Jacinta Mc Devitt- MAy 18th

[catherine daly]

All the Way from the west coast of the US of A, Jacinta will be joining us at 8pm Irish time for her online interview on Wednesday the 18th of May!
If you can't make it, post your question now and Jacinta will answer as many as possible!

[Shirley]

Hi Jacinta,
I just visited your site and saw that you wrote your first book in a few months when you were unfortunate enough to be bound to a bed with a broken leg. Just wondering how many hours a day on average did you write during this period? Producing a book in a few months is very impressive! I know you were restricted in the amount of things you could do at this time, but I'm sure the temptation was there as well to read other books or pick up a magazine. Were you very disciplined in your timeframes when writing your first book?
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the chat!
Shirley

[cillian]

Hi Jacinta....First of all, I would like to thank you for taking time to answer our questions and being available for this interview. As a male in his mid-twenties, I'd like to ask you if in the writing of your books, you take into consideration that there may be a certain male readership too, and not just women. I'm a novice to this particlular reading scene myself and i've just begun reading Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes....it seems like an exciting novel!....but my first chic-lit reading experience came from taking sneak browses from my Mam's collection of Cathy Kelly! and I'm excited about all the reading possiblities now! In Excess Baggage for example, you portray men as lacking real commitment in relationships. Do you prefer to stick to the female protagonist's perspective so in your novels? I hope you can be aware of your potential male fans in any case!!! Thanks. Cillian.

[marie]

Hi Jacinta,

Can you tell me what inspires you to write?

All the best,

Marie

[JennyH]

Hi Jacinta

Have your books been translated into other languages? If so, do you have to do a lot of foreign travel to promote your books?

Jenny H

[susan]

Hi Jacinta

How did you come to the decision to give up your day job to write full time?

Best wishes

Susan xx

[annemarie]

Hi Jacinta

Can't make it tonight. You're website looks great by the way!

Here goes, barrage of questions...

Do you think it gets easier or harder to write as you get further into your writing career?

Who is your favourite character that you've created and why?

Finally, if there was one book (other than your own) in the world that you could have laid claim to writing what would it be and why?

I've just asked you to write an essay!!! Sorry.

xxx

[fran]

Hi Jacinta,

I hope that you had a lovely time in San Francisco. Did you love it?? Anyway I won't be able to make it tonight either, as I have no access to the net at home. Best of luck with the interview.

How do the characters come in to your mind ? I just wondered if you work out the plot of the story first and then build your characters around the plot, or do you plan who your characters are first and then base your story around them?

Wish I could be there tonight.

Fran xx

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi everyone
Well here I am in San Francisco at 11.29 in the morning having breakfast and chatting - its a great city and I'm loving it.
So, now, to answer some of the questions you've asked - some tough ones in there!!!!!! anyway here goes.

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Shirley
Thanks for the question - I suppose it does seem like a short time to write a book but I have to admit that the character of Linda had been in my head for a while - I just didn't know if her story was to be a short story or a novel. When I broke my leg I started writing non stop and the story and character developed. I did spend a huge amount of time writing during my recovery - just after my operation I was in a ward in Beaumont Hospital and a woman was reading Woman's Way she started laughing at an article and it was one I had written - that sort of thing gives you a great boost to continue writing so when I came home from hospital all I wanted to do was write and as luck would have it I could do nothing else.
Once I'm into writing something I don't usually read other books. when I want a break from writing I read at a rate of knots.

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Cillian I have a twenty something year old son and I'd like to think I am sympathetic towards men. I have a wonderful male partner and I hope to God he's into commitment!!!! I'd like to think that I look at the all over view of men and indeed women - then I write about a partcular man that forms in my head - some aren't into commitment some may not be into apple pie but it's the same with the women characters. Did you read Sign's On - there's a great character - Carl in that - if you read it will you let me know what you think. I know a lot of men who read and really enjoy "chic lit" and that's why I think the term isn't very discriptive of the writing its supposed to represent.
Happy reading Cillian - its great to hear from someone who's exciting about reading.

[jacintamcdevitt]

Marie, jenny and Susan - I think everything inspires me to write. I usually get a character in my head and it forms over a time and I know the character better than I know myself. Sometimes a phrase comes into my head and I put the two together and off the thing goes from there on a life of its own. It all depends really. talking to people about writing always makes me want to go off and write and getting feed back from readers is great - when anyone goes to the trouble of first of all reading my books and then letting me know if they liked them - it makes me want to write more and more. I am a person who likes being around people - a bit of a people watcher and a terrible ear wigger!!! I never write anything I hear or see (for fear of being sued) but it does trigger other ideas and situations in my head. I haven't given up the day job - nor do I think I ever will. I love my day job and if I'm to be honest it does help my writing - I would stay in bed all day and watch tv and read and enjoy delicious food if I gave up the day job. Funnily enough when my children were young I was a stay at home mom but I didn't write then - I hadn't the time - but that was the grounding for all my writing - making up stories for my children.
My first book Sign's On is translated in Germany - there is no travel or anythng like that involved - the publishers manage everything and its great.

[Marisa]

Hi Jacinta, hope you're having a lovely time! Just wondering when you write do you do much rewriting? When it is finished, do you let the book sit for a while and then go back to it? Do you always know the end of your books before you start?
Luv
M

[Angie]

Hi Jacinta its Angie I read Excess baggage last week and loved it..just want to know how did you come up with the story line of the 3 blokes...when she was sitting in the bar and it was her ex she was chatting up and the other 2 fellas coming after her as well I thought it was hilarious. I read the book in one sitting just did'nt want to stop...I'm glad she chose that fella in the end (don't want to say his name in case anyone else is reading it) he was such a sweet character...how did you find them??

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Fran - sorry you're not here - I think i've already answered your question - usually a character forms and grows in my head then the situations that person finds themselves in and so the plot develops.
Talk to you when I get back

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Anne Marie - hows it going?
It would be easier for me to write an essay than answer your last qustion! I could say Harry Potter so I could visit Saks yet again this afternoon - the doorman and I are on first terms already! I could say Romeo and Juliet but then that would mean I'd be dead by now - seroulsy though there have been too many wonderful books written for me to choose so I'll just have to settle for the three that i have written myself.
Favourite character ? That's like asking me to pick my favourite child - I honestly don't have one - my favourite is always the one I'm working on - so the correct answer would be Ruby and you can read all about her soon.
Thanks for the comments about my website, J

[charlie]

Hi Jacinta
how are you?
I havent read any of you books yet I'm going into town tomorow could you please tell me the titles of your books
When you arent writing what do you like to do? and do you find it hard to switch of and relax?

[claire]

Hi Jacinta, I hope you're having a wonderful time in San Fransisco, wish I was there too Only question I have is what is your day job?

claire

ps will your books ever come out in dutch?

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi marissa - hope all is great with you. I don't do much re-writing. I usually keep writing and then at the end of each chapter go back and edit. I never know the ending until the final full stop is hit. The first book, Sign's On, was supposed to have a totally different ending.
See you soon J

[jacintamcdevitt]

Charlie - I find it so easy to relax you wouldn't believe. The only problem is that when I look like I'm relaxing I'm really working on some character or plot or bit of dialogue or all three at the one time. I always have a notebook handy.
Sign's On was the first novel, Handle with Care the second and Excess Baggage the third. Hope you enjoy them.

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Claire - not sure if they'll ever be out in Dutch maybe they're already double dutch to some people!!! The day job - I work in an architectural practice.

[charlie]

Thank you Jacinta
I have just been having a look at your website and put it on my favourite list to look at better later.
Another question
Do you ever base your characters on people you know?
Thanks

[claire]

Well that's three more added to my Christmas list!

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Charlie - I never, ever use a character I know as a character in my books. You'd be very confined because you'd already know how that character would react etc. to different situations - When you make up a character in your head the boundaries are limitless and you can have much more fun.
I wrote a short story once and I used the characters etc of my two children - I even used their names - Alan and Lucy. It won a competition. I did it on purpose and let my children read it before it was published. I thought it would be nice to write one thing that they would be able to show their children or even have for themselves. The story is on my website and its called Love me Tender.

[charlie]

Thanks I'll have a read of that later

[jacintamcdevitt]

Hi Angie - glad you loved Excess Baggage and got a good laugh from it. I'd love to tell you that in my own life I always have to deal with blokes in multiples of 3 but that'd be a lie. Anyway, I don't know where the three blokes came from myself they each popped into my head and their characters, along with the story developed. I'm glad she went for the one she went for too - you have no idea the nights I sat up waiting to see which one she'd pick in the end.

[charlie]

Thanks you for answering my questions Jacinta have to go now and get kids to bed.
I'm going to try and get one of your books tomorrow I will let you know if I manage hope they are in our book shops here in Newcastle.
Bye for now
Charlie.x

[bobby]

Hi jacinta, Loved your books and have read some of your short stories and loved them too!!! Have you ever thought of putting all of your short stories into one book??
Bobby

[jacintamcdevitt]

Charlie - tell them a story and they'll be off in no time. thanks for all the questions - if you don't get the books will you let me know.
Bobby thanks for the message - I never thought of compiling all my short stories - worth thinking about though - thanks.

[jacintamcdevitt]

Well everyone - thanks a million for taking the time to post questions and chat to me - I've enjoyed it.
If you want to leave a message for me on my website I'll be back home next Monday and I'll be in touch with you then.
Good night everyone xxx