The Visitor – A new mystery and suspense novel by Zoë Miller
By Hayden Moore
After nine books in nine years, Zoë Miller has released novel number ten called ‘The Visitor’.
‘The Visitor’ opens with an enthralling prologue that follows lead antagonist Eli, and sets up the entire book in just two short pages full of mystery and suspense and proves to be a real page turner.
Knocklyon mother of three, Zoë, turned to writing full novels just over 10 years ago as a part-time hobby, but after 10 years of writing books including her ninth title that was released last year called ‘A House Full of Secrets’, Zoë decided to quit her day job and become a full-time novelist.
Best-selling author of books such as ‘A Question of Betrayal’ and ‘Someone New’, Zoë has been writing for her entire life having written stories as a child, and had a career in freelance journalism and prize-winning short fiction.
Zoë caught up with The Echo to tell us all about her new novel ‘The Visitor’, turning her dreams into reality, and how the writing process has changed over the years.
What can readers expect from The Visitor?
Overall, it’s a feel-good Christmas read with a layer of suspense, it is a Christmas book and it’s about these people who live in Henrietta Square that get snowed in during a snowstorm a few days before Christmas – but then this mysterious visitor shows up to their door and changes everything.
It’s also about how love can change everything and that it can come in all shapes and sizes too.
You released Guilty Secrets almost 10 years ago, did you ever expect you’d get to 10 books in 10 years?
It was always a hope and a dream of mine to write a book, and after I had released my first book ‘Guilty Secrets’, I was sitting down with my editor and he asked me where I see myself in 10 years.
I told him that in 10 years’ time I would love to have 10 books on a book shelf and the amazing thing is that it actually happened!
How has the process of writing differed over the years?
On one hand I’m enjoying it a lot more now but on the other hand it is more difficult because I’m trying to write much better richer stories than the last book, so I’ve set the bar higher with each one – a lot higher for myself and I feel like I have to keep writing better stories every time for my readers.
I know now that if I get stuck in a plot hole or I’m getting writer’s block that I can just write my way out of it, I just have to keep on writing until I get over that initial bump and then it will work itself out.
The first draft is always the hardest and it is certainly not an easy process, but I do enjoy it much more now since going full time last year and I look forward to writing more.
Are you starting to get underway with book number eleven?
Well, I usually just lock myself away for eight months of the year and write, write, write. It’s around this time now that ideas are starting to come to me and fester inside my head, but I won’t say much more because I want to enjoy getting book 10 out.
‘The Visitor’ was launched in St Stephen’s Green and is on bookshelves nationwide now.
