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Shay Dunne is a poison pen. Not that she wants to be one. But a recent tragedy in her life has left her hell-bent on dishing out some punishment to the two people she blames. Sending them a letter containing a vague accusation will do the trick.
Only the letters set in motion a series of unintended consequences, and Shay soon discovers that in the close-knit Irish village she calls home, a community still reeling from Covid, there are sinister secrets everywhere.
Someone to Blame was published by The Book Guild on 28 October 2024 and is available in ebook and paperback formats. My thanks to Emily of The Book Guild for the digital copy for review – my thoughts are at the end of this post. Before then I have a Q&A with the author, JJ Green.
Q&A with J J Green
It’s a pleasure to welcome you to the blog JJ. Would you please tell us a little about your background and without giving anything away, a brief introduction to Someone to Blame?
I live with my husband in Derry City in Ireland, about 15 miles from where I grew up. Being on the northwest coast of Ireland, I’m surrounded by beaches and one of my favourite things to do is to go walking along the coast. I don’t care what the weather’s like. In fact, I probably like it best when it’s stormy. The weather and the sea usually feature somewhere in my writing. I’m also a volunteer staffer with an independent media outlet called ZNetwork, which is where my non-fiction writing is published.
Someone To Blame is a mystery thriller and follows the journey of Shea Dunne who gets tragic news and who wants someone to blame. She sends a generic, poison pen letter to a couple of people she blames the most. But she doesn’t anticipate the consequences and the letters take on a life of their own, creating a whole series of calamities that are beyond her control. The letters are a catalyst; they cause secrets to come to the surface and stir up all sorts of unexpected reactions among the villagers. And while the book deals with themes of grief, loss, and family, it also explores the secrets people hide and how their own guilt, or perhaps the weight of keeping secrets, finally catches up with them.
You have previously written non-fiction and Someone to Blame is your second fiction novel (your debut novel last year being The Last Good Summer). How easy or difficult has the second novel been to write and how do you deal with the differing challenges between writing non-fiction and fiction?
I’ve been writing fiction for most of my adult life and I’ve written seven novels altogether. My debut novel, The Last Good Summer, was actually the seventh novel I’d written. So, I’ve always been in the process of writing something or other for as long as I can remember. I’d actually written a very rough draft of Someone To Blame several years before I wrote The Last Good Summer. I really liked the idea of the poison pen and didn’t want it go to waste, so I made it the follow-up to The Last Good Summer. Going back to this novel and getting it up to the standard I wanted took quite a long time. But I found the revision work a little easier than writing from scratch.
I do find a significant difference between writing fiction and non-fiction. The skills in both are different. Writing novels is a lengthy and involved process. For my genre, a minimum of 80,000 words is needed. That’s a lot, for me at any rate. Fiction writing takes more planning, more effort, because there are characters to think about, pacing and plot to think about, suspense, continuity. I use a table to plot out a story roadmap and that helps me keep track of where I’m at in the overall story, and keep note of anything I have to rethink. The whole process of planning, writing the first draft and reworking multiple revisions can take up to a year or more.
The non-fiction I write takes the form of political essays. For those, I’ll draft up an outline that starts with a thesis question or statement and goes on to sketch out the key arguments and counter-arguments I want to make. I normally have to carry out some research to gather and verify relevant facts as well. These pieces are generally quite short, three to six pages at most, and I can usually get them done over a week or two.
Which comes first, plot or characters? Do you plan in detail or just see where the story takes you?
Either plot or characters will come first, it just depends. For The Last Good Summer, one of the characters came first. I wanted him to be a certain type of person and to have a certain thing happen to him. The plot was built around that. In Someone To Blame, plot came first. I knew I wanted to do something with a poison pen as I remembered a story about anonymous letters that my mother told me when I was a kid, and it always intrigued me. I find that planning in a fair amount of detail before I begin writing works best for me. I need the structure that planning brings. Although, I don’t plan excessively and I leave room for the story to evolve and change, if that’s what’s needed. As I mentioned before, I’ll draw up a table to help me track where I am in the story at any given point. I know certain people prefer to just get right into it without planning, but I’d get nowhere if I did that. It’s just how my brain works and everybody’s different.
Based on your own experience, what’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone trying to get their novel published? Looking back to getting your first novel published, is there anything you wished you had done differently?
The one piece of advice I’d give someone trying to get their novel published is to never give up. Writing brings so much joy and fulfilment but, it’s also lonely and demanding – and often disappointing with the dreaded rejection letters, or more often these days being ghosted. It takes a lot to keep going on, in spite of the setbacks. So, never give, keep going, keep writing, keep believing in yourself.
When my first novel was published, I’d never been through the publishing process before, obviously. As with every new experience, there’s a lot of trial and error, a lot of feeling around in the dark. I assumed my job was done once the publishing process got underway. By the time I realised there was a need on my part to help promote the book, the publication date had passed. That is definitely something I wish I’d done differently. This time round, I was ready for that and I’ve been working on book promotion for several months in the build up to publication day. It’s hard though as I don’t have any flair for marketing. Unfortunately, like it or not, it’s a skill new authors need.
Is there any part of the writing process which you enjoy the most (or find the most difficult) – i.e. researching, writing, editing?
I actually most enjoy the editing part of the writing process, which I can hardly believe myself. I find that when the first draft is out of the way, the whole story is on the page and I know the extent of what I’m working with. I can then go back and rework certain elements that don’t seem right or that could be better, I can refine the characters, sprinkle in some imagery and description, and just keep polishing until I get it as good as possible.
What was the best money you ever spent for your writing career?
There are two things that were invaluable investments for my writing career. The first was a series of creative writing courses that I did with Curtis Brown Creative. I did four very short ones that were online and extremely affordable. And I did a longer one that was a selective course and more expensive. Completing those upped my writing skills enormously. They also helped me grow my confidence as a writer and gave me the courage to share my writing with others and receive critical feedback. The other well-spent money was on really good editor. So many editors out there are pretty poor and very expensive. But a writer friend of mine, PN Johnson, who I met on one of the CBC courses, recommended an editor called Lynsey White and the quality of her feedback was incredible. Her reasonable fee was worth every penny.
What’s your worst writing distraction?
I have to say that I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to my writing. I’m also conscious that because I’m not a full-time writer (by necessity, not by choice) it means I have to carve time out of my life for my writing and sacrifice doing other things. So, my writing time is precious and I don’t like to waste it. I think there are strong distractions in our modern world with so much vying for our attention. I try hard to resist those and take control of what I do with my time. I don’t have a smart phone, for example, so I avoid being constantly sidetracked with notifications and messages and scrolling, which is all too easy to get drawn into.
What does your workspace look like? Do you have a favourite place to write?
I always fantasised about having a house by the coast and a writing room with a sea view. My reality is very different. I don’t live by the coast or have a sea view from my window. I work in different parts of my house. In the spare room, I have a small desk in the corner. But if the house is empty, I’ll also work in the sitting room and at the kitchen table. I used to have to travel to Belfast for work – a two-hour journey each way – and I’d write on the bus. In another job, sometimes I had to stay in the office late waiting for my lift or go on work trips, and I took advantage of these occasions to write. I have to be practical so writing is about carving out time rather than having some special place. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a beautiful space, and I wouldn’t sniff at a room with a view of the sea. But that’s not to be and I’m happy so long as I get time to write.
Are you a re-reader of books, or a one-time only reader? If a re-reader, is there one book that you would always return to?
I’ll usually only read a book once. There are too many books to read and too little time to read them to go back previous books. There are books that have made an impact on me, books that I’ll always remember. But re-read them? No, that’s not likely.
Are there any authors whose books have made an impact on you? What type of book do you enjoy reading for pleasure, and what are you reading now?
I’ve always loved reading. There are few pursuits more enjoyable than getting absorbed in the world of a story and its characters. So, throughout my life, a lot of authors have made an impact on me and for different reasons. Growing up I enjoyed authors such as Enid Blyton, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jonathan Swift. As I got older, I gravitated towards Stephen King (I was a huge King fan), George Orwell, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, Ira Levin, and Ray Bradbury. The types of books I’m been to are mysteries, creepy tales, scary stories. I try to have some elements like that in any story I write.
I realise that many of the classics I read and enjoyed in childhood are rooted in imperialism, as Edward Said explores in his outstanding book Culture and Imperialism. Being from a country that was colonised, it doesn’t sit well with me that I was immersed in these books at a young age. Still, I console myself with the fact that I’m now aware of the truth, and I’m able to separate the stories from their politics and appreciate their quality.
Currently, I’m reading a satire about the US political system called Don’t Think Of A Republican: How I Won A Republican Primary As A Lefty Progressive And You Can Too by Lonnie Ray Atkinson. It’s very funny but very clever too.
Thanks very much for your answers JJ. I’m a once only reader too – there are just too many books to read!
MY THOUGHTS
When personal tragedy hits Shay Dunne, she cannot contain her grief and anger. Those she considers responsible for contributing towards such suffering must pay and she sends two poison pen letters, intimating that she knows their secrets. However she can have no idea of the unintended consequences of her actions and she sets off a chain of events that have repercussions around the village.
Set in Ireland, the village of Kilcross is one of those places where everyone knows everybody else’s business. However there are some that have secrets to hide, some small and insignificant whilst others are more deadly. As accusations and suspicions fly around the village, Shay realises she has started something she can’t control.
At first I had no idea where this story would lead, the poison pen plotline being something different. Shay’s grief together with devastating personal news makes her temporarily unhinged and she does something totally out of character. As the story unfolds, there are twists and unexpected events, making for an enthralling and addictive read.
This is such a well constructed mystery with a conclusion that took me by surprise. Someone to Blame is well paced with emotional depth and personal reflection. I very much enjoyed this powerful and thought provoking read.
J. J. Green is an Irish writer who hails from Donegal and lives in Derry. She’s had a passion for writing fiction from childhood and has honed her creative writing skills throughout her adult life. As a social and environmental activist, she also writes non-fiction in the form of political essays that mainly focus on economic and environmental injustice. The Last Good Summer is her debut novel and was longlisted for the 2022 Page Turner Awards.
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