Do you work with an outline or plot sketch, or do you prefer to let a general idea guide your writing?

For my current novel, Growing Up O’Malley (based on my mother’s family), I did not have a diary or sequence of events but relied on numerous stories I heard in my youth. Clearly, this was insufficient for a complete novel so I relied on familial sources (all characters in the book.) I interviewed my two aunts, Marge O’Malley DuChez and Veronica O’Malley Collins, for additional events during their formative years. Also, my cousin (Louis “Buddy” DuChez—the first grandchild of Michael and Mary O’Malley) filled in many of the gaps with delightful renditions of life in the O’Malley household. In my youth, stories of Michael O’Malley’s lineage included Grace O’Malley (the infamous Irish Pirate Queen of the sixteenth century with hundreds of men under her command who profited through successful pillaging of British ships.)

What role does research play in your writing?

Multiple sources (internet, books, documentaries, etc.) were consulted for the historical events of abundant upheaval and change—including the potato famine, Great Depression, and World War II. I believe a book that nurtures the reader with historical content will not only draw them into the story but enrich their sense of adventure by chronicling little known backstories surrounding poignant events. Examples include: During the Great Depression, what crime rose in popularity to offset poverty? Who fired the first shot on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor? Why was Pearl Harbor attacked? How did the nation learn of the Japanese attack and why was this method so unusual? How was the Mafia crucial to FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech the day after the Pearl Harbor attack? How did Germany create supermen to wage war at lightning speed (also known as blitzkrieg attacks?

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be? Tell us something unique about you.

I worked as a bookkeeper on the weekends for an accounting firm which paid my living expenses while I attended nursing school. During this time, I was also a hostess, and part-owner, of an extremely popular bar and restaurant called D’Poo’s. It was located in an area called the Flats along the banks of the Cuyahoga River. This low-lying area near Cleveland’s downtown became a beehive of industrial plants with easy access to shipping. However, by the 1960s (until the present) it transitioned into a plethora of establishments catering to those who love to party. After graduating nursing school, I worked at the Cleveland Clinic on their VIP ward which catered to the rich and famous. Following this, I worked a variety of medical-related positions: industrial nurse, traveling nurse, and insurance claim reviewer to name a few. For over 30 years I worked as a legal nurse consultant—a title that didn’t even exist when I first started. Next, I became a commercial print model for ProModel and Talent Agency in Cleveland before multiple spinal surgeries intervened. 

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?

Today’s society promotes rage and a lack of common decency through anonymous media posts permitting the spread of enmity without responsibility. My writing returns the reader to a time when family values and respect for one another was paramount. During the early twentieth century, quiet reflection was possible without the continuous bombardment of social media and 24-hour news. I firmly believe the combination of two things (family’s nurturing love in addition to laughter) can become our personal anchors for peace and sanity. Last, Growing Up O’Malley is a tender reminder that inside each of us resides a childlike innocence waiting to enrich the lives of others with creativity, love, and optimism.

Can you share with readers a little bit about your latest book?

There are actually two focal points. The first is the story of my grandparents (Michael O’Malley and Mary Ginley) both from County Mayo on Ireland’s western seaboard. They emigrated separately to America in the early 1900s fleeing the potato famine and religious persecution. Michael heard the streets were paved in gold and traveled to California where he joined a group of prospectors. They struck gold but the day they were leaving to cash in their fortune, Michael was too sick to travel. They refused to wait and took Michael’s share of gold leaving him with meager provisions. Two weeks later when Michael was finally able to travel, he came across his fellow explorers murdered for the gold they prospected. By the time Michael arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, he was ready to settle down. He married Mary Ginley and together they raised seven boisterous children (characters from my first book, Paradox Forged In Blood) which provides a backdrop for humorous antics while coping w/various challenges including the Great Depression, WW II, and deadly illnesses. 

The second focus is providing American & World history with a twist (similar to Behind The Headlines). Historical events are seen through the eyes of the O’Malley family and include background stories largely unknown.

What made you decide to sit down and actually start writing this book?

My mother, Ellen Grace (depicted as the infant on the book’s 1920 family portrait), died in 2008. It became clear I needed an outlet for my grief and decided to write a novel. This allowed me to turn my sorrow into a positive outlet as I devised a murder mystery outline incorporating my mother as the main protagonist. But without any formal training, and despite positive reviews of my first draft by friends and family, I knew something felt off. I asked my son to review several chapters and he asked a poignant question: Is this a murder mystery or an homage to the O’Malleys? Stunned at his clarity, I realized the only realistic answer was both! My next step was to separate my original draft into two books: Paradox Forged In Blood and the tribute to my mother’s family transitioned into Growing Up O’Malley. While working a fulltime job as a legal nurse consultant, I decided to complete the historical murder mystery first assuming it would be more appealing for my initial introduction as a novelist. 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

It allowed me to imagine the O’Malleys in the glory (and hijinks) of their youth. For example, Marge O’Malley—the eldest of the O’Malley children—noticed at the age of nine that her mother was gaining weight at an alarming rate. Convinced she needed to help her mother lose the unsightly pounds, she regularly brought her favorite stuffed animal (Happy Hippo) to the table and, in a not-too-subtle technique, lectured him about eating tiny portions. Certain her efforts would be successful, Marge was shocked when a nurse arrived to care for her mother a few months later. Bewildered by this calamitous event, even her father reacted uncharacteristically by turning the radio volume to the loudest setting. Certain her mother’s illness turned her father deaf, Marge was beside herself.

When her father told all the children to play outside before their chores were complete, she became convinced he lost his mind. By the end of the day, the children were called back inside and the nurse placed a bundle on the kitchen table. Marge was delighted she and her sisters had a new toy—until it moved. “It’s a bay-be!” [direct quote from my aunt, Marge O’Malley DuChez]. My mother was only three years old and I imagined her standing on tiptoes barely able to see over the tabletop and witness the miracle. Marge-in-charge convinced her siblings to tell their mother the good news, but their father deftly blocked their way. Once Mary O’Malley was strong enough to take meals with her family, Marge asked how she lost so much weight—secretly convinced Happy Hippo would be her response. Blushing, Mary informed her inquisitive daughter that she carried their newest sibling next to her heart. Marge was shocked—her mother ate the baby! Whenever her mother gained a few pounds, Marge ran throughout the house to verify her siblings were all accounted for and in one piece. Being the oldest was certainly a challenge. 

What is one great lesson you have learned as a writer?

I never understood the saying “The more things change, the more they stay the same” until I wrote Growing Up O’Malley. The O’Malleys endured the Greats: Great Potato famine, Great Depression, and the Great War. Today we face many of the same challenges encountered by our ancestors more than a century past: Pandemics (then: Typhus, Spanish Flu; now: Covid and its variants); Lack of school safety (then: kidnappings and no “stranger danger” awareness; now: school shootings); Racism (then: job postings “Irish need not apply”; now: attacks on ethnic and cultural groups); Economics (then: Great Depression; now: Great Recession); War (then: World War II; now: Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine); Immigration (then: strict quotas, especially the Jews; now: world atrocities strain asylum seekers.) Despite our advances in technology and the information highway, age-old problems remain the same. Finding equitable solutions, a challenge for all, could be facilitated by employing mainstays pursued by the O’Malleys to sustain them through life’s hurdles: positive attitudes, faith, humor, and decisive convictions that nurture hope.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast?

Pierce Brosnan: Michael O’Malley

Kelly Macdonald: Mary Ginley O’Malley

Want to learn more about Mary Frances Fisher?

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