Shane. G. O'Hagan: Author Interview Part III

JQ - Shane we've gotten to know a little bit about you so I feel its time to discuss the book itself...

JQ - Please describe the book in 20 words.

S: A young man deals with depression and mental instability whilst destroying his liver and brain with chemicals.

JQ - What inspired you to write “My thoughts bore me”?

S:I came home for Christmas after my first term training to be a teacher and my mum reminded me that if things went wrong or if teaching wasn’t for me then I could always come home and try something else. That was lovely of her, and I appreciated it, especially as I was lucky enough to have family and friends who look out for me and support me. Ridley doesn’t have that. The book isn’t based on my experiences at all, but had my situation been different, it might have been.

JQ - Why does the world need “My thoughts bore me”?

S: For the last few years, young people have been coming out of full-time and further education and finding that the world has forgotten about them. For anyone who finds that their life has hit a dead end and they don’t know where to go, they can empathise. A lot of (usually rich, entitled and secure) individuals see this generation of lost boys and girls as lazy dole moles who are sucking up the tax contributed by everyone else. Ridley is trying his hardest with the hand that fate dealt him, and he’s not doing that well. What else does he have but substance abuse, anonymous sex and casual violence? Maybe he’ll find the solution to all of his problems.

JQ - What gives you most pleasure in writing?

Getting a story out of my head. When it’s inside, bouncing around, it rears its head as I’m trying to get to sleep and screams at me. Once it is on paper, edited and complete, then I can sleep. Until another story comes along, that is.

JQ - Will we be seeing more of Ridley in the future?

Probably not as a main character. His story has been told as much as it can, and having him re-emerge would answer some questions which are better left alone. I plan on returning to Four Acres, but focusing on secondary characters like Colm and Cynthia or completely new ones like the Doyles and Alexanders. There are a lot of sad, dangerous stories left to tell.

JQ - Shane, thank you very much for your time. It has been an absolute pleasure to gain an insight, however slight, into one of the most creative minds to come from these shores. I wish you all the best with the book and look forward to any future releases.

You can purchase "My Thoughts Bore Me" in both paperback and Kindle formats at amazon.co.uk