The Baby Trail
A Novel
by Sinead Moriarty
List Price: $23.00
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0743496760
Publisher: Atria
Q: It is refreshing to see a sensitive topic like infertility treated with humor. Who did you see as the audience for your novel?
SM: I was very conscious of making the secondary characters in the book interesting and fun so that the central theme of infertility didn't dominate the novel. In that respect the book would appeal to all people - men and women. It is a comedy that anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy. Obviously couples who have struggled to conceive will recognize a lot of the procedures and emotions, but it is a novel anyone can curl up with.
Q: What inspired you to write The Baby Trail? What do you hope readers will take away from the experience of reading it?
SM: A few years ago, I was sitting in the fertility unit of a hospital waiting for test results. As I looked around at all the other women, each looking very stressed and worried, I began to think about how infertility affects so many people, especially today when women are settling down to have children later in life. And I realised that the frustrations of infertility and the crazy things that women do to try and conceive would make a great basis for a bitter-sweet comedy.
I hope that my readers will laugh out loud and come away with a little insight into the hoops that some couples have to jump through in their attempts to have children.
Q: What kind of research did you do for this story? How did you learn what it is like to go through all the medical procedures Emma experiences?
SM: Some of the medical procedures are ones that I experienced personally. Others however, like IVF, I had to research. I spoke to women who had been through the process and read medical journals to find out the details of how the procedures work.
Q: Emma, in all her irreverent, hilarious glory, is an engaging character. Who was your inspiration for her? Does she share character traits with anyone you know?
SM: Emma is a mixture of me, all my friends, and my sister. I made her feisty and fun. She is the kind of person I'd love to have as a friend, and I admire her tenacity and commitment in her quest to have a baby.
Q: How do you think the Irish setting informs your writing? How is Emma shaped by the world around her?
SM: Irish people love to laugh at themselves. Humor is used in all situations in Ireland - whether good or bad - and I've always believed that the best humor stems from the darkest places. However I was very careful to create a character and a family that anyone could relate to. The theme is universal and so are the characters. Everyone knows a mother like Emma's Mum!
Q: From Jacinta Foley to Amanda Nolan, your novel has a parade of entertaining bit players. Who was your favorite character (besides Emma, of course)? Who was the most fun to create?
SM: Emma's sister Babs was my favorite character because I let loose with her. She is completely outrageous and speaks her mind regardless of the consequences. I loved writing her scenes because she brings a lot of zest to the book.
Q: Why did you choose to have Emma stop IVF and pursue adoption instead? What do you think Emma learns from her experiences (other than the fact that biking squishes mens' balls)?
SM: I was absolutely adamant that the ending would not be a chocolate box one. I wanted it to be realistic and I also wanted Emma to learn that when one door closes another opens and that is why she decides to look at other options when Mother Nature lets her down.
Q: Do you think Emma will be a good mother? Have you envisioned what her family might be like?
SM: I think Emma will be full of love and good intentions. I also think that in Emma's unique way she will be over-enthusiastic (reading every book she can find on raising children) and probably make mistakes in the beginning that she will learn from.
Q: Will you write a sequel to The Baby Trail? Do you have any other novels on the horizon? If so, could you share a little bit about what you are working on?
SM: I have just completed Finding Baby Right, the sequel to The Baby Trail, which is the next step in Emma's quest for motherhood. I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.
Q: We might be able answer this question on our own, but please indulge us: are you tinsel or calm?
SM: A bit of both - Tinsel amongst friends....calm with my in-laws!
• Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.
Excerpted from The Baby Trail © Copyright 2010 by Sinead Moriarty. Reprinted with permission by Atria. All rights reserved.
• Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.
top of the page
