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

Irish Independent Authors’ Collective – Simon Bourke

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

I’m Simon, aged 39, and I’m from County Kilkenny but currently living in Limerick city. I’ve recently graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Limerick and write a weekly column for the Limerick Post. That pays the bills and I enjoy it, but being a novelist is my true passion. I joined the IIAC so that I could share my experiences as a self-published author and learn from others who have taken similar routes.

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

I’ve been writing journalistically for a while now, probably a decade or so. In terms of creative writing, it’s harder to define a timeline. I had a blog way back in the day and occasionally posted short stories and memoir pieces on there. But if we’re talking about novel writing then I’m a relative newbie, having only started my debut novel in 2013.

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

I honestly don’t feel there is a stigma, or at least I haven’t experienced it. When I tell people about my book and inform them that it’s self-published their reaction doesn’t suggest they view my work any less favourably than they would a ‘published’ author. Maybe this is because I personally went about self-publishing my book in as professional a manner as possible; paying premium rates for cover-designers, hiring an editor, getting reviews from trusted sources, having the book stocked in reputable bookstores, etc.

I think if you do all of this, if you treat your book as if it’s as good as, if not better than, anything released by an established publisher then your work will be viewed on its own merits without any prejudice or bias.

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

Seeing as I’ve only done it once (so far) I found the whole thing quite difficult. I’m not blessed with the kind of entrepreneurial spirit required to become a self-publisher author so I really had to push myself to get everything done the way I wanted it. Initially, my mindset was “I’ve written the book I shouldn’t have to do anything else”, but once I got over that and realised it wouldn’t see the light of day without a lot more effort on my part it wasn’t too bad. It was simply a case of finding the best people possible to help bring my story to light. Certain resources were vital during this time and writing.ie was a particularly good source of information.

Obviously, the financial element cannot be overlooked; it costs money to get designers and formatters and editors, and more money again to get copies of the book printed. Thankfully I’ve made all that back, but if I didn’t have sufficient funds in the first place I would never have been able to self-publish. But now, having gone through the process once, I feel it’ll be a lot easier second time around, and a lot quicker too.

What genres do you write?

Literary fiction:  In terms of style I would say my writing is quite humorous, but also pretty dark, maybe even bleak. I like to go deep into the psyche of my characters and their relationships with those closest to them.

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

I’ve only written one book: ‘And the birds kept on singing’. If I was to pick a favourite character from it I would probably go with Noel McLoughlin who is the grandfather of one of the central characters. He represents a small bit of sanity in a story where everyone around him is mired in chaos and he is one of the few male characters who isn’t consumed by lust or various demons.

What time of day do you prefer to write?

Night time. I usually get my best work done between 9pm – midnight.

Do you have a special writing space?

I live in a small, city-centre apartment so there’s not much choice when it comes to selecting a writing space. I do have a little desk and a comfy(ish) armchair but I’d much sooner have a dedicated office overlooking a quaint garden where the local fauna come to play.

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

For my first book, I had a vague outline; I knew how it would start, some of the things that would happen along the way, and how it would end. But that only accounted for a fraction of the finished work; a lot of it was just me sitting down and seeing where it took me.

For my second novel, I again have an outline of what I want to do, of the kind of story I want to tell and the journey I want my characters to take. But, as with the first one, a lot of the time I’m just experimenting with tangents, sitting down and writing without really thinking about what I’m doing, disappearing into that lovely place where you’re not really conscious of what you’re doing and the story is, to an extent, writing itself.

Who are your favourite Irish authors?

John McGahern, Kate O’Brien, Frank McCourt, Patrick McCabe.

Your latest book ‘And the birds kept on singing’ is a literary fiction novel; what was the inspiration behind it and is there anything you would like readers to know?

This book was partly inspired by my own life and the knowledge that, initially, I was supposed to be put up for adoption. Throughout my life, I’ve always wondered what would have happened had I been adopted and so the book is an imagining of that, a fictionalised account of two lives; one where a young boy is adopted from birth, another where he stays with his teenage mother. The book was shortlisted for Best Novel at the 2017 Carousel Awards and led to me appearing on Joe Duffy’s LiveLine to discuss it.

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

No, all my books are standalone titles.

Where can readers find out more about you?

I have a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SimonBourkeAuthor/

An Amazon author page at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simon-Bourke/e/B01N5FR8TD/

A Goodreads author page at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16353503.Simon_Bourke

I also have a new website under construction which will feature not just my creative works some of the stuff I’ve done in my career as a journalist to date.

And The Birds Kept On Singing by Derek Bourke

Pregnant at seventeen, Sinéad McLoughlin does the only thing she can; she runs away from home. She will go to England and put her child up for adoption. But when she lays eyes on it for the first time, lays eyes on him, she knows she can never let him go.

Just one problem. He’s already been promised to someone else.

A tale of love and loss, remorse and redemption, And the birds kept on singing tells two stories, both about the same boy. In one Sinéad keeps her son and returns home to her parents, to nineteen-eighties Ireland and life as a single mother. In the other she gives him away, to the Philliskirks, Malcolm and Margaret, knowing that they can give him the kind of life she never could.

As her son progresses through childhood and becomes a young man, Sinéad is forced to face the consequences of her decision. Did she do the right thing? Should she have kept him, or given him away? And will she spend the rest of her life regretting the choices she has made?

And The Birds Kept On Singing is available now in ebook and paperback formats from Amazon and free to read in KindleUnlimited.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda