What is Uriel’s Gift about?
Environmental terrorism, the self-destructive insanity of the human race, multi-national corruption and greed, murder, and a young terminally ill girl with enough love in her heart to risk everything to help a dying fairy.
What inspired you to write this particular story?
The cover art. I did an image of a dying fairy and my wife and I spent a few hours on a beach in Spain talking about what might have killed her, if she was the last of her kind and whether or not we’d even know if the fairies were gone. We have driven many other species to extinction, some with severe environmental consequence. What would be the penalty for this one and are we next? She has been a strong influence in most of my story lines and character development, but this was the first truly joint effort she and I completed and the diversity of the characters and complexity of the story reflects the pair of creative minds merging.
Do you always design your own covers?
Yes. My first publisher had one of his artists try it and I showed them what I wanted. I’ve been doing them ever since. I’ve done a few for other authors.
Tell us a little about your main characters. Who was your favorite? Why?
This story has so many strong characters, the mysterious stranger with the rapier wit, the hard-nosed detective with the dark past, the cruel mother and the devoted father who was creative to a fault. But I think my favorite has to be Karen Gabriel. She started out as a cold and fiercely driven loner but evolved into a passionate, adventurous heroine, retaining the intelligence, drive and incorruptible spirit of the original character and adding to it with concern for the environment and for people she didn’t even know, for passion and love of companionship, and a willingness to embrace the worst of her past and use it to grow. Her journey leaves me wondering what she’ll do next.
Who is your most unusual/most likeable character?
Terrence the hunter. He is by his own admission superior to humans but learns to envy them for their simple complexity. Ageless and timeless, he knows everything and shares with Mike the origins of the universe and our place in it. He changes from villain to hero to comic relief and back during the course of the story, keeping the reader wondering if they’re supposed to fear him, respect him, cheer for him or hate him. The one consistent feeling is that they like him start to finish.
At what age did you discover writing?
25. I was in school studying journalism and found myself writing papers for upper classmen. I wound up writing different things. News articles and commentaries, advertisements, short stories, poems and prose. I changed my major to literature and was soon inspired with the foundation for my first novel.
Does writing come easy for you?
God no. It’s often agonizing. But I can’t imagine NOT writing. Even the brief period between works is painful and the writing soon starts again whether I like it or not. That it’s hard is not the issue. A manager I knew once told me “Any job’s hard if you apply yourself.”
Do you have a favorite snack food or favorite beverage that you enjoy while you write?
Cheez-its. Almost impossible to find in Northern Ireland but they got me through studies, all-nighters and creative marathons.
What was the first story you remember writing?
“The Sentence” Terrible rushed, poorly structured psychological thriller with two-dimensional characters. I would have given up if it hadn’t been plagiarized and re-released. If they thought it was worth stealing, I must have done something right.
Who gave you the best writing advice you ever received and what was it?
When I finished my first, albeit unpublishable book, my mother asked me why everyone in the book was me. “How long can someone walk around with clenched fists and clenched teeth?” By learning to how to create diverse, credible characters, I learned how they could turn the story, add depth, surprise me. Take a group of people and place them in an exceptional situation. The greatness in the few quickly separates them from the masses and you have your heroes.
How many stories do you currently have swirling around in your head?
2⅔. I’ve got a murder mystery based on actual events that has to come out soon. I’ve got a period romance set in the pioneer days of early America, and a re-working of one of my original pieces that never received proper distribution efforts despite being a great story. I love the characters in this one and need to get it out there.
What do you like to read?
Techno-thrillers featuring eco-warriors.
What writer influenced you the most? Benchley. The master of suspense, he rivaled Hitchcock in his ability to show me the world through the eyes of the hunter and the prey.
What one book, written by someone else, do you wish you’d written yourself? The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. He said what I think every time someone tells me what I should believe.
If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters?
Eva Longoria as Karen Gabriel, the powerful, beautiful, intelligent executive heroine who takes on the Mega-giant corporation.
Aaron Eckhart as Terrence, the mysterious, persuasive, sarcastic stranger searching for the last fairy.
Ben Affleck as intuitive and courageous private investigator Mike DeLago.
Jason Bateman as Will Billings, inventor, store owner and devoted father of Feryl Billings
Lana Parrilla as Pamela Billings-Trudeau, self-centered estranged mother of Feryl Billings.
Carl Urban as Dr. Everett Trudeau, tolerant step-father to Feryl Billings.
Daniel von Bargen as CEO Victor Albean.
John Leguizamo as reporter David Mercado
Ashley Greene as Uriel, the last fairy.
I wanted Elle Fanning to play Feryl but she went and grew up on me. Dang. Naturally, writing is for the story rather than film aspirations, but like so many others, I draw from real people, either in my life or in films to flesh out characters. It helps to be able to hear their voice or see the subtle expressions to know if you’re being consistent.
If you could have lunch with one person, real or fictitious, who would it be? Without question.
Muhammed Ali.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself or your books?
Everything I write, published or otherwise, belongs to my wife. None of it would exist without her so I legally give her everything I have, regardless of its worth.
Where can people learn more about your books?
Second Wind Publishing website http://www.secondwindpublishing.com/#!donovan-galway/c1ap8 and the usual places. Amazon, Google, or by liking me on Facebook.
Pat Bertram Introduces . . . 