About Diane Gallagher:
Diane Gallagher is a novelist and Druid priest. She is the author of three novels: A Curse of Magick, Greenwich List, and the Bastard of Saint Genevra. She has long roots stretching into her Celtic past, although she splits her life between two islands—Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada, and Sicily off the toe of Italy’s boot. She writes young adult romance based on ancient Celtic myths of the powerful women of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. She currently teaches creative writing at Cherry Hill Seminary.
What inspires you to write?
I grew up in a house full to the rafters with books. My parents were both voracious readers. One of my early memories was my dad buying me a beautifully illustrated copy of A Child’s Garden of Verses. By the age of 3, I was reading children’s books. By eight I was reading Dickens and mythology like Beowulf. It never occurred to me that some people don’t read (egads!) or write books. I always had little stories floating through my head. As soon as I was able, I began writing them down. I wish I still had those stories today, but alas, they didn’t survive my childhood. The stories continue through my head still today and I am always writing something.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Oh, sooooo many. I’ll try to keep my list down to 5 or 6 authors and my favourite books of theirs. Margaret Atwood (Maddaddam Trilogy) made me love dystopian science fiction. In terms of romance, Charlotte Brönte grabbed me with Jane Eyre. I believe that Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is the best English language novel in existence. My favourite fantasy authors include E. Nesbitt (Three Children and It), JRR Tolkien (basically everything he wrote), CS Lewis (the Narnia series), Ursula Le Guin (the Earthsea series), Neil Gaiman (again, everything he’s written), and, despite all the controversy around her, JK Rowling (Harry Potter series). I love Stephen King (The Stand, The Shining, Rose Madder, Firestarter). He taught me to love horror. Oh dear, that’s ten.
Tell us about your writing process.
When I was writing my first two novels, they were completely pantsed. When I wrote A Curse of Magick, however, because this is based on an Irish myth, I planned this novel out completely using the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. I take a poster-sized piece of paper, draw a large circle, and mark all the points of the Hero’s Journey. I fill the story into the appropriate spots, leaving space for notes as I go along. I do make character sketches. I usually start by doing a personality test for each of the characters – usually the Myers-Briggs test. Answering the questions for each character helps me understand them better, and the results of the test are also very helpful.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Oh, yes. All the time. One of the best parts of writing a book for me, is when the characters say, “I know you want to go in this direction, but we want to go that way!” I love when this happens because it means I’m developing a relationship with my characters. I always listen because in my experience, where they take the story is always much better than any idea I might have. For example, when I was writing my second novel, The Bastard of Saint Genevra, I had one idea for the ending, but the main character had another idea and as a result the ending is much better. When I finish a novel, I go through a brief period of grief, missing the contact I have with them. I’m feeling this right now about A Curse of Magick. Gráinne, in particular, really touched my heart.
What advice would you give other writers?
There is a quote attributed to Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is sh*t”. Whenever I am teaching a new group of writing students, I start with this quote. The thing about this quote is how freeing it is. If the assumption is that the first draft is sh*t, then there is no pressure to make it perfect. And as a continuation of this idea, I fully believe there is no such thing as writer’s block. It is not a lack of ideas; it is a problem with self-judgment. Pre-judging our ideas brings us to a screaming halt. Let go of self-judgment and let the words flow.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first novel was traditionally published. Without naming the publishing company, I will say it wasn’t a particularly positive experience. After that I chose to self-publish. Well, kind of. My husband started a publishing company to publish my books for me. I would suggest that new authors to try to traditionally publish, but if it is not going well, or taking too long, it’s worth considering self-publishing. First, however, I would suggest reading a good book on the process because it does take more effort. My favourite book on self-publishing is Self-Publishing in Canada by Suzanne Anderson. Even if an author is not in Canada, there is still a lot that is applicable.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The publishing industry is in a state of transition. For a long time, people who paid to have their work published had to use vanity presses, which had a terrible reputation. Now, there are a huge number of self-published books that are truly good, some much better that some that are traditionally published. Traditional publishers have shot themselves in the foot, in a way. There are many publishers that will not accept simultaneous submissions yet will not get back to you for six months or more, if at all. Large publishers will often require submissions to come through an agent. With just a few rejections, getting your work on bookstore shelves or up on Amazon or B&N or Chapters can take years. Many new great writers are choosing to take their success in their own hands and this trend, I believe, will continue to turn publishing on its head.
What genres do you write?: YA romance-fantasy, horror, speculative fiction, chick lit, steamy romance, and one travelogue/cookbook
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Diane Gallagher Home Page Link
Link To Diane Gallagher Page On Amazon
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
