author interview

My George Saunders Interview

/ Paul McVeigh Writer / 2 Comments
I was lucky enough to interview George Saunders a couple of years ago. It was an amazing experience and a real ‘moment’ in my writing career.
George Saunders

George Saunders (c) Paul McVeigh

Recently I got to sit on a panel with for BBC Radio 3 thanks to New Writing North & Word Factory. We talked about the short story and read some of our work.
George and me BBC 3
George was up for another chat and interview that day which we did thanks to Bloomsbury Books. You can read it over at The Irish Times where George talks about his debut novel, writing, Trump and his wife’s upcoming novel. I hope you enjoy it.

New Interview with Lisa McInerney

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Lisa McInerney Q&A: ‘Heresies was a landscape. Miracles is a portrait’

Last night I was Lisa McInerney’s launch in Dublin. My interview with her appeared in The Irish Times yesterday – you can read it here.

Here’s a snippet…

The Blood Miracles is a follow-up to The Glorious Heresies. It was always your intention to write a trilogy.
Yeah, I think it was. It felt to me very early on like each should be part of a larger story. I had in my head that very famous hendiatris “sex, drugs, rock and roll”. “Three words, one idea” became “three novels, one broader story”. Heresies was sex, Miracles is drugs . . . which leaves me with a rousing symphonic epic to write for the closer. Each novel works on its own too, I think, so I think it will be more of a set than a trilogy.

You had this overview in mind but how much of the story did you have before you began writing The Blood Miracles?
Quite a bit, which isn’t usual for me. I knew the nuts and bolts of Miracles from the beginning, whereas with Heresies, I knew where it started and where it would end but I hadn’t a clue how I was going to get from one to the other. Miracles came together very differently. But that said, I think it’s more plot-centric than Heresies. It might show in the reading that I knew where I was going with it.

Lisa 1

Lisa McInerney last night

 

25/26 Nov, Shrewsbury Literature Festival

/ Paul McVeigh Writer / 1 Comment

I’m looking forward to the first Shrewsbury Literature Festival. On the Friday 25th November I’ll be interviewing Jonathan Coe about his new novel Number 11 in the festival’s first ever event. Here’s the info…

“Jonathan Coe is SFL’s first Patron and we are delighted that he will be with us over the Festival weekend. He is the author of numerous novels, including “What a Carve Up!”, “The Rotters’ Club” and the Shropshire-based “The Rain before It Falls“.

Jonathan was born in Birmingham and spent many happy childhood holidays in Shropshire. He tells us that he is looking forward to returning to Shrewsbury for the festival in November.

Jonathan’s latest novel is “Number 11” and he will be discussing this book and many other things with the writer, Paul McVeigh, in our very first event!”

On Saturday 26th November I’ll be running a writing workshop and then reading from and talking about The Good Son at 5pm.

I hope to see some of you there.

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 The Good Son:Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances: Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour: Olpe, Nov 15/Munich, Nov 16/Regendburg, Nov 17/Hamburg, Nov 18
Shrewsbury Literature Festival: Nov 25/26

 

 

 

Anakana Schofield Interview: The Irish Times

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Anakana Schofield interview: ‘My only aspiration is my coffin is not plywood’

‘I feel very Irish because I am noisy, have a major talent for affront and I am very pious but as a writer I was made in Canada. It gave me opportunities and courage to write’

My author interview series for The Irish Times continues with Anakana Scholfield multi-award-winning author of Martin John and Malarky.

To read the interview click here.

Guter Junge

The Good Son
Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances
Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour
Olpe, Nov 15
Munich, Nov 16
Regendburg, Nov 17
Hamburg, Nov 18

Donal Ryan Interview

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Donal Ryan: ‘To be honest, the reason I became a writer was to impress my wife’

I interviewed novelist and short story writer Donal Ryan for The Irish Times. He talks about writing and his new novel All We Shall Know. You can read it here.

Donal’s first published novel The Spinning Heart was shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, won The Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. The Thing About December was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and his short story The Slanting of the Sun won the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year Award.

all-we-shall-know-1

 

 

 

George Saunders on Story & My Interview

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George Saunders Explains How to Tell a Good Story. Click to hear the short story master sharing his unique insights into creating a great story for The Atlantic. It’s fantastic. And if you’ve never read his work I urge to you give it a go.

 

George Saunders

George Saunders (c) Paul McVeigh

 

 

I was lucky enough to interview George, in London, on the day he won The Folio Prize. You can read that interview here – he is rather fantastic.

A little snippet…

 

P: You described your job in Sumatra as – you drilled deep down then put in dynamite and exploded it. Isn’t that a little like the writing process?
G: Well it is actually! I never thought… You’re kind of looking to see where the energy goes, that’s the same thing – you put some energy in and see how it sorts itself out.