Tell us about your new work and how it came about – the story behind the story.
If Looks Could Kill is the third in the Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan series. Alongside unravelling the mystery at the heart of the novel, the murder of Debbie Nugent, I wanted to explore themes of self-image and of how others perceive us. It is a story about the masks we wear both intentionally and unintentionally.
The first scene in the book takes us to the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin where a man kills himself quite publicly. The novel then takes us out to rural Wicklow near a fictional town called Ballyalann where my detective, Frankie, is confronted with what looks like the murder scene of mother-of-two Debbie Nugent.
When it’s discovered that Debbie’s grown daughter, Margot, has been living with the scene for days, the obvious question is why didn’t she report it? I like to push myself into plot corners occasionally to see if I can get to the story behind them. In some ways that is the story behind the story: here are two peculiar scenarios, I know they connect somehow but how and why.
What was your favourite book as a child?
I think there's no better reading experience for a child than discovering a series so it is difficult to choose only one childhood favourite. I loved all the Tom McCaughren books, Colin Dann's Farthing Wood series, in particular The Fox Cub Bold, Anne of Green Gables, and Mildred D Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry series. As a writer, I've spent my time attempting to recreate in others the feeling these books gave me.
Who is your favourite fictional character?
Again there are too many to whittle down. So many stand out. Montgomery's Anne Shirley, Tartt's Richard Papen, Barry's Willie Dunne, Mantel's Cromwell, Süskind's Grenouille, Austen's Mrs Bennett, Harris's Hannibal Lecter, Brontë's Heathcliff. I could go on and on!
Which Irish author should everyone read?
There are so many brilliant Irish writers writing today: Lisa McInerney, Sebastian Barry, Anne Enright, Sara Baume, Marian Keyes. And if you love crime fiction then of course there is a huge Irish family of writers to choose from including, Catherine Ryan Howard, Jo Spain, Steve Cavanagh and many more.
Where and how do you write?
Up until a couple of years ago, I wrote almost exclusively on our kitchen table but I now have an office which I adore. This is where I do most of my writing. It's comfortable and quiet and it's nice to have a space where I can lay out my notebooks and know that when I return they'll be in the same place ready to pick up where I left off.
Sometimes, if I’m stuck or need inspiration, I’ll take a notebook with me when I walk and spend some time writing about my surroundings. It all depends where I am in the writing process. When I’m drafting a novel, I’ll often go back and forth between writing longhand and writing on my laptop.
Longhand appears to be most helpful to me if I’m unsure about what’s coming next or if I have a difficult scene that I’m unsure about how to approach. Longhand allows for mistakes, for hastily drawn asterisks in the corner where you might want to add more, crossed-out words, scribbles in margins, arrows. It’s much more dynamic and free than the linearity of typing.
Sometimes, we just need to be able to put a mark down to break the blank page. Artists occasionally do this by putting down a layer of wash or light paint on the canvas. I use pen on paper. Saying that, the bulk of my writing, when I really get going, is on the laptop. Once I’m truly in my characters’ world and writing with some speed then longhand isn’t quick enough but my notebooks are never far from the keyboard.
What book influenced you the most?
I think for most authors there is rarely one book that influences them. It's more of a melting pot of influences. I first read our current laureate, Sebastian Barry, back in 2010 when I'd just finished reading Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach and Solar. I think, because I was attempting to write a novel at the time, both writers made me more aware of paragraph shape, imagery and where you place detail in a scene. I guess their books made me more careful about the craft of writing. I've also revisited Maeve Binchy's work over the years. She had a real skill for setting and characterisation and I'm a long-time fan of Jane Austen. She perfected the "get straight to the action and hook" structure long before modern-day writers thought to do so.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Ask yourself what it is you want out of your writing. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, write novels, poems, sketches, scripts. Write from different perspectives, different tenses. You can learn from all writing formats. Also, try and maintain your curiosity about writing, challenge yourself structurally or plotwise to keep your energy and the fun up. As a reader, there is nothing better than reading a passage where the author is stretching their writing and having fun.
What weight do you give reviews?
I try to leave reviews to readers where possible. Although I obviously love good reviews. We are very needy creatures, us authors.
What writing trends have struck you lately?
I think with the uncertainty around us presently because of the pandemic, more people are reaching for books in general. When you read, it commands attention, the phone goes face down, the TV off. Quiet. It provides genuine respite from what's going on "out there". I think readers are answering this by choosing propulsive and absorbing reads. I'm not sure it matters what genre as long as it's engaging. That might include a quieter read with a big emotional wake such as Sally Rooney's Normal People or a can't-look-away-now whodunnit like Lucy Foley's The Guest List. And I think writers are feeling similar.
What is the funniest scene you've read?
I really enjoyed David Sedaris's Calypso, in particular his essay titled Stepping Out which is about his discovery and obsession with his FitBit. It's hilarious.
Do you have a favourite poem?
I'm currently reading Vertebrae written by Welsh poet Glyn Edwards. The collection is stunning. Every line excites in some way. One of my favourites is Divining. It felt like the verses could've been superimposed on the summer days of my childhood. "…climbed gates that had shrugged their hinges, and prised apples from the orchard boughs, where one morning, you found the first furrow and we trailed it to the woods of our world-edge".
Where is your favourite place in Ireland, and in the world?
I've lived in the UK since I was 19 so when I visit Ireland it is wonderful to me. In the name of research for this book, I returned to Ireland last summer to reaquaint myself with the Wicklow mountains.
I travelled from the UK via Holyhead on a bright morning in July. The sea was calm and as the ferry approached Dublin, the Poolbeg chimneys emerged through a blue haze on the horizon. Exiting the Port Tunnel, I headed south towards the Wicklow mountains. The further I drove the more pleasing the landscape became.
I’d forgotten how remote parts of Wicklow could be, so close to Dublin but, in terms of landscape, a world away. As I drove over the hills and down into the valleys, the weather swept changes overhead, sunlight then grey drizzle.
I stayed in Ballyteige Lodge near Aughrim, going out over the course of two days to explore the roads, the countryside and the view of the landscape. I had my camera and took plenty of photographs of the mountains and the flora and fauna of the region, often using the voice recorder on my phone to keep note of changes in landscape that interested me.
Although I'm familiar with the Irish countryside and its wild beauty, as a writer there are times when you have to ask yourself to look again and see it through the eyes of someone who'd never set foot there and that really deepened my enjoyment of this trip. My only regret was that I hadn't booked to stay for longer.
If Looks Could Kill by Olivia Kiernan is published by Riverrun on July 23rd. Olivia is the author of the DCS Frankie Sheehan series. She hails from just outside Kells in Co Meath but lives in Oxfordshire. Her debut, Too Close To Breathe, was published in 2018, followed by The Killer In Me in 2019, which the Wall Street Journal called a "captivating new thriller".
