Let's welcome my guest author, Lauren Keegan
My guest this month is Lauren Keegan, author of All the Bees in the Hollows and The Woman in the Seal Skin.
Lauren Keegan is a perinatal psychologist. All The Bees In The Hollows was voted Best Debut Fiction in the 2025 Indie Book Awards and longlisted in the ARA Historical Novel Prize 2025.
Lauren lives with her husband, two daughters on Dharawal and Gundungarra country (Wollondilly, NSW in Australia). Mint slices are her guilty pleasure and she drinks more tea than is sensible.
You can connect with Lauren via her website, Substack and Instagram.
You can buy All the Bees in the Hollows at Amazon and at ABA retailers.
You can buy The Woman in the Seal Skin at Amazon and at ABA retailers.
What or who inspired you to first write? Which authors have influenced you?
I loved writing stories when I was a child, and then I dabbled in journalling and poetry as a teenager. While studying psychology, I didn’t read or write creatively for many years until I found my way back to books and then back to writing in my early twenties- and I’m so glad I did! Stylistically, my writing is inspired by my three favourite authors: Hannah Kent (atmospheric settings), Kate Forsyth (myth and folklore), and Inga Simpson (nature and environmental themes). You will find (I hope!) all three influences in my writing.
What is the inspiration for your current book? Is there a particular theme you wished to explore?
The inspiration behind my debut novel, All the Bees in the Hollows, came from a children’s podcast episode about bees and Lithuanian bee folklore. I learned about the ancient worshipping of the bee goddess Austeja, the close relationship between Lithuanian people and bees, and the beautiful language around bees and friendship in the Lithuanian culture. It gave me such a buzz (pun intended!) and the rest, as you can say, is history. The book explores themes of grief and loss, a strained mother-daughter relationship, Christianity vs. paganism, colonialism, and human interference in nature.
What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?
I love to read books across all time periods. As a writer of historical fiction, I am drawn more to the human stories and myths in history than a particular era.
What resources do you use to research your book? How long did it take to finish the novel?
All the Bees in the Hollows is set in the 1500s and so I didn’t have access to digitised newspaper clippings which can be relied on for books set in later centuries. I drew on a variety of resources including visuals (images, videos, documentaries), literature (books set in/ about Lithuania) journal articles and in-country sources. A wonderful contact at a beekeeping museum in Lithuania shared with me a wealth of resources including photos of traditional tree beekeeping tools and little anecdotes about local customs and beliefs. The majority of the first draft of the book was written in a six-month period but there was at least six months of research prior to that and more afterwards, along with several rounds of revisions.
What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?
This happens to me more frequently than I’d like to admit! I tend to move on and come back to it. For me, the magic happens in the rewrites and so I am not too hard on myself when I’m writing a first draft. If all else fails, I do love a thesaurus!
Is there anything unusual or even quirky that you would like to share about your writing?
Okay, this quirk is a credit to my psychology training… Whenever I’m fleshing out my characters and their relationships, I draw a family genogram which is like a family tree. This is so I can visualise how the protagonist is connected and how they interact with significant people in their lives. It also provides me with a bigger picture of generational issues which is another interest of mine.
Do you use a program like Scrivener to create your novel? Do you ever write in long hand?
All the Bees in the Hollows was mostly drafted by hand in a notebook while my children, who were young at the time, played nearby. When I was caring for them, I felt less guilty writing in a notebook than staring at a screen, but it also meant that my notebook followed me around and I was always in ‘contact’ with the story. When I had more time, I’d type up my notes, though often unintelligible, they did give me somewhere to start. It meant I was never faced with a blank screen, which was a relief when I had only short bursts of time available to write. These days, I don’t often write long hand but I will come back to it if I’m feel stuck- or distracted by the internet!
What advice would you give an aspiring author?
I give this advice often: Don’t give up! All the Bees in the Hollows was my first published book but it was the tenth manuscript I’d completed. I’d received 200+ rejections for previous manuscripts, and if I’d given up, I wouldn’t be a published author today.
Tell us about your next book.
The Woman in the Seal Skin, is an atmospheric historical novel set in a 17th century Scottish fishing village amidst the backdrop of ‘Europe’s Little Ice Age’ and inspired by selkie myths of the time. It is about a young woman named Malie who grew up hearing tales of selkies; shape-shifting women who shed their seal skins to seduce fishermen on the Orkney Shores. That’s the story of how her parents met, and it must be true because one day her mother slipped into the sea and was never seen again.
Life on land is predictable and safe, and her future is all mapped out for her. But, just like the seals in the sea, there’s a wildness in Malie’s soul- one that cannot be tamed and deeply yearns for the sea.
Dealing with themes of motherhood, grief, violence and female oppression, is a hauntingly, atmospheric novel about a woman living in a cloistered community on a wild Scottish island, who one day meets her wildness within
Bees choose their masters. Bees don’t sting good people.
Maryté is a devoted beekeeper. She lives by the old rules: work with fellow beekeepers, be a good Christian and a good harvest will follow. These rules help her cope with her grief when she inherits her husband’s tree hollows. But as harsh conditions and tax increases threaten the harvest, Maryté begins to question her faith, her community and her own sanity.
There is little help to be had from her eldest daughter. Austeja is no worker bee. She takes risks, speaks her mind and dreams of escaping their isolated community. As her mother works, she finds refuge in the ancient forest and the old beliefs instilled in her by her defiant grandmother.
When Austeja discovers the mutilated body of the Hollow Watcher and uncovers a honeycomb of lies and betrayal, she is intent on finding the truth and protecting her family. Will mother and daughter overcome their differences, learn the truth behind the murder and complete the honey harvest?
Thanks Lauren. I am so delighted to see your success! I was very grateful for your support when you were a reviewer and I was a debut writer. You were among the first to review The Wedding Shroud!
Good luck with The Woman in the Seal Skin. Another fascinating exploration of myth and womanhood. And I love your covers – so luscious and evocative!
