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URL:
www.authorianoneill.blogspot.com
ABOUT IAN
Who is Ian O’Neill?
He was born in Glasgow, Scotland but has no
accent. He grew up in Mimico, the once-named town in southern
Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Went to high school there and
yadda-yadda-yadda, graduated from college then he got married,
is father to a great daughter, got divorced, is still father to
a great daughter, yadda-yadda-yadda, is married to an amazing
woman and lives in Oakville, Ontario. Some say he is The Stig
from Top Gear. Some say he isn’t. You can decide for yourself.
We think he has the right shaped head to fit the crash helmet.
We’re just saying.
INTERVIEW
Q: Why writing? A: I suck at
everything else. Wait, let me turn that into a positive phrase:
It’s the only thing I’m good at. Q: How
long have you been writing? A: My first
paying gig was in high school. I wrote an essay for a buddy and
got paid in beer. I ended up in advertising as a copywriter for
a dozen years, then went freelance and I’ve been doing that ever
since. I’ve written nature/wildlife, some science and sports,
television and radio ads, P.R., speeches; pretty much anything
that you need written, I’ll write it for you.
Q: When did the fiction bug bite you?
A: Not too long ago, maybe four or five years. That bug bit hard
and it left a nasty scar. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q: I’ll bet you get asked this question a lot; where did
you get your idea for Endo?
A: All fiction writers face the ‘idea’ question and the answer
is different for all of them. For Endo, there were two
catalysts: a friend with a penchant for riding off cliffs on his
mountain bike and a thought I had in the wee hours of a race.
My friend Tony has gone off a cliff twice, and lived to
tell the tale. Both times a branch saved him from hitting the
ground. One night, at a twenty-four hour mountain bike race, I
was traversing a cliff edge, I was alone, the only light was
from my headlamp, it was pitch black beyond the halo and it was
eerily quiet. I thought, wouldn’t this be a great place for a
murder. That was all I needed to start researching, plotting,
building characters. Q: Speaking of
characters, do they speak to you and lead you where they want to
go or are you in charge? A: If they were
in charge then I’d need to be speaking to someone else right
now; a professional of another kind. I know to a lot of writers,
it feels like their characters are taking them on the journey,
but it’s not the case. I will always send my characters to
explore plot avenues I uncover but I’ll be the one deciding what
to write. At least that’s what they tell me to say.
Q: Humor is a big part of your writing, your life?
A: Oh yeah. Like my parents said, if you
can’t laugh at yourself others will, so, beat them to it. Well,
they didn’t really say that but we did do a lot of laughing.
Humor is a big part of what gets me through the day and
inevitably it makes it into my work. One of the biggest
compliments I ever received was when a reader told me my writing
made her laugh and cry. That piece was a comedy, so, I didn’t
want to know what made her cry. Q: For
anyone that hasn’t yet read
Endo, what book would you compare it to?
A: That’s tough, but I’d say it has the pace and thriller
elements of Greg Iles, 24 Hours. Endo is a whodunit that will
take you on a thrill ride. It’s got a real knock out punch.
Please stop me. It will get your heart pounding. Stop me please.
Q: Okay, stop. We get it.
Endo is a great read. How about a change of pace. Boxers
or briefs? A: Commando.
Q. Let's change pace again, shall we? A.
Sorry, I can’t help myself. Okay, pace changing. As a guy who
worked in advertising for many years, I can tell you first hand
that word of mouth is the best advertising. All I can ask is
that anyone reading this give Endo a read--I know you’ll
have a great time. Then, tell two friends…hell, tell a dozen
because I have a daughter going to college next year and that’ll
help me buy her a box of fresh pens.
Q: Got any advice for writers out there trying to get
published? A: I have a single e-book
title published so, I don’t think I’m in a position to give any
advice. All I’ll say is if you write, keep writing. The only way
good things happen for you as a writer, is if you keep writing.
Oh, and read, too. Write and read, yeah, that’s it. Oh, and eat
all your vegetables. Q: What does that have
to do with writing? A: Can’t hurt.
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