AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Paul Brennan

Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I was born in Boston, MA. I am the middle child in a family of five children. I have had many trials in my life. Some of which, led me to quit school at the age of 14 and leave home. My education consisted mostly of the School of hard knocks. I have thankfully been able to turn my dysfunctional and chaotic childhood and teenage years into a life full of joy and I now have an amazing family. My wife and I live in Southern Utah where we spend a lot of our time with our grown children and grandchildren. They are our treasure. I got started writing because everyone that knows me kept telling me that I needed to write a book about my life experiences. 

 How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

My best writing time is very early in the morning when I can’t sleep

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a laptop or some other method of getting your words down?

I  start by speaking the stories into my cell phone and go from there. 

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

My favorite part about writing is putting the stories together, trying to capture the events and use my creativity to make them interesting while retaining the integrity of the story. My least favorite part about writing is having the patience for all the steps to be finalized and waiting for others to do their part. Also, I am not good at spelling so that is frustrating.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?

Get the Book on Amazon

My life experiences gave me my book idea. Everyone is always intrigued by my stories. The actual writing only took approximately six months, but about two years from start to finish.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

We are really just getting started with marketing. Mostly social media so far.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Right now, I am currently focusing on promoting my granddaughters’ new Christmas CD which just came out on the Itunes store (Lainee McDonald). She’s amazing!

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I am working on some ideas along the lines of other peoples experiences in life. 

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I would tell a beginning writer to just start writing! They just might surprise themselves. One page at a time. Just do it!

Question for Kathryn:

How do you get your ideas for books?

My books come from thoughts I have in my head - a do have a few of those :) as well as experiences I have had in my life, including things people say or do that intrigue me. If you pick up my first book, A River of Stones, you'll learn about a girl named Samantha who convinces her friends that a vampire is living up the street. When I was about the same age, I convinced my friends there was a vampire living up the street :)