Author Brendan O’Meara is here today and we’re talking about his dystopian fiction, Cut from Stone.
Bio:
Raised in White Plains, New York, Brendan O’Meara formed a love of stories and books from a young age. He has spent his free time over the last decade crafting his debut novel, Cut from Stone, book one in the Crafting Humanity series.
It began in Philadelphia where he attended college daydreaming about a dystopian reality. With a vivid imagination (as described by his middle school teachers) and a passion for adventure, Brendan’s novels will transport you to a different life and capture you from cover to cover.
Brendan lives in Washington, DC with his daughter, wife, and two dogs. You will find him on the weekends drinking a beer watching the Packers and Notre Dame football games. He is an avid reader with a specific interest in sci-fi, anything dystopian, fantasy, history, and all levels of fiction.
Welcome, Brendan. Please tell us about your current release.
Cut from Stone is a Dystopian Fiction book that focuses on the struggles of a teenager thrown into the middle of a global conflict with the weight of society on his shoulders. It tells the internal and external battles the character has and the pressure to live up to everyone’s expectations while navigating his own life and trying to maintain a sense of individuality.
What inspired you to write this book?
I started this book because I do not think my main character gets highlighted a lot in in YA or New Adult genres. By that, I mean a character who does not have obvious flaws or an incredibly harsh upbringing. James is a normal teenager who is thrust into a world he never expected and is forced to confront it in its most vicious forms. Also, his flaws, both perceived and real, are shared across a wide variety of people which makes him a more relatable person.
Excerpt from Cut from Stone:
“The world is changing. The Federation is no longer alone in the world and the BlankZone’s aggression will become more prevalent in the years to come. We must prepare in the present or we will have no future. We are doing all in our power to maintain friendly relations with the rest of the open world, and we will succeed with the support of our citizens. The embodiment of strength and perseverance has forever been the backbone of this country. We will triumph as a people, a country, and a driving force for the rest of the world to take notice. They will learn we are the strongest nation in the world, and we will not fail.”
The TV turned off, and James turned around to see his mother holding the remote, staring shakily at the screen while his dad looked out the window at nothing.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I am working on the sequel to the book where the characters head South in the Federation. There are five books planned for the series and I have planned out the structure of the story to the end, I just have to write it all down (and edit, and design, and publish, and etc…).
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I started writing on a nightly basis. I would make dinner, relax with my wife for a bit and then write for as long as I was able to. Once I began to really make the effort and put in the work I felt like the writer I wanted to be.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full-time. I work as a consultant and for my company internally so I have a long workday. After I’m done with work I like to spend time with my daughter and wife. Writing comes later in the evening for me.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if I have a quirk necessarily, but I have a horrible habit of repeating the same word ten or twenty times on a page if I like it or have recently heard it. It’s one thing I look for when I’m editing and it usually is a theme all the way to my last edit and is annoying to say the least.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to run a restaurant and breed dogs in Michigan. Big goals in life I know.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I am very grateful to anyone who picks up my book and gives it a read. I believe time is a commodity and anyone who believes my work is worthy of their time is an honor to me.
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