Eileen Joyce Donovan has been a writer throughout her life. It was not until she had been an adult for many years that she began to pursue writing seriously. Until then, she never felt her stories were “good enough”. It was her late husband who encouraged her to submit them for publication.
At heart, Eileen adores historical research, especially on an idea that captures her imagination. She notes, “You have to be fascinated by the subject to do a good job on it”. This approach allowed her to almost publish her 1st book about a Victorian fairytale, recreating the voice and language to make it interesting for today’s audience.. She had the contract but the publisher did not bring it to fruition. The affirmation, however, gave her impetus to keep moving forward.
Her 2nd novel, Promises, was fully written when she realized her manuscript was just one of many on the subject of World War II. Being so persevering, and loving the story line, she totally recreated it to capture the elements from an entirely different angle. Promises was the winner of the 2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Literary Excellence and will be reissued in September 2023.
Writing is now a way of life for Eileen. Her third book, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma, is set in a newspaper office in Eastern Montana in 1926. A time when the American public was obsessed with newspaper horror stories of what most today would consider ordinary murders or other man-made catastrophes. Eileen’s newest book, The Campbell Sisters, is scheduled for a March 2023 release.
Eileen believes in joining, or starting your own writers’ groups. They elevate her writing when others read her drafts and offer feedback. And by reading others’ books and reviewing them she continues to hone her craft.
Join writers’ groups, learn to take feedback and never stop reading if you want to be a writer. – Eileen Joyce Donovan
CONNECT WITH EILEEN:
Email: Eileen Joyce Donovan7650@gmail.com
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