Please help me welcome Author Tim O'Neil to my blog today!
What is your name? Do you use a pen name
(if so, why?)? My name is Tim O’Neil and I use the penname T.S. O’Neil. I took the alias TS Elliot for an email
account back about 13 years ago when people customarily didn’t use their true name
for their address and T.S. actually corresponds to my first and middle names;
Timothy Steven.
While publishing Tampa Star, I noticed a
lot of authors were using their initials instead of their first name like J.K.
Rowlins. I resurrected T.S. and followed suite.
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 53 years
young and originally from Newington CT. I went to undergraduate school at
Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of
Phoenix in Technology Management. I
spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the
Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the
Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army
Reserve.
During that time, I travelled a lot of the
world, picked up Spanish as the Army sent me to language school and managed to
have a lot of fun and while mostly avoiding combat. While most sane people view being shot at as
merely a life threatening situation, those in the military look at it as an
opportunity for career advancement.
Well, as a careerist, I was a miserable
failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning wherever
I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad.
I was supposed to jump into Omar Torrejo
Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause, but instead I went on to the
MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place in December of 89, as I
drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break and members of my former unit
parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat
in Panama enjoying the new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm
took place. My luck finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in
Iraq. Other than a couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively
peaceful.
I got out of the military and eventually
gravitated to the IT Field. I am
currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida
with the love of my life, Suzanne and we are getting married on Oct 4th
of this year.
What type of genre do you write? I believe it’s
technically in the Thriller genre
What genre do you personally read? I used
to read a lot of Thriller / Mystery fiction, and I still occasionally do. My
favourite author is Elmore Leonard, followed closely by Laurence Shames.
Tell me about your latest?
I published Tampa Star late last year and
it is my first book. It’s the story of a father and son that’s told in two
parts. The first part of the book starts in the early seventies in the
aftermath of the war in Viet Nam. The father, Char, is a Seminole Indian and
former Green Beret who is wounded by a dead guerrilla in the aftermath of a
firefight. He is subsequently evacuated and discharged with a bum leg. Char moves to the Florida Gulf Coast, gets a
job, meets a girl and life seems to be going his way, until he falls in with
the wrong crowd and things spiral out of control from there.
The second part of the book picks up in two
thousand and four when the son, a former Recon Marine Officer, is discharged
and travels to Florida in search of his father.
The
story has a host of villains that you will love to hate, including a corrupt
cop, a Mafia Capo and a Russian ex-CIA interrogator.
What sparked your passion for books and the
art of a good story? I think it was Elmore Leonard more than anyone. That guy
can tell a story. The dialog he develops is so realistic, I can absolutely see
the characters saying it in real life. The man is a genius. I am very sorry to hear he is in ill health
and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Is there a particular book that changed or
affected your life in a big way? Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer is a
book that I loved reading and a movie that I loved watching. The protagonist,
played by Ryan O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him; his wife
leaves him, he can’t stop drinking and oh yeah, there’s two heads in a bag in
the basement and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I would
always watch the movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to
say: “Well, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.”
Is there a message in your book that you
want readers to grasp? Sometimes good
people do bad things, but most of the time they are not beyond redemption.
What challenges have you faced in your
writing career? The self-publishing maze is a challenge and there are a lot of
good people in the field, but there are also a certain amount of folks offering
dubious quality services. There is a steep learning curve in knowing who you
can trust to offer value.
Additionally, if you aren’t actively promoting
your work you could write the next Lord of the Flies, but no one will read it. I guess labouring in obscurity can be
character building.
What has been your best moment as a writer?
I think it would have to be publishing Tampa Star and dedicating it to my
mother, who has always believed in me.
Who is your author idol? Elmore Leonard.
Do you see yourself in any of your
characters? An idealized version of myself perhaps. I like to think I can
employ witty repartee in tense, life threatening situations, but usually I’m
too scared to crack wise. I think I see
part of myself in Char Blackfox, the protagonist in Tampa Star, in that life
has kicked him around a lot, but he has come back swinging.
Do you feel like your dream has come true
or is there much more to do? No, the self-publishing game is a lot different
than having a publisher do all the grunt work for you; the promotion, proof
reading, copy editing and most importantly, floating you an advance.
What does your workspace look like? A very
messy large computer table with three computers, ancillary equipment and assorted
chotchkies, including a little Dilbert stress ball.
Have you ever had a day when you just
wanted to quit? Not yet, but I’m sure I
will.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I spend time with my fiancée, Suzanne, travel
and pay attention to my regular job. I
would like to say, biking, but I have not done much of that lately. I manage to
get a few hours in at the gym, but that can be a challenge sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to
remaining sane as a writer? You’re asking the wrong person; ask my fiancée.
Did you have a moment when you realized you
were meant to be a writer? I think that
when someone questions how I came up with a particularly off beat character or
some weird way to kill someone and I tell them it was really easy signifies to
me that I think differently than a lot of other people. I am not sure whether
that is a gift or a curse.
What advice would you give to aspiring
authors? Keep trying. Don’t give up. Be open to criticism and always be willing
to take good advice when it’s offered.
After this book, what is next? I am about
ninety percent done with Starfish Prime, the second book in the Blackfox
Chronicles. This time, Michael Blackfox is pulled back into the Marine Corps.
Since he has been out, a new Special Operations unit has been formed and his
skill set makes him uniquely qualified for their current mission. He is forced
to join or watch his father be sent to jail for the crimes he committed in
Tampa Star.
Your website? http://timoneil.wix.com/ts-oneil-
Your blog? I have not started a blog…yet.
Other websites? http://www.amazon.com/T.S.-ONeil/e/B00DK8VL1Q
Where can your book be found? Amazon and
Smashwords
Please thank Tim for joining us today! Check out his links and pick up a book!
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
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