Tell us about your new novel, The Sisters of Hope SquareThe Sisters of Hope Square is my brand-new uplifting summer novel. It’s a story about two sisters – Rae, who seems to have everything fall into her lap in life, and Blythe, who finally decides it’s time to even the score.It’s set here, in the west of Ireland, on a fictional island called Pin Hill and I suppose, it’s the sort of book to read if you want to sink into a perfect escape for a little while.You’ve written a lot about family. Have you always been curious about this?The idea of a family is rich pickings for a novelist, but I suppose, in the past I’ve explored the idea of people who are thrown together one way or another and who become as close as family, thanks to shared circumstance and being in dire need of help from those closest to them at a certain time.With the Hope Square Sisters, I’ve turned this idea on its head. This is a story of two sisters who were once close, but who have been pulled apart in the first instance by an inheritance and in the second by a husband who is coercively controlling, not just his wife, but her whole family.I suppose the thing I truly believe in life is that there is no one like your own sister. They can be your strongest ally and your truest friend – the novel explores how Blythe and Rae find their way back to each other, despite misgivings and long-held jealousies.This novel acutely explores sibling rivalry. Is this something you’ve experience of?This is something I can’t say I’m an expert in. I’m lucky to have the best sister in the world. We have always been each other’s biggest cheerleaders but I had great fun letting my imagination run riot with this story. There are some elements that are based on experience. Over lockdown, we all knew what it felt like to miss people as a physical ache, and I certainly felt this with my sister, because of course, it’s not the same waving at someone through a window. Rae regularly feels this in the novel, and it was easy to write, when I remembered that time.All Blythe has ever wanted is to run the family hotel, and Rae has fallen into running it with very little interest. Did you find yourself siding with one sister over the other?Both sisters have their good and bad points, certainly. Blythe is a woman who could be best described as a bitter pill, if you get on the wrong side of her. But in saying that, I think she has a heart of gold. Rae, on the other hand, well, there were times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up and smell the coffee, but I could clearly see why Blythe was so protective of her, because she is lovely, if rather too naive for her own good.When readers come to this story, I have a sense that it’s Kip who’ll steal their hearts. He’s the real backbone of the piece, regardless of what Blythe has convinced herself of over the years.You have a degree in psychology and have worked in the care sector. Have these parts of your life brought a lot to your work? I think most writers will tell you that we only get going as we get older. I wouldn’t have had the bandwidth available to me to write characters as rounded as Blythe and Rae when I was in my twenties. I think that my work in mental health and learning disability, apart from being joyous, taught me far more than I had ever bargained for. It’s amazing what you learn just by listening to people. My degrees opened up so many opportunities for me over the years, but mainly, when it comes to writing character-driven books, it’s about understanding people and wanting to give them a voice.How important is place in your writing?I am endlessly inspired by where I live. And rightly so: we have one of the largest urban forests on our doorstep, the Atlantic whipping up only a few miles away and the river Moy accompanying me on my morning walk. All of these things, with an ever-changing sky, the 100 shades of green and weather that can never be depended on is a writer’s fodder. I think of the sense of place as being as much a part of my books as a character – they are a backdrop, a symphony and a full stop.You originally set out to write crime novels. Was there a moment you decided this genre wasn’t for you? Did I say it wasn’t for me ...You’ve written 12 novels since 2017. Tell us about your writing day and the pressure of sustaining at least a book a yearIn the beginning, I wrote early in the mornings. I used to joke that before I went to my day job, I had already done one day’s work. Except, that wasn’t strictly true, because it has never been work. Not in the way that other people work, in jobs that are monotonous, back breaking or mundane. Now I write full time. My only enemy is the internet, but I have made some rules around that, which I try to stick to, mostly. No novel ever got written on Ebay! Amazing books by Cal Newport among others have enormously influenced how I organise my writing time in order to be productive.Which projects are you working on?I’m working on the edits for my summer 2027 read. It’s set between Pin Hill and Dublin – it’s a story about the enduring power of childhood friendship.Who do you admire the most?At this point in time, having written about Blythe and Rae, definitely my sister, Bernadine. Although, I would probably say that anyway, even if I hadn’t just spent a whole year with the Scott sisters in my head.You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?Fast fashion is over.Which public event affected you most?Have any of us truly, fully processed Covid? I mean, it’s probably the biggest world-wide event of our lifetimes.Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?PG Wodehouse – for giggles; Jackie Collins – for scandalous stories; and James Herriot – in the hope that he would bring several dogs and cats along for company. The fact that I gobbled up his books as a teenager might also be a factor.The best and worst things about where you live?See above, for the best – I could eulogise, but I suspect there’s a word count. The worst – have you travelled on the main Ballina–Dublin Road first leg? Also, we could do with three more trains a day and several more carriages on each (maybe I need to go back to being supreme ruler for a second day) – but then, compared to our east coast friends – I think overall, we have it pretty good.The Sisters of Hope Square is published by Aria