ireland, but I wanted to note that societal values aren’t always reflected in the law.
How vital was outside help in getting it right?
For both books, having an honest, experienced outside perspective has been instrumental. I’ve learned so much from my agents and editor.
Will there be a sequel? Fans are keen to know your thoughts on the protagonists’ future
Hopefully one day!
What was it like to grow up gay in rural Ireland, in your case Rosscarbery in west Cork?
I didn’t realise that I was growing up gay! I think because I saw minimal queer representation, especially of queer women, and so I didn’t realise it was an option until I was older.
How important has gay fiction been for you? How important is it that everyone should read it?
Hugely important. It makes a real difference reading something you can relate to! It’s really important to engage with queer media. It can take the scariness out of the concept, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t read queer literature.
You wrote Sunburn back home in west Cork during Covid but the new one in Brighton, where you now live. Does distance help?
Yes and no. It was helpful as I’d written so much about the countryside in Sunburn, so I needed to see it from another angle and focus on details I might have ignored before. But it’s hard not being surrounded by the accents, the nature and the culture of the place I’m writing about.
How vital was an Arts Council grant in enabling you to write full-time?
I wouldn’t have had the courage to go full-time with writing without it. It gave me a huge push, and it allowed me to take myself more seriously as a writer.
Who are the writers you admire and why?
I love Irish writers who capture the minutiae of daily life, such as Donal Ryan and Claire Keegan. Writing Heap Earth Upon It, I leaned into Gothic/horror for the first time, and I just love Susan Hill, who says so much with few words.
Which books about girlhood and adolescence have influenced you most?
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides has been an enduring influence on me. I first read it 15 years ago and still find it refreshing.
Which projects are you working on?
I’m working on two books at once. They are wildly different to one another, so it’s creatively fulfilling but also hectic!
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?
Never – I’d love to take up a residency somewhere fabulous and warm, but I’d find it so hard to get any work done!
What is the best writing advice you have heard?
Writing is rewriting.
Who do you admire the most?
My mother.
You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?
Not a law, but I’d give myself a full driver’s licence because I’ve been doing lessons for so long but I’m nervous of the test!
Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?
- Book – Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
- Film – Honey Don’t
- Podcast – Blúiríní Béaloidis
Which public event affected you most?
Both Brighton and Cork’s Trans Pride parades this year were amazing. It was uplifting to see so many people attending.
The most remarkable place you have visited?
Chiang Mai in Thailand.
Your most treasured possession?
My signed copy of Donavan’s Sunshine Superman.
What is the most beautiful book that you own?
An Irish Folk Tale Treasury by John Creedon.
Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Alice Walker, Sarah Waters, Leslie Feinberg.
The best and worst things about where you live?
Best thing is how gay it is. Worst thing is the seagulls that steal food out of your hands!
Who is your favourite fictional character?
Miss Piggy – so glam, so beautiful.
A book to make me laugh?
The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien.
A book that might move me to tears?
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.
Heap Earth Upon It is published by Verve Books. Chloe Michelle Howarth will be in Ireland for launch events at Dubray, Cork, on Wednesday, October 22nd; Hodges Figgis, Dublin, on October 23rd; and Waterstones, Belfast, on October 24th
