Suzy Duffy
Firstly, thanks for having me on Female First. Lincoln Ladies is the third book in a Trilogy that’s been very good to me. It became an Amazon Bestseller, was translated into Norwegian. It even brought me to Sydney, Australia to give a talk on how to write romantic comedy! In Lincoln Ladies, the characters find themselves in uber-cool Manhattan, Beautiful Boston and then deepest darkest Tuscany. They’re crashing parties, cars and definitely crashing out of their comfort zones – but it’s funny - I hasten to add.
Please tell us about your characters of Kate, Madeline and Portia.
Kate is my main character. She’s the mom dealing with her daughter leaving home. It’s particularly tricky because her husband was a habitual cheater and Portia, her daughter ends up living with him in NY. Naturally Kate is freaking but her friend, Madeline is a bit of a go-getter and she has plans for her buddy that involve jumping back into life and finding romance all over again. Not surprisingly there’s loads of room for laughter here and naturally Portia gets herself into heaps of (fun) trouble in New York. What pretty young thing wouldn’t find mischief in The Big Apple??
Why did you decide to set the book in Tuscany?
Wellesley Wives, book one in this Trilogy - took the ladies to Ireland – which I know pretty well, being Irish. Newton Neighbors, book two - visited gorgeous Puerto Rico and Dorking, Surrey. My parents lived in Surrey for decades and I was married in Dorking so it’s very close to my heart (& it came across very well in the story too - for any of your Surrey readers!) Then last year my brother-in-law got married in Tuscany. I loved the location so much; I knew it would end up in a book. I love taking readers to beautiful places. It adds another dimension to a story.
You have won numerous awards, so how does this affect your confidence as a writer each time you receive new recognition for your work?
It helps enormously. I was national radio DJ and television presenter in Ireland in my twenties and my radio show became the No. 1 show at the weekends but I always felt like that was a bit of a fluke – like, maybe people just had their radios on at home because it was a Saturday. I know that’s silly but it’s how I felt. The single biggest confidence builder I’ve ever had professionally was when one of my books got to No. 1 in the Irish Times Bestseller’s list. I was up against some really big names but I was at the top of the heap – for five weeks! It meant so much to me because people had gone out and spent their hard-earned cash on my book. That was such a decent thing for them to do, I felt indebted and honored. Awards and foreign rites are great but when readers buy your books that’s the best feeling in the world because their speaking with their money. That’s as real as it gets. I feel I owe them a great story for that investment.
Please tell us about your inspiration behind this story.
Oh my, Lucy… you’ve got me at a very vulnerable time. The inspiration behind this story is my beautiful baby girl – my daughter. She’s leaving me in about ten days. She’s flying back to Ireland to go to college so we’re going to be living on different continents. Naturally my husband and I are delighted and very happy for her but I know a big part of me is still in denial about her actually leaving. I really can’t believe it but the date is getting closer. This was in the back of my mind when I started to write Lincoln Ladies….
You write laugh out loud stories, so how much of that is an extension of your real life personality?
That is me. I laugh at life all the time because this world really is crazy isn’t it? People are so funny. In Newton Neighbors I had a woman obsessed with the right address and she ended up having a Botox & Bollinger party to impress the neighbors. All that social climbing is just plain daft. As for romance, that’s probably the funniest area of all – hence the popularity of rom. Coms. The things we all do for love are hilarious, especially men – they can be real loopers! Life really is laugh-out-loud-funny.
You have been praised for filling Maeve Binchy’s shoes, so how does that make you feel?
The first time I heard it, I cried with gratitude. I met the great lady a few times and loved loved loved her. I was at the Irish Pen Awards night the evening she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award and when I listened to her speak I was on the edge of my seat. I turned to my husband after and told him, I felt like Maeve was the mother I never had, we think so similarly and laugh at the same things. Michael wondered what my real mother (who is very much alive and well and a great friend of mine) might think of that.
To be honest, Maeve and I are both south county Dublin ladies, educated by the nuns. It’s natural enough that we have a similar sense of humor but still a great honor to be likened to her as a writer.
Why is romantic comedy the genre for you?
The most valuable advice I got when I started broadcasting was to be myself. If you try to be somebody or something else, the audience will sense it and you’ll fail. The same is true for writing and probably all other professions (umm except acting I guess!) I write from the heart, using my own voice and the books are the result. They’re categorized by reviewers not me. I’m a laugh-at-life kind of person so the books are too.
What is next for you?
I was back in Ireland this summer and spent some time in Sligo, where I grew up. I’d forgotten how beautiful it was and what an indelible mark it had left on me, deep down. I’m going to start a series of Sligo Stories. Actually, I’ve already started!
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