Supernatural and natural elements are eternally present in Irish landscapes. I don't think I could have written this story in Manhattan. William feels called by God to paint. I do feel urged to write what I write, and that it is what I am supposed to be doing in some way. In contrast, you've actually written several books together with your wife.
Life is short, art is long.
And hard, difficult, exhausting, frightening, exhilarating. Naturally it takes a toll on all other aspects of your life. Bach's gospels, Van Morrison, Don Giovanni, Eileen Ivers during Four Letters. In contemporary American writing I like Cormac McCarthy and Toni Morrison. I did a master's degree on Faulkner.