Eva of the Nation: Romance and Rebellion in the Irish Famine follows a woman during the Great Famine of Ireland and her use of her poetry and essays to protest government policies. What research did you do to understand the backdrop for your story?

I began my research into Eva’s life decades ago when I chose her poetry as a focus for my dissertation in 19th-century British literature. At the time, Ireland was producing excellent women writers: Evan Boland, Maeve McGukian, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. I hoped to trace the evolution of women’s writing in Ireland. When I discovered Eva, Mary, and Speranza, I began reading through microfilm copies of the Nation, the Dublin periodical that made Eva and her contemporaries famous. Eventually, I was able to arrange a study abroad opportunity in Dublin where I spent weeks in the National Library of Ireland.

There were a few sources that documented Eva’s story, but most of what was written focused on her husband and the men who surrounded her. Eventually, I found a notebook that she wrote when she was a widow living in Brisbane. From that, I gleaned a few more details; however, her personal life remained sketchy. Source material on Young Ireland, however, is plentiful. There are several books that detail that historical record, and I found the proceeding of Kevin’s trial on the Internet. Of course, the events of the Famine are also well documented.

Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?

I was surprised at how incredulous were those loyal to the colonial government. Even when faced with detailed accounts of disease, starvation, and abuses by landowners, Irish citizens failed to act. It took me awhile to come to some understanding that the memory of the failed rebellion of 1798 was fresh in their minds and that the Irish feared retribution. Developing Edward Kelly’s character gave me the insight to better understand the refusal of many to support Young Ireland.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Primarily, I wanted to set the record straight about Eva and her contributions to Irish literature, especially to women’s writing. I also doubted historians who claimed that Eva met Kevin while he was in prison, their romance blossoming there. He was imprisoned less than two months before his sentence was handed down, when she declared that she would wait for him. Given the atmosphere of a prison with guards and other inmates present, I doubted that the two had much privacy. Their passion had to have been cemented over more than a few meetings. I was inspired to explore Eva’s romance with Kevin as having had an origin different from what historians claim. Of course, the dominant theme of the book is the Famine and the horrific treatment of Ireland’s tenant farmers by landowners and the government. That part of history provided the backdrop for the story.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

In the mid 19th century, immigration to American was strong throughout Europe. Like my Irish ancestors who fled the Famine, I have Scotts in my heritage who took advantage of a surprising source for emigration, the Church of Latter Day Saints. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were brought to the U.S. by their parents under the auspices of the Mormon church. The church needed inhabitants for “Zion,” the Utah territory, and it provided a well-run and complex system of transportation, housing, and employment for those who converted. My great-grandparents eventually left Utah for Idaho and Montana where my great-grandfather was killed in what is believed to have been a Nez Perce raid. I expect that book will take me a good year to complete as the story requires a great deal of research for authenticity.

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