Gay N. Lewis here, and I want to introduce you to Trisha Fitzgerald.
Trisha is an author and cover designer! We became acquainted when she designed a cover for my novel, Sarah Helps Santa, A Christmas Fantasy.
I have a new book coming out next year, and I’m looking forward to Trisha’s design for the cover. She's easy to work with, and her beautiful covers are reasonably priced. Trisha was born in Irelenad but now lives in Germany. I asked her how she came to live in Germany.
Well, after completing my studies at The National
College of Art and Design in Dublin and qualifying to teach English as a
foreign language, I went to Germany where I met my husband and decided to stay.
I have two Irish/German daughters who are both grown up. I’ve now been here for
over 40 years! Time flies! Apart from Germany and Ireland, the only other place
I have lived in is Brazil, but only for a few years when I was a small child.
My father’s work brought us there.
Gay: How long have you been an author?
I don’t really know
if I can presently classify myself as an author because I more or less stopped
writing quite a long time ago when I started concentrating on artwork. I’m not
sure if there’s another book in me, but who knows? Inspiration could strike at
any moment!
Gay: Before you chose to work on
design, how many books did you write?
I’ve written 5 published
novels and 8 short stories, 5 of which have been published in two separate
anthologies published by The Frankfurt Writers Group.
Gay: What was your favourite thing
about writing?
That’s good question.
I think I have, or had, a kind of love-hate relationship with writing. Love,
because I could go back to Ireland in my head and relive everything I miss in
my home country: the people, the humour, the countryside, the sea. I
incorporate a lot of where I’m from in my writing. Hate, or rather dislike,
when I know I could do better but can’t get around a problem. There can be a
lot of frustration, insecurity and doubt when you’re work isn’t flowing… and
the plot isn’t thickening!
Gay: You design beautiful covers for other authors. How do you go about a cover design? Do you work a lot with the author for the design?
Gay: I know we wrote
back and forth many times regarding my cover, and I love it. How do you market your books?
That was tricky. I
was quite naïve when my first novel was published, thinking that just sharing
on the usual social media sites, passing information to friends, family and
acquaintances would set the ball rolling. No so. Living in Germany made it
really difficult, but I was able to find bookshops that held readings in
English, and I also contacted some American bases here asking if I could do a
reading in their library. One was very enthusiastic about the idea and we made
arrangements. I travelled quite long way equipped with cake and copies—and
nobody came. Yes, these things happen and it’s very disheartening, but if you
really want success, you need to go flat out and spend a lot of time
networking.
Oh goodness, is it
possible to have a favourite? I read all kinds of genres and there are so many
great books out there, I wouldn’t know where to start. However, funnily, one
book will always remain in my mind. When I was a student, a friend leant me a
book because I’d run out of reading material. I’d never heard of the author,
but I gave it a go. I was living with other students in a very old house in a
dark street at the edge of the sea. From the onset, this book absolutely scared
the living daylights out of me, but I couldn’t put it down and was terrified to
look out the window. It was Steven King’s Salem’s Lot. Not necessarily my
favourite book or author, but an example of how the written word can impact
you.
Gay: I understand you spend more time
now with artwork than writing, and I can see why. Creating a visual is
rewarding.
I wrote my first
novel in about three months, and the last one took over a year. The wind really
went out of my sails when I started designing more and more covers while, at
the same time, I worked two day jobs. However I love doing artwork (I enjoy
painting too) so I don’t feel I’m missing anything. At present I’m illustrating
a children’s book.
Gay: Have you ever had “Writer’s
Block? If so, how did you overcome it?
Yes and no. I’ve
never had a block with regard to coming up with an idea for a novel, but I’ve
had longer periods of procrastination. I knew what I wanted to write but
couldn’t really get back into the flow. I felt I was plodding, rather than
skipping along nicely.
Gay: How about hobbies?
Primarily sailing,
but also hiking and wild camping. Now that I’m finally pensioned, I can catch
up with a lot of things that were simmering away on the back burner.
Gay: Why do you enjoy living where
you do? If I came to visit you, where would you take me and what kind of food
would you offer me?
I’m often asked why I
would leave Ireland to live in Germany, but I’ve had a good life here. While
the Germans are more reserved than the Irish, I have wonderful friends and the
luxury of living in an area surrounded by forest and historical towns and villages.
I’m never far from Ireland and can fly home in under two hours, which I do
regularly. When I have visitors, I take them to see a typical German castle
where we can also eat typical Germany sausage, Kochkase, or Handkase with
pretzels, the latter being typical cheeses from our area. Schnitzel is a must.
We can go on forest hikes or cycle along the rivers Rhine or Main.
Gay: I’d love to visit you. It sound like so much fun. If you come to Texas, I’ll treat you to tacos and enchiladas.
You can reach Trisha by email. If you have questions about a cover, please contact her.
trishafitzgerald@aol.com
Her books on Amazon
