I’m so pleased to be part of Aine Greaney’s “Trespassers & Other Stories” book tour. All the stories have an Ireland/America connection and so it’s not surprising to hear that the author, Aine Greaney, is an Irish native now living in the Boston area. I loved all the stories in the book so I am also pleased to welcome Aine onto the blog…but first, here’s a quick book summary.

BOOK SUMMARY

From coastal Massachusetts to rural Ireland, the characters in Trespassers struggle to reconcile past and present, place and displacement, loss and hope.

A woman travels from her Massachusetts home to her native Irish village to care for her estranged and sick father. Back in her childhood home, she comes face-to-face with previously unspoken losses.

A wealthy couple travels to Cape Cod to spend their 52nd summer on the wife’s ancestral estate. On their private beach above Nantucket Sound, the husband must confront the realities of their long marriage and its social-class tensions.

An Irish immigrant takes her American-born teen to a raucous Boston house party. At that party, the teenager discovers that her mother had lied about her child’s birth father—a lie that will permanently divide the mother and daughter.

PUBLISHER: Sea Crow Press

ISBN-10: 1961864207

ISBN-13  978-1961864207

Print Length: 130 pages

Purchase a copy of Trespassers and Other Stories on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

MY INTERVIEW

Hi Aine, and a big warm welcome onto the blog 👋

Hello. I’m Áine Greaney and I live here in Massachusetts, USA. I’m originally from the west of Ireland. I started writing while settling into and adapting to life here.  In the U.S., I also went back to college for a master’s degree.  When my first short story was published in a U.S. journal, I really thought they had sent the letter to the wrong person or address!

Who or what inspired you to write your collection of short stories of “Trespassers & Other Stories”?

About half of the stories had been written and published as stand-alone pieces. The other half, still sitting in my computer, needed to be edited and cleaned up. One day, when I did a big read-through, I saw a recurring theme of place and displacement or of women living in misfit places. 

 “Trespassers & Other Stories  ” is a collection of short stories based on Ireland/America connection! The characters are quite a varied bunch – my favourite story was the American born girl who went to a raucous party with her Irish born mum (and accidentally finds out the identity of her birth father) I did feel sorry for her!!  

Did you base a lot of the characters on you and people you’ve met in life?

Thank you. And what a great question, Linda! I don’t think I can base any one character on a real-life person. Though once, when I went on a holiday to Barbados, I did actually meet a person who inspired the character in the story, “A Fine Lady Guest.” But of course, I made that fictional character much more arrogant and tone deaf than her real-life counterpart. For the other stories, I think certain human traits are mushed together to create the characters.  

Which short story did you enjoy writing about the most?  

I did enjoy writing your favourite story, “That Night,” about the girl who realizes her mother has lied about her birth father. Though in later drafts, I had to ramp up the tension and the conflict for a better story. Like you, I also really liked that teenage character.  

Which character was the hardest to portray?

I found the character in “What We Remember” hard to write. Don’t get me wrong. I really wanted to write that story. But while she is quite snooty and full of herself, she is also a sad character.  She has more self-delusion and loneliness than she ever wants to admit to. As we see at story’s end, her posh Dublin job or house or her family wealth cannot protect her from that loneliness. 

Were there any aspects of writing the stories that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise? 

For those previously published stories, I was surprised by how much I had over-written them. By extension, I was surprised that publishers of those literary magazines hadn’t thought they were over-written, too. I think this is about the passage of time and changing trends. Over the years, we change as writers and as readers. Recently, I saw some research that says we all have less appetite now for reading longer, “flowerier” or overblown prose. 

If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future collection of short stories in, where would you go and why? 

Oh, my. This is another great question. I think I would like to go to Kenya or Nigeria. I’m not sure why, but those are places I’ve always wanted to visit. Closer to home, I would love to go back to Portugal. I’ve been there twice (three if you count a trip to the Azores, too), to both seaside and city, and just felt really comfortable there.

 Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

I was about eight when I discovered my first Enid Blyton children’s book.  Blyton was a UK-based author who, back then, was really popular. I’ve been an avid reader ever since, and go back and forth between actual books and Kindle. I still prefer the real book in my hand, but a Kindle book is great for when you’re stuck on a bus or a plane. I mostly read fiction, but often veer off into memoir.  A few of my favourite fiction authors are Penelope Lively, Nicole Dennis Benn, Maggie O’ Farrell, Zadie Smith, Caryl Phillips and others. 

Is “Trespasser & Other Stories” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes. I believe so. At least, I just saw it up on that giant online bookshop (begins with an “A” (smile).

Growing up had you always wanted to be a writer or teacher or did you have other career aspirations?

Another lovely and thoughtful question! Being a child reader and a lover of libraries, I did fantasize about being a writer. At age 17, I went to university to be a primary-school teacher in Ireland. But I discovered that wasn’t the career for me.  Then, years later in America, I was invited to lead an adult writing workshop and immediately loved it. So I’m still writing and teaching writing for community groups. I also work as a writer for a healthcare non-profit—which I also enjoy a lot. 

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

For my day job and for my virtual writing classes, I work from a home office. Sothere are mornings when I’m delighted that the Zoom camera only captures a *certain* amount of the outfit! But mostly, I’m in comfortable jeans, a colourful shirt and, if it’s cold, a cardigan or jacket. 

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

One of the few positives of our worldwide pandemic is that we have taught ourselves to live with less. Since switching to a work-from-home office, I have cut way, way back on any shopping. All that said, a vintage find in charity or vintage shop always brings a thrill.  

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Summer stuff! The last three summers here in coastal Massachusetts have been hot, hot, hot. 

Boots or Shoes?

I’m a big, big walker. I also belong to a women’s hiking group. So definitely runners or sneakers and I keep a pair of hikers right in my car. If I’m going out, I like to wear my black, ankle-length boots. 

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Website: https://www.ainegreaney.com

Instagram: ainegreaney

Bluesky: ainegreaney.bsky

Facebook: Aine Greaney, Writer

Threads: ainegreaney

BOOK TOUR DATES

Great chatting to a fellow Enid Blyton fan! 😊 Thank you for the review copy of your book “Trespassers & Other Stories” and for having me join you on your book tour!

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Aine Greaney; the Aer Lingus aeroplane photo was taken by Linda Hobden