Interview with Author Patrick Heffernan
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I’m back with another interview in the Meet the Men interview series! Today I have my interview with Patrick Herffernan! Patrick Heffernan has an eclectic writing style and you can find his entire collection on Amazon.
What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t wearing your author hat?
I like to read, of course, and really love going to the movies. I’ve a son, and love going to see animated movies with him, of all things. The Disney-Pixar movies are a blast to see.
What is the first book to make you cry?
Probably Stephen King’s final “Dark Tower” book. It took me a while to get myself ready to read it, not wanting to say goodbye to Roland and the gang yet.
What would you choose as your mascot/avatar?
Probably my pug. He’s lazy and likes to eat more than he should. He’s just me on four legs with big bug eyes.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
I want to say I’m reminded of Jack Nicholson’s character in “As Good as it Gets,” where he says, “first, I start with a man, then I strip him of all sense of reason and accountability.” LOL But that would be tacky. I try, I suppose, to put myself into that headspace. How would Jill see it when this or that happens with Chance? (“Second Chance’s”) or how is Jasmina seeing things developing with Kevin? (“Nothing Left to Lose”).
How do you select the names of your characters?
Funny you should ask that. When I wrote “Pieces,” a friend of mine read it and offered suggestions and insights. He’s a really smart guy, but it comes at the cost, sometimes, of him overthinking things in a big way. So I have a character in there named Paul Luden, who is a police captain and a suspect in a high-profile murder case. He asked me why that name, what was the meaning in it … my answer: Bro, I had a cold that day and there was a box of Luden’s cough drops sitting in front of my laptop. Sounded like a good Teutonic name, so I swiped it. Mostly, it’s pulled from thin air or that Kaiser Sose thing from “The Usual Suspects” in naming. One character in a coming piece is named John Ball. Why? At the moment, I was drinking a big Coke from … you guessed it … a Ball mason jar. He could just has easily have been John Kerr, and a generation ago he might’ve been John Bama Jelly. It’s really a simple thing for me! LOL
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Yes. In one novel, I did a total send-up of Steven Tyler and nobody got it. Another, coming, novel, has a tribute to Harry Potter hatched on the readers. But I try to be subtle and not whack the reader over the head with a club in it.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
When in the “zone,” sometimes only a month.
Have you ever participated in Movember?
I haven’t. I mostly keep to myself. We writers tend to be utter hermits, as I’m certain you’ve observed a dozen times over.
What are you currently reading?
A sequel to “Pieces” that I’m writing in dribs and drabs. And then I have to cook up a freaking title for it, which is often my Waterloo, LOL. We authors all have our strengths and our weaknesses. I can write blurbs without a problem, can churn out text without a problem. But titles are often hell for me.
If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Buy stock in Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. Like … duh! I think, honestly, I’d tell young Patrick don’t be afraid of taking chances. You might get a few scrapes and bruises, but this life ain’t a dress rehearsal, and the only one we get.
