Over the next few months I’ll be posting interviews with some debut Irish writers or illustrators for children and teens. Here is the second in the series - featuring Jenny Ireland.
If you are a debut Irish children’s writer or illustrator get in touch - I’d love to feature you!
Jenny, tell us about your publication journey
I started writing in 2014, after the birth of my second child, Rory. I think I went a bit mad from all the sleepless nights and decided that writing children’s stories was a good idea. Then I got completely hooked. I continued to write over the next few years, with no idea of whether or not my writing was any good. When I did the Curtis Brown Writing for Children course in 2017, my tutor, author Catherine Johnson, told me I could write and that gave me the confidence to keep going. From there I entered competitions, submitted my work to agents and attended various writing conferences and workshops. In 2019 I had emergency brain surgery which put the brakes on my writing journey for a while, however in 2020 I entered the Penguin Writenow scheme which pairs writers from underrepresented backgrounds with editors. You only had to enter 1000 words so I fired mine in and was delighted to be chosen. I got a two book deal with Penguin in November 2021.
Do you have an agent?
I do! I’m represented by Lauren Gardner at Bell Lomax Moreton. It feels like I have done things a bit backwards. I only got my agent once I was actually working with Penguin on the Writenow scheme.
What has surprised you about the publication journey?
It surprised me just how many people are involved in the publication of a book. Editors, copy editors, proof readers, a designer for the cover as well as an illustrator and I’m sure a million more people I didn’t even know were involved. It’s a proper team sport. I love that.
What advice would you give people who would like to write a YA novel?
I’d say read a lot of YA novels that have come out in the last few years. Join the SCBWI ! I found my critique group through the SCBWI and they’ve been an absolute godsend. The Writing Community on Twitter has also been a huge support, and I’ve even found myself another writing group online, who turned into real life friends. Sharing work with other people is (IMO) invaluable.
Jenny, tell us about your book and your writing process. How long did it take you to write? How many drafts? Are you a planner? What is your favourite thing about the writing process? And your least favourite thing?
My book, The First Move, is a YA romance that follows two protagonists. Juliet and Ronan. Juliet lives with inflammatory arthritis and is ridiculously cynical about love . And Ronan, the new boy at school, who is good-looking, smart and is hiding a huge family secret that he can’t deal with, let alone talk about. Both Juliet and Ronan use Chesslife ( an online chess app) as a means of escapism. They meet anonymously online, where they form a relationship, which eventually spills over into real life.
I think the first draft took me about six months to write. I can’t actually remember how many drafts came after that but there was definitely a fair amount of back and forth, changing plot lines and building character.
I never plan anything. I wish I did. I have friends who plan, and it looks like a lovely way to write but my brain doesn’t seem to work that way. Apart from the time that I write (5am-7am) it’s all a bit chaotic. I just have a general idea, an idea of the midpoint and a vague idea of the ending before just diving in and seeing where the characters take me.
My favourite thing about the writing process is the first draft, where you can just get it all out and see what it is. I find that part so exciting! My least favourite thing is probably coming up with plot. I love people, with all their various quirks, and could think about characters all day. Plot on the other hand…
What are you working on now?
At the minute I’m on the second round of edits for my second book, which is another YA romance, this time inspired by my experiences of having an acquired brain injury.
