Up close & personal with Author Ryan O'Leary
by Confessions of a Bookaholic on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 3:31pm ·
Thanks for joining me Ryan, i apreeciate your time, i know your a busy Man.
Hey, Danielle. Thanks for having me. You stay on your side of the room until this interview is over, or I don't think we'll ever get this thing done. After that, all bets are off.
*blushes* Ryan ... you have no idea..... (clears throat ..ok back to the interview)
Do you use a Pseudonym?
Is my real name Ryan O'Leary? Yes, it is. I guess I could have picked another name, something sexier; something with more punch to it, but I figured just be myself.
Where are you from?
I'm Canadian; born and breed. Yes, I grew-up playing hockey and no, wild bears and moose don't roam the streets here like gangs. That might happen in other parts of the country, but I'm from Toronto, the biggest city in Canada, where the hipsters roam the streets.
Are you Married? Do you have Children?
No wife. No kids. Taking care of me is a full-time job as it is.
Whats your Favorite color?
Growing up, we always had blue rooms in my house and one pink room, usually the dining room. I'm a guy to the core, I like dark colours. Black, dark blue, maybe grey. Nothing flashy, just classic.
Do You have a pet/s? If yes What kind/s? And whats its name/s?
2 cats. One is a tabby, the other calico. Thunderpunch and Zhartark. I know, but having a pet named Mittens or Socks just isn't my style.
When and why did you begin writing?
I'll sum it up for you. I'd written some stuff as a kid, nothing much, just a few stories in grade school. Around the time of my 22nd birthday I had this idea. I said to myself, "Ryan. I think it'd be cool to write a movie." So I did. A year later I said. "Ryan. I think it'd be cool to write a book." So I did. That first book took me nearly 3 years to write. When that was done, I wrote another, then another, then another and eventually found other genres to take a crack at and here I am.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
Get it together, Danielle. I just answered this question.
(What can i say Ryan its not easy being in the same room as you, your making me a little nervous, readers please forgive me, if u have seen Ryan's pictures you will understand.)
Do you have a specific writing style?
First I procrastinate, then I procrastinate more. Then inspiration hits and I write manically for a few hours or days. Then back to procrastinating.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I can assure you, if there is a message in there somewhere, it's not intentionally. I just want the reader to have fun and enjoy. The greatest thrill for me is the idea that my words may be turning the reader on, that's what makes me write the next story. I know, men and their egos, but it's the biggest reward I get from it.
What book are you reading now?
Their Wildest Dreams, by Peter Abrahams. I usually pick books off the $5 table at Chapters and read them. I've found a few books I liked that way. This one is okay so far. I'm about a quarter of the way through and I'm pretty sure I know where it's going, but we'll wait and findout.
Do you have a favorite book or series?
I read anything by Chuck Palahniuk and I liked Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Basically, I'll give any book a try and see how it goes.
What are your current projects?
Right now I'm working with my writing partner, Sable Hunter. We're doing the first book in an erotic romance series that is tentatively titled Equalizer. The first book is called Thunderbird. It's about Kyle Chancellor, a member of the powerful Chancellor family. Kyle gave up a promising future playing professional football to go fight for his country. When he gets back, he is asked to run for the senate in Michigan. He meets Hannah Newman at his campaign headquarters one day and falls head over heels. They spend a magically weekend together, but are torn apart by controversy and scandal on Monday. Sable is amazing at telling a story. She knows how to make the reader laugh and cry all at the same time and I'm the undisputed go-to guy when it comes to flirty fun and sex, so it will be quite the read when we are done.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.?
All the people I've met since I started writing in this particular genre. Everyone had been so kind, so supportive. Other authours were there for me to answer questions and point me in the right direction. I've had so many people say, "Ryan, anything I can do to support you, you just let me know." Like you, Danielle. The hardest part of being a writer is getting your name out there for people to see and it's people like you who help me do that, so I say thank you to you and everyone else who helps me.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I get something different for every book I write. Let me explain. When I know I'm about to start a new story, I'll got to a second hand shop and buy something. Something cheap, maybe 5 or 10 dollars. One time I bought a button-up shirt, it was black and had a neon-blue dragon on it. I know, hideous, but I wore it every time I wrote a book I was working on. I bought a clock to hang on the wall for another book I wrote. While I'm doing Thunderbird, I have a novelty set of brassknuckles a friend gave me for Christmas. They are made of rubber and you're supposed to squeeze them when you get angry or stressed. They sit beside me when I'm writing. I'll go get something else for the next book. A candle, a figurine, who knows, I never know what I'm getting until I get to the store and start looking. I also have a big bottle of Jack Daniels on my desk and I do a shot after I've completed a project.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
My head mostly. I look things up on the internet if I have to. Places, dates, facts, stuff like that, but I make most stuff up.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I grew-up playing hockey. When I was 5 years old, my parents bought my older brother hockey equipment, but I put it on and refused to take it off. I kept it on for the next 11 years and all I wanted to be was a professional hockey player. That obviously never happened. One of my coaches growing up told us, "The 2 things that will ruin your hockey career are booze and women", and boy was he right. I discovered women and hockey took a back seat, so here I am.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I'm sure it could be better, but eventaully you have to let it be, stopping tweaking and fussing and send it out into the world to be read, so no, I wouldn't change anything.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Editing. I'm horrible when it comes to grammar and punctuation, as I'm sure you can tell by this interview. I usually get a friend to look at my stuff before I let anyone else see it and fix my mistakes, which I make a lot of, but I don't have anyone to edit my answers to this interview, so sorry for the mistakes. What can I say? I'm human. The actual writing part is tough too. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said: "A writer is someone who has taught his mind to behave." If you can avoid distractions and actually write, you'll be okay, but there are just so many damn distractions out there.
Do you prefer to write from a male or female POV? And why?
I did some stuff under a pen name from the female POV and now that I'm writing from the male POV, I don't really see the difference. If I had to pick one, I might choose female POV, because I get to write as a woman, get to write the pleasure she is feeling and that appeals to me very much.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just write. The most important part of anything you write is the first draft, so sit down and write it, you can fix it later.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I just want to say thank you for reading and I sincerly hope they enjoy my work. Don't get me wrong, I want to make money, but the real reaon I write is for people to read my words and enjoy them, that is the goal for me. I want to say one more thing and this is just a personal opinion. I think everyone has a story they want to tell. There is a story running through my head all the time, so I write it down when I get a chance and I think we are all like that, so I encourage everyone who reads my books or anyone elses to write their own stories if they have the desire to. Thank for having me, Danielle. Interviews over. What ever shall we do now?
I can think of so many things Ryan ..however lets get this interview wrapped up first, then i believe we both have the same Party to attend.... Ryan is having a Launch party please stop by his page and join the party with us...
thanks again Ryan this has been the most ummm interesting interview i have done thus far ;-)
~Danielle~
"Confessions Of A Bookaholic*
Danielle. (2013, February 23). Up Close & Personal with Author Ryan O'Leary [Blog Interview]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/notes/confessions-of-a-bookaholic/up-close-personal-with-author-ryan-oleary/420464048046578
