Meet the author: Q&A session with Diana O’Neil
By Zoila Marenco • • 4 min read
Q1: For those who may not know you, could you share a bit about your background and how it has influenced your journey as a writer?
I was brought up in a book-devouring household. My father was a publisher; my mother became a bookseller. I was destined to read and write stories constantly. In true teenage oppositional style, I decided to become a nurse after I finished school and, while I loved it, I was aware that I was hoovering up experiences for later regurgitation in writing. In my thirties, I went into book publishing, magazines and marketing
Q2: How did you come up with the title of your novel? Was it clear to you from the start, or did it evolve as you wrote the story?
I still very much like the original working title of my book, now called Sorrows Yield. It was ‘The Wood’: plain and memorable for its simplicity. But the story moved away from being about the actual wood of the title and became something bigger and perhaps more dramatic, needing a more weighty title. I like that the title (from Spenser’s poem ‘The Faerie Queene’) can be read in several ways: ‘yield’ in two ways as a verb and one as a noun.
Q3: Can you walk us through your journey to getting published? What made you decide to go with self-publishing, and how did you navigate that process?
Having been a publisher and a marketer of books, I knew that my writing would not be a commercial opportunity for a business, certainly not for the first book . . . or the second or third. Nevertheless, I ignored what I already knew and persisted with trying to find a publisher or agent for five long, ego-bruising years. Three things persuaded me to get over my hesitation to self-publish: I remembered my father’s appreciation of the book as an object to celebrate; my brother-in-law told me to ‘finish the project’ – simple but persuasive; and I found the (not insubstantial) money required.
Q4: Was there a specific part of the publishing process that you found particularly exciting or rewarding?
I like working in teams on projects. It was a hallmark of my former professional life. To witness and get access to the clever skills of an editor, designer, publisher, etc., is inspiring and . . . fun! Humbling, too; for example, to see how editors spend their time is mind-boggling. I have quite good attention to detail, but their work is fantastic!
Q5: Was there a particular chapter that you found especially difficult to write? How did you overcome that challenge?
It was not so much a particular chapter that I had difficulty with, more the placement of chapters . . . structural issues. I got hung up on the idea that the reader would not be able to follow the narrative unless I over-explained the timeline(s). A mentor said to me to trust the reader, trust their brains, their emotional and intellectual investment. This led to mixing up the chapters – moving them around for more tension and teasers. Great advice! Let’s hope it worked.
Q6: Family and memory are central to your novel. How do you think past generations influence our present lives and identities?
Well, this is a big topic. For a start, the work scientists are doing on epigenetics is huge and fascinating. But at a more immediate level, genes, biology, hormones, stories, memories, bonding, environment, trauma and security all count to make us who we are, and they are all rooted in the past – recent or distant. In my book, my protagonist understands more about herself and what her future might look like by a deep dive into her late-grandfather’s life. If she had not discovered his story, she may have lived a lesser life, with less understanding and knowledge of her own purpose and mastery.
Q7: How did your personal experiences influence the way you approach your characters’ emotions and conflicts?
Of course, all writers must dip into their own experiences – good or bad – to write well about another’s. However, all my characters are an amalgam of several real people that I have known, and then I’ve put myself into their shoes; I’ve imagined how they may have felt. More specifically, having been a nurse allowed me to see some serious aspects of life up close. I am aware that it has given me the ability to describe injuries, pain and illness accurately – joy and grief, too.
Q8: What advice would you give to aspiring authors, particularly those looking to write fiction?
It is often said, and I concur, that if you want to write . . . read, read, read. I was lucky enough for that to be the norm in my life. But perhaps I should also add another bit of advice: my father preempted Nike’s advertising phrase by decades when he would often say to me, ‘JUST DO IT’. And one more quote from an important authority, namely Yoda, who said, ‘Do or do not, there is no try.’
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