PDB: Can you pitch your latest publication in 25 words or less?
Luckily, the most excellent Eva Dolan had this one covered for me. She tweeted, "WEE ROCKETS by Gerard Brennan... Byker Grove meets City of God and gets bottled in a park." Brilliant, right? Ms Dolan really has a way with words.
PDB: Which books, films or television shows have floated your boat recently?
Books: Adrian McKinty's Cold, Cold Ground, Stuart Neville's Stolen Souls, Brian McGilloway's Little Girl Lost.
Films: The Town, London Boulevard, Hugo.
TV: True Blood, Justified, Outnumbered.
PDB: Is it possible for a writer to be an objective reader?
It's difficult but I think the very disciplined ones can be. Declan Burke's reviews always strike me as fair and objective. Mine... not so much. I'm honest in my opinions, but I definitely have a soft spot for Irish crime fiction. Luckily it's a sub-genre that punches well above its weight so I can't really be proved wrong when I praise these books. Alternatively, I can be a bit unfairly dismissive of the Scandinavian crew.
PDB: Do you have any interest in writing for films, theatre or television?
Yeah, all of the above. In fact, I've written a screenplay for my novella, THE POINT (and got a little bit of development funding for it from NI Screen) and have notions of writing a pilot episode of a TV series based on WEE ROCKETS. I also performed a short one-man show based on a comic-horror story of mine in October 2010, AN IRISH POSSESSION. That was a really fun experience.
PDB: How much research goes into each book?
It's hard to measure, really. I tend to write what I know and embellish with added research but it's a constant function in the writing process. Google is always open when I'm working on a project and I do enjoy learning new things. But you have to know when to stop reading and get back to the story. Time is finite and you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
PDB: How useful or important are social media for you as a writer?
Good time to ask. I just deactivated my Facebook account last week. I went back and forth on the decision for months. At my level self-promotion is a must and Facebook is generally seen as one of the most powerful tools in social media. But it's also a major time bandit and far too often I've lost a couple of hours just lurking about that site and generally goofing off. I have kept my Twitter account open, though and intend to put a little more effort in the CSNI blog. I don't want people to forget I exist and it's also nice to communicate with folk between writing sessions. Writing is a solitary pursuit and I think it's important to be in contact with a number of like-minded individuals so that you can support, encourage and have a laugh with each other when life gets a little too serious.
PDB: What’s on the cards in 2012?
I have another book coming out from Blasted Heath some time in 2012 titled FIREPROOF. I also have the basis of a story in mind for a follow-up to THE POINT that I'll work on when I'm finished with the rewrite of my latest novel.
And somehow I have to squeeze in the assignments for the MA in creative writing I'm doing this year. I may have to get fired from my dayjob to squeeze all this in without ignoring my wife, three kids and the puppy.
And my tropical fish.
Bloody hell. I might have to quit drinking as well. Not tonight,though. There's a can of Carlsberg in the fridge calling me as I type...
Find out more about Gerard Brennan here
And here
And here
PDB: Is it possible for a writer to be an objective reader?
It's difficult but I think the very disciplined ones can be. Declan Burke's reviews always strike me as fair and objective. Mine... not so much. I'm honest in my opinions, but I definitely have a soft spot for Irish crime fiction. Luckily it's a sub-genre that punches well above its weight so I can't really be proved wrong when I praise these books. Alternatively, I can be a bit unfairly dismissive of the Scandinavian crew.
PDB: Do you have any interest in writing for films, theatre or television?
Yeah, all of the above. In fact, I've written a screenplay for my novella, THE POINT (and got a little bit of development funding for it from NI Screen) and have notions of writing a pilot episode of a TV series based on WEE ROCKETS. I also performed a short one-man show based on a comic-horror story of mine in October 2010, AN IRISH POSSESSION. That was a really fun experience.
PDB: How much research goes into each book?
It's hard to measure, really. I tend to write what I know and embellish with added research but it's a constant function in the writing process. Google is always open when I'm working on a project and I do enjoy learning new things. But you have to know when to stop reading and get back to the story. Time is finite and you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
PDB: How useful or important are social media for you as a writer?
Good time to ask. I just deactivated my Facebook account last week. I went back and forth on the decision for months. At my level self-promotion is a must and Facebook is generally seen as one of the most powerful tools in social media. But it's also a major time bandit and far too often I've lost a couple of hours just lurking about that site and generally goofing off. I have kept my Twitter account open, though and intend to put a little more effort in the CSNI blog. I don't want people to forget I exist and it's also nice to communicate with folk between writing sessions. Writing is a solitary pursuit and I think it's important to be in contact with a number of like-minded individuals so that you can support, encourage and have a laugh with each other when life gets a little too serious.
PDB: What’s on the cards in 2012?
I have another book coming out from Blasted Heath some time in 2012 titled FIREPROOF. I also have the basis of a story in mind for a follow-up to THE POINT that I'll work on when I'm finished with the rewrite of my latest novel.
And somehow I have to squeeze in the assignments for the MA in creative writing I'm doing this year. I may have to get fired from my dayjob to squeeze all this in without ignoring my wife, three kids and the puppy.
And my tropical fish.
Bloody hell. I might have to quit drinking as well. Not tonight,though. There's a can of Carlsberg in the fridge calling me as I type...
Find out more about Gerard Brennan here
And here
And here
6 comments:
A puppy? And tropical fish?
I actually don't know how Mr. Brennan manages to fit it all in.
He may need that Carlsberg more than he knows...
Great interview Paul, sheds some light on the Mysterious Mr. Brennan
Thanks for having me, Paul!
Seana, in fairness, wee Charlie is my wife's dog. She walks him most days and he's pretty low maintenance. The fish are all mine, though.
Cheers, Ben. Never thought of myself as mysterious... Seems like a cool thing to be, though.
Excellent interview. I'm in the middle of Wee Rockets and can highly recommend it.
Thanks, Michael. I'm delighted you're enjoying it.
Cheers
gb
Thanks for the interview, Gerard and thanks for everyone who stopped by.
Post a Comment