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Ask the Author: Ethel Rohan

“Ask me a question.” Ethel Rohan

Answered Questions (5)

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?
Ethel Rohan Oh, I love this question, thank you. I'm obsessed with mysteries. My godfather, the youngest of my mother's eight siblings, disappeared from his Irish home shortly after I was born. No one ever heard from him again, and no one appears to know what happened to him. His disappearance both saddens me and fires up my imagination. His life, and the rumors, mystery, grief, and legacy surrounding his disappearance could be a great plot for a book.
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Hi Ethel! I loved In The Event of Contact, and I was wondering if you could tell us about what inspired you and led you to write those stories? I'm especially curious about the first one!
Ethel Rohan Hi Sofia,

Thanks so much for reading In the Event of Contact, and for taking the time to share this kind feedback. The fourteen stories were written over a span of approximately ten years and are representative of the type of stories I love to tell, and to read.

I'm most interested in relationships and strangeness, particularly the remarkable in the everyday. The stories, and the first story in particular, mirror my obsession with violations of consent and contact, the domestic, and familial relationships--especially our quirks, flaws, fears, strange encounters, and longing for love.

I have twin sisters, and am fascinated by those bonds and lack of boundaries, and I pushed that relationship to triplets for the title story, largely because there's great opportunities for tension and shifting alliances in triangular relationships. The same is true of the parents and teacher triad in the story, and for the daughters, parents and teacher trio.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, and claustrophobia, I'm drawn to phobias, and haphephobia (the fear of being touched) organically showed up in the first scene as I writing. I immediately knew I had the center of my story and wrote from there, word by word, scene by scene, revision by revision.

Thanks again, Sofia. I hope this question satisfies your curiosity.

Best wishes,

Ethel.
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What was your inspiration behind The Weight of Him, specifically regarding Billy and his weight? Billy is the first character in all the books I've ever read whom I've truly found relatable, and his weight and his desire to lose half himself were the reasons for this.
Ethel Rohan Hi Tony,

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my first novel The Weight of Him and for this kind feedback. It means a lot to know how deeply this novel is resonating with readers.

There are a number of interviews online where I talk about the spark that set this book in motion. This is a link to one of my more recent interviews. I hope you find it answers your question. http://shaunaswriting.com/wordpress/p...

Happy reading and living.

Thanks again,

Ethel.
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Hi, Ethel. Have left reviews on Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads, plus the tiny blurb allowed on Twitter. And on both my FB pages. Is there anywhere else I can tell readers about this wonderful work you have given the world?
Ethel Rohan I'm just seeing this question now, Diane. Please forgive my delayed response. This is incredible support and I'm deeply grateful. Word-of-mouth remains one of the best ways to support a book, and its author. I very much look forward to reciprocating and supporting you and your book when the time comes. Congratulations again.
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Good Morning. I tried to leave a review on Amazon and it still wouldn't let me. Just FYI. Can you email me again once it is active?
Ethel Rohan Hi Jen,

Sorry, I only saw this message now. If you're still interested, Amazon reviews are active: https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Him-Nov...

Thanks so much again for your interest in my first novel, and your support.

Best wishes,

Ethel.
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Ethel Rohan
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