A String of Days: An Author Interview with Barbara Lynn Murphy
- Swords & Sapphics team
- May 16
- 5 min read
Today we're joined by Lesfic Bard Award winner Barbara Lynn Murphy in a new interview all about how she came to be a sapphic author later in life, and what readers can expect from Debra's fictional memoir, which explores life and love, in her new novel A String of Days.
Thank you for joining us, Barbara! Could you start by introducing yourself?
Sure! My name is Barbara Lynn Murphy, and I grew up Long Island, New York, but I’ve been in the metro Atlanta area for over 30 years now. I like to call myself a late-blooming author because I didn’t write my first book until I was in my late 50s!
We would love to know more about A String of Days and what inspired you to write it!
A String of Days actually began as a failed attempt to write the story of my life with my wife, Nancy. We knew each other when we were little kids, which makes for a fun and interesting love story. But, for some reason, I had trouble getting that down on paper, so to speak. Instead, I began writing the fictional memoir A String of Days.
What drew you to the sapphic fiction/romance genre, and what do you love most about it?
It’s going to sound cliche, but they say write what you know, right? I wanted to write stories and characters about people like me, so sapphic fiction/romance was a natural fit for me. I couldn’t imagine writing in any other genre.
And what made you decide to write in the form of a fictional memoir? Is this your usual preference, or something new for you? How does this influence Debra’s story?
No, as I said, the fictional memoir was sort of an accident. When I had trouble writing the real-life story, the fictional characters came to life in my head, and I just went with it. I’m a tried-and-true pantser, so once the idea of Debra was born, the story of her life came to me rather easily.
Can you tell us a little bit about your characters? Which, if any, do you identify with most and why?
I think that in all three of the books I’ve written, there is a little bit of me at the heart of each of the main characters. It goes back to that “write what you know” thing. It’s easy to write characters that think like I think and act like I might act. But, I also enjoy creating the different characters that interact with my MC, who might have completely different stories to tell that don’t look or act anything like me. That’s when I get to be a bit more creative.
And which characters do you hope your readers will connect with the most?
I think that Debra in A String of Days is a character that readers will connect with. She’s been through some stuff and her life hasn’t always been easy, but she’s lived it on her terms.
The story is about not giving up on love through the years. Are there any parts of Debra’s story that particularly resonated with you?
Oh, sure. I’ve had several long-term relationships that, for whatever reason, didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. I didn’t reconnect with my wife until I was 45. It might have been easy to give up on love after a few disappointing break-ups, but I would have missed out on this wonderful chapter that’s been going strong for fifteen years now.
You became a writer a little later in life, at the age of fifty-eight! How did you make the decision to put pen to paper, and what has it been like to start a new venture at this stage?
I’d had the urge to write many times over the years. But inevitably, after maybe twenty pages or so, I’d lose that creative spark, and the ideas would dry up. During the early days of COVID, I started a story that just kept going for some reason. I have no idea how it happened. I just wrote and wrote and wrote, and before I knew it, I had an 80,000-word manuscript. After that, I wrote a second book and then a third. I’ve tried to figure it out, but I think it’s just one of those mysteries that I’ll never understand. It’s been quite a ride so far, and it’s been wonderful getting immersed in the Sapphic community and meeting the authors whose work I admire.
Have you come across any challenges during your publishing career? How have you overcome them?
Yes, in fact, I’m going through a terrible case of writer's block right now, and it’s been months since I’ve been able to write anything meaningful. I’d love to tell you how I’ve overcome the challenge, except that I haven’t yet. I’m just going to keep at it until something breaks through.
And since you’re also a Lesfic Bard Award winner, what have been the highlights of the writing journey so far?
The Lesfic Bard Award was undoubtedly a highlight. It was completely unexpected, and I’m truly honored to have been recognized. Going to last year’s GCLS conference in Minneapolis was also one of my favorite things about this journey. I’ll be headed up to GCLS 2025 in Albany in a couple of months. I’m really looking forward to it because there is so much good information to be gained from my fellow authors.
Are you a plotter or pantser, and did any additional research go into the story?
Oh, I am definitely a pantser. I couldn’t write an outline if you offered me a large sum of money. It’s just not how my brain works. My wife would read my draft manuscript and would ask, “What’s going to happen next”? My response was always “I have no idea. I’ll let you know when I write it.” I had to research a few things for the parts of the story that took place in the 60s and 70s. Things like “did this gadget or thingy that I’m mentioning here even exist back in 1969?”
You also have two other books already published, which we’d love to know more about! If readers enjoyed A String of Days, which would you direct them next?
The Lesfic Bard award that I won was for my second book When It’s True, which I’m really proud of. My first novel was Two Lives, One Heart, which I’m proud of because it made me a published author. But I do feel like I’ve honed the craft at least a little bit since then. That being said, I can still say with confidence that I think it’s an interesting read.
If you had any advice for writers who, like you, would like to to turn their hobby into a career, what would it be?
Just keep going. Write the story you want to read. It may surprise you to learn that others will read it too. And that is an extremely rewarding realization.
About the Author
Barbara Lynn Murphy is originally from Long Island, New York, but currently lives in suburban Atlanta, Georgia with her wife and three dogs. Always an avid reader, she is a late bloomer to writing, having only started doing so in earnest during the Covid years. What was once a passing fancy has morphed into a second chapter in her professional life. Visit her website: https://www.barbaralynnmurphy.com/
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