An Alternative Author Interview:

TCL’s Countdown Questions.

This week I’m featuring author Therese Walsh!

Therese is one of those authors I was lucky enough to discover via NetGalley, when I was intrigued by her novel Moon Sisters. Because I enjoyed that novel, I decided I wanted to read her debut work “The Last Will of Moira Leahy,” which I also enjoyed (although I think her second book was better). I truly hope that she’ll continue to grow as an author, as I feel she has great promise! Here’s how she answered my five, fast, and fun questions.

• If you could visit five (5) places you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

I would go to New Zealand (1) and Australia (2), to visit the home of the hobbits and friends, respectively. I would go to Venice (3), which has come alive for me in many novels. I would visit Iceland (4), which seems to me to be a stunningly beautiful country, and I would look for the northern lights. Lastly, I would visit Costa Rica (5), and possibly will in the next year or two! I am a bird lover, and I’ve been told the birds of Costa Rica or something to behold; I will certainly be packing my camera.

• Name four (4) foods or dishes that you enjoy so much that they’ve practically become part of your personality.

Ironically, I am putting together a cookbook of family favorites right now. Maybe it’s the season, but I have to lead with my cranberry sauce (1), which I make with a touch of mashed strawberries and maple syrup. Second would be a quick tomato sauce (2) that I make that has become a favorite with everyone, heavy on vegetables sautéed in a little bit of olive oil, and using San Marzano tomatoes. Third would be my “mac and cheat” mac & cheese (3), which uses lentil pasta rather than traditional pasta, but you’d never know it. Lastly, I would have to name my chocolate raspberry cheesecake (4), which has been named the food some would like for their last meal, if they could plan that in advance! It’s a pain to make, and every time I’m in the process of making it I swear I’m never going to do it again. But then people love it, and my memory has never been all that great…

• There is the past, the present, and the future – if you could choose, which of these three (3) would you prefer to live in, and why?

Oh, without question I would live in the present. Even though the present is in many ways rife with stress for me right now, it is still the place where hope burns most brightly.

• Best and worst – you choose which – name two (2) of either your best moments of your life, worst moments of your life, or one of each.

This one is easy: the birth of my daughter (1), and the birth of my son (2) are easily two of the best moments of my life.

• Name one (1) book you’ve read in the past year (or so) that you wish you had written, and why.

Bryn Greenwood‘s “The Reckless Oath We Made” is absolutely and incandescently brilliant. It is singular in concept, achingly authentic, with compelling characters and the highest quality of word craft. Keeper shelf material, without question.

Thanks Therese! (Ooohhh… chocolate raspberry cheesecake… that sounds amazing!)

Therese Walsh’s second novel, THE MOON SISTERS, was published in hard cover on March 4th, 2014 by Crown (Random House). It earned starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, and was named one of the best books of 2014 by Library Journal and BookRiot. Her debut, THE LAST WILL OF MOIRA LEAHY, was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009, was nominated for a RITA award for Best First Book, and was a TARGET Breakout Book.

Therese is the co-founder of WRITER UNBOXED, a site that’s visited daily by thousands of writers interested in the craft and business of fiction. She was the architect and primary editor of AUTHOR IN PROGRESS (Writer’s Digest, 2016), a book about the key milestones a writer hits when writing a novel, with practical tips on how to reach those milestones while clearing psychological hurdles along the way. The book, a symphonic group effort, features fresh essays by ~50 Writer Unboxed contributors and industry pros.

Before turning to fiction, she was a researcher and writer for Prevention magazine, and then a freelance writer. She’s had hundreds of articles on nutrition and fitness published in consumer magazines and online. She has a master’s degree in psychology.

Aside from writing, her favorite things include music, art, crab legs, Whose Line is it Anyway?, dark chocolate, photography, unique movies and novels, people watching, strong Irish tea, and spending time with her husband, two kids and their Jack Russell.