The Birthday Weekend: Author Zoe Miller publishes her 13th novel

KNOCKLYON author Zoe Miller is delighted to present her thirteenth novel, ‘The Birthday Weekend’, as published by Hachette Books Ireland, reports Ryan Butler.

She lives with her husband in Knocklyon, has a grown-up family, and writes contemporary novels blended with intrigue and suspense.

Her previous novels include ‘The Perfect Sister’ and ‘The House in the Woods’.

‘The Birthday Weekend’ is a suspenseful story of friendship, sisterhood, and long-buried secrets.

Zoe has been writing since childhood and felt compelled to write mystery stories herself, having had a love for them.

Her writing career included freelance journalism and short fiction before she finally made time to write a novel.

She “felt compelled to write about a group of long-term friends” and how connections between friends and sisters change with the passage of time, especially when life throws various curve balls that can result in old secrets and past grudges coming to light.

Zoe began writing ‘The Birthday Weekend’ at the end of the pandemic, dedicating an average of three to four hours per working day.

It took her over a year to finish writing it, and since spring 2023, she has been involved in the publication process.

Getting to the 90,000 words required for a contemporary novel involves “a lot of sitting in front of a blank screen and typing in words one by one,” according to Zoe, who goes on to state that thinking time is also needed to make the characters and plot “relatable and realistic.”.

The editors helped her in the publication process, suggesting ways she could strengthen the story, as well as fine-tuning every sentence and checking every word before it went to press.

She is currently working on her next book, which is under the working title ‘Book 14’, and for which she has also finished the first draft.

Zoe would like to thank her agent, Sheila Crowley, who has always championed her and secures and manages her book deals; the team at Hachette Books Ireland, who continue to put their faith in her and publish her books; her husband, who took her writing dreams, made them his own, and stepped into the role of chief cook and bottle washer; her family and friends who always have her back; and her loyal readers, because without their staunch support, she wouldn’t continue to be published.