Welcome to the weekly Irish Independent Authors Collective (IIAC) author interviews. Today on my blog, I’m delighted to introduce you all to Philomena Barry. I hope you all enjoy learning more about Philomena and be sure to check out her book.

Irish Independent Authors’ Collective – Philomena Barry

Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you decided to join the Irish Independent Authors’ Collective?

I self-published a book of poetry last August so I think it’s great for the independent author community to band together to support each other and to try to promote ourselves as a group and as a brand. I think we need to make the public more aware that there are a lot of top quality independently published books out there.

How long have you been writing and why did you decide on self-publishing?

I’ve been writing poetry for about fourteen years. I also write murder mystery novels. I finished my first novel in March 2016, I finished the second one in July 2017, and I finished the third one this past February. My novels aren’t published yet as, if I’m honest, I still find the whole self-publishing world a little bit scary; there are a lot of things I don’t know so I’m sitting on my novels for the moment. I decided to self publish my book of poetry because I’d been told by several people that poetry doesn’t sell so I figured there was no point submitting it anywhere; but mostly because I really liked the idea of being able to design the layout and the cover myself. I wasn’t overly concerned about how many copies I would sell. I did a small print run, thinking I’d probably never sell them all; five weeks later I was ordering a reprint! The response was pretty overwhelming, and I’m still amazed when people who don’t know me personally want to buy my book. I’m so glad I decided to publish the book because being a published author is a great feeling.

Do you think the stigma surrounding self-publishing is lessening?

It’s definitely lessening, but it’s still there. There are still a lot of people out there who think that if you’ve self published your book then it’s probably not very good and that you’ve obviously been turned down by countless traditional publishing houses. People don’t realise that independent authors take great pride in their books and hire professional editors, cover designers etc to help them produce a quality product; they probably also don’t realise that self publishing is actually the preferred method of publishing for a lot of writers.

What do you feel the hardest part of self-publishing is?

The hardest part is probably overcoming the stigma and making people see that your book is just as good as a traditionally published book.

What genres do you write?

I write poetry and murder mystery. My murder mysteries are a series, they’re set in Australia and are called The Koala Beach Mysteries. A couple of months ago I began work on the fourth instalment in the series. Although the series is Australian-based, Book Three is set in Venice and Book Four is being set in London, with some of my characters travelling to these locations. I’ve spent time in Australia, I was there for a year in 06/07, and for a holiday in 2010, and I have a lot of family and friends there. I really love Australia so this is why I wanted to set the series there. I was on holiday in Venice last year and I was in London this past March; this is why I felt comfortable using these cities as settings for two of my books, I’m transferring my own experiences onto my characters. I know people write about places they’ve never been but I feel more comfortable talking about the fishy smell of the Venetian canals, or what it’s like to be on the London Eye because I’ve actually done it myself!

What is your favourite story or character that you have written?

I love my murder mystery series. I love all the characters in the books but my favourite would have to be my main character. Her name is Wade Kennedy, she’s the English teacher at Koala Beach High School, and she’s kind of a younger version of Jessica Fletcher!

What time of day do you prefer to write?

I generally like to write in the mornings when my four-year-old is at school, but I also work part-time so that’s not always possible. I’m quite adaptable though, so I’m generally able to write at any time!

Do you have a special writing space?

Sometimes I have the opportunity to write in my local Costa, and I really love to do that. I have a favourite chair that’s in a corner and you’re half hidden behind a plant so, for me, it’s the perfect place to write!

Do you outline your books ahead of time or just go for it?

I mostly just go for it! I didn’t write an outline for my first book and thought that I’d “done it wrong”, so I did an outline for my second book but ended up deviating from it quite a bit. So then I didn’t bother doing one for the third book. Then I read Stephen King’s “On Writing” and discovered that he doesn’t outline either! So I felt pretty good when I found that out!

Who are your favourite Irish authors?

I enjoy a few different Irish writers but I would have to say that my favourite is June Caldwell!

Your latest book, A Fire in the Dark, is a book of poetry. What was the inspiration behind it and is there anything you would like readers to know?

I suppose I would just like people to know that, while some of my poems have external themes, the majority are about my own thoughts and feelings, so they’re very personal.

Is your latest book part of a series and if so how many books are planned for the series?

I do intend to publish another book of poetry, probably within the next year. I’m working on some new poems and am already thinking about the cover design and what the title of the book will be!

Where can readers find out more about you?

That’s a good question! At the moment I don’t have a website or anything like that, but if people are interested in keeping up to date with what I’m doing they’re very welcome to add me as a friend on Facebook – if they type in “Author Philomena Barry” they should find me easy enough.

A Fire in the Dark by Philomena Barry

A Fire in the Dark is the first collection of poetry from Philomena Barry and is available to purchase from her. As mentioned above, if you wish to get in contact with Philomena you can do so via Facebook where I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to explain how you can get your hands on her amazing book.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda