Interview with Nicola Cassidy - Author of The Emerald Spy
Interview with Nicola Cassidy - author of ‘The Emerald Spy’
Book publisher: Poolbeg Press, Ireland
Book published: September 25, 2022
My review found here.
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INTERVIEW
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What inspired you to write The Emerald Spy and tell us a little bit about the story?
During the covid pandemic we were locked down in Ireland into a 5km restriction zone. Luckily for me I happen to live in the beautiful picturesque village of Termonfeckin and it has a rich documented history.
At that time, I was planning a novel set in London and was due to visit the city to research it. When I realised I wouldn’t likely get to London any time soon, I decided to see if there was a local story that could inspire me. Using a mixture of history journals, online research and word of mouth I discovered the story of Vida Lentaigne, an amazing charitable woman who had taken in a small group of Jewish refugees in the summer of 1939. This was where my story began.
Could you share about Newtown House in Ireland, its history and why you chose it as the residence for your refugee characters?
I chose it as the residence because it really was the residence! My novel is mainly based on fact – the refugees lived within the house and on the grounds of the house in cottages for a number of months in 1939.
Newtown House was built in the 1700s by the McClintock family and was later bought my Ralph Smith a local ship merchant. It then passed into Vida’s hands and she had it till 1945 so it was a small number of families who had it until then. It became a hotel before becoming what it is today – the home of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.
It’s a beautiful building and it familiar to locals as there is a public walkway around the house. It has a long avenue and a garden centre on the grounds, with a tennis club situated behind it. It’s a well known amenity in the local area, used by families and walkers.
You have a wonderful cast in The Emerald Spy. Are any of them modelled after real people? If so, were you able to do any interviews or read any specific articles/books that helped with the creation of your characters?
Almost everyone is based on a true character and I carried out a number of interviews with living relatives of the characters involved. I can research for a year to two years before writing, so yes, I spent a long time reading various books and newspaper articles as well as watching documentaries on the era, and getting to grips fully with World War II. I love research and I never stop, because a detail I learn today could be apt for a project I write ten years from now. I’ve become a bit of sponge.
Being a historical fiction novel based on certain events of the past, The Emerald Spy would require a major amount of research. What resources did you find most useful? Share at least one or two facts you uncovered that surprised you.
I like to use newspapers of the time and these are available through archives online. I guess something that surprised me was learning of the reception to the Jews when they arrived in Ireland, which wasn’t always pleasant or welcoming. I hadn’t really known that.
With all that is going on in the world today, would you agree that history has a way of repeating itself? What examples would you give from The Emerald Spy?
Yes, and I suppose one of the biggest lessons is that while history repeats itself, people or perhaps leaders of people forget what has happened before. The war in Ukraine broke out while I was doing final edits on the book and I found it absolutely shocking and very upsetting that it could happen again. Similarly, with war you will have mass displacement of people and when I was researching I was reading comments from 1939 that sounded identical to those in 2022. The newspaper articles (apart from the very last page) of the Emerald Spy are all taken from true sources – I have not edited them, so they reflect the sentiment of the time.
Please describe Gislea, Nola and Laila in three words each.
Gisela is quiet, thoughtful and wise
Nola is obstreperous, funny and modern
Laila is kind, generous and compassionate
Who is your favourite character in The Emerald Spy and what makes them unique?
I suppose it would be Nola. I absolutely loved writing her, she just flowed from the page. As she is based on a true person and I know the future history of what really happened in that person’s life, it was fun to go back and imagine what she might have been like in her youth.
What special theme(s) do you hope your readers see while reading The Emerald Spy?
Certainly, the theme of refugees, displacement and xenophobia.
Please tell us about your journey to publication. Have you always wanted to be a writer? Do you write full time and do you have or have had other creative careers/positions that compliment your author status?
I began writing as a child and studied journalism in university as it was the only course I knew of where you could end up being paid to write! I started a blog when blogs were in vogue and from that progressed to working on my novels. I first got published in 2017 and The Emerald Spy is my fourth novel.
I write full time now as a novelist, screenwriter, ghost-writer, editor and publishing consultant. All of these things keep me busy!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers that you wish you had known when you started?
Not really. I think everything you learn along the way helps you in some other way down the line. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And, patience is a virtue. There’s a lot of waiting for news on projects – the best thing to do is to keep yourself busy with something else! Be busy enough to forget!
You live in Ireland known for its ancient beauty, stunning arts, tumultuous history and warm hospitality. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
I love Doolin in Co. Clare, where I’ve attended the writer’s festival a few times. The sea is so bracing and powerful, I actually have a picture I took there of the Cliffs of Moher as my PC wallpaper! In general, I love the sea, as I live by the sea and it’s the first thing I see when I open my curtains every day.
If you could invite three of your favourite authors over to dinner from any time period who would they be and what would you talk about?
I’d invite Annie Proulx, Kate Grenville and Seamus O’Reilly over, who wrote a book called, Did ye hear Mammy died. Some of the scenes had me laughing hysterically, so I reckon he’d be good for a bit of dinner banter!
Are you working on any new projects? If so, can you share a little about it?
I’m always working on lots of things! I have a new historical fiction book written that needs to be rewritten and restructured. It has some film interest so I’d like to see where that might go in 2023. I’d like to get more TV and film scripts written in 2023 as I have a number of ideas, but now I need to see them on paper. In general, I’m feeling very positive and looking forward to the writing year.
Thanks so much for being my guest author today, Nicola, and may you continue to have great publishing success in the New Year of 2023 with all your projects!
I encourage every lover of historical fiction to pick up a copy of The Emerald Spy and Nicola’s previous novels, too, from Amazon and other favourite retailers. Plus visit Nicola’s website for more details and updates on her writing.
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