Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m from Ireland and am writing full time now. However I used to be a Corporate Headhunter in London which is poles apart from the life I live now. I was always writing though in some fashion or another – i was a regular contributor to financial magazines such as Investment Week, Financial Adviser, Money Marketing etc. I always knew that I wanted to write novels full time so eventually circumstances and a leap into the dark made it happen. I returned to Ireland and founded a Literary Festival where I live. Two years on, it is the third largest literary festival and the only free one in Ireland. I have written two and a half books (finishing the third one now and being very unwise by starting a fourth). I have also a screenplay written on life in the financial world (makes Wallstreet look like Sunday picnic!!) and have been asked to write a play.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Im Happy Now.Com” and is very different to the other books I have written. This book deals with very sensitive issues such as bullying, suicide, self-harming and alcoholism. It tells the story of three teenagers (one from Ireland, one from the US and one from China). They are all bullied in one form or another and react to it in different ways. One turns to alcohol, another attempts suicide and the third becomes a bully herself and later turns to self-harming. One of the characters realises that he and only he is in charge of his own happiness and sets up a website called www.imhappynow.com which is also a real site. The three characters come together through the site and by talking to each other change their lives. Even though in parts, it is quite dark, there is an awful lot of humour in it. In reality it is not a book solely about bullying; it is the story of everyone’s quest to be happy. I was actually writing another book when the idea came to me for this book. It was a very cleansing book from a personal point of view as I would have gone through a lot of the emotions myself when I was younger that the characters experience in the book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a lot of unusual writing habits that I have to keep under control!!. I am a bit OCD about everything I do. I have to have three particular pens on my desk when I begin to write (If they’re not there, I wont write). Also I have to be completely alone for the duration of the book (there is a complete ban on anyone visiting me and I bulk buy food so I don’t leave the house). My dog Seamus is the only one I allow near me. I give him a special mention in every book!!. This book took nearly 5 months to write so by the end of it I nearly had to be re-socialized!!. Everyone is different in how they write so I think it’s about what ever works for the individual.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald is probably the book that really got me interested in writing and is still my favourite book. I was amazed at how he could capture in what is quite a short book really, a whole era in the US. Also a short story by Frank O’Connor called “Guests of The Nation” left a mark on me. It tells the story of two young Irishmen who are guarding two English prisoners in the War of Independence in Ireland around 1922. They become friends with them over time and then are given the order to execute them as a reprisal for executions carried out by the British. I won’t ruin the ending but it really made me think about how a book can have the ability to make the reader question themselves and change their opinions. Also I love John Steinbeck (a true Master of the craft) and E.M Forster is also a favourite. Believe it or not and it is quite difficult for a man to admit but I love all of Jane Austen’s novels!!
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a book about World War I called “The Wishing Tree”. It tells the story of two villages in rural England that hate each other but are forced to come together when young men from each village are sent to fight at the front in France. It is as much about those who are left behind as those who are fighting. Between the villages there is a forest where it is reputed that a magical tree exists which will grant wishes if one’s intent is true but there is a dispute as to which village owns the tree. As news begins to drift back that some of the young men have been killed, the two villages are united in grief and the tree becomes more important as families wish for their sons to come home safe. It is a very real story of the horror of war, the worry and heartache of parents and loved ones who live in dread each day of getting a telegram from the War Office and the humanity of people in times of enormous grief and strain. It is very much an anti-war story and I hope in the times we are in that it resonates with people.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think you have to treat your book like a business and have to have strategy to network your story. In the final analysis, writers write so that their story can be read by others so there is no point in just leaving it on the shelf. I find Amazon and Goodreads very great websites to get your book out there. Also maybe join writing clubs etc.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My main advice to any writer is the same one I have for myself which is also a life motto “Keep going no matter what happens”. It’s the “No matter what” part that is the really important part I think.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Same as above – a very good friend of mine told me that when I was quite young and I have heldonto it for dear life.
What are you reading now?
I am reading “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh
What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue writing and explore others areas such as plays and screenplays if possible.
What is your favorite book of all time?
“The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald is never far from my reach.
Author Websites and Profiles
Diarmuid Hudner Website
Diarmuid Hudner Amazon Profile
Diarmuid Hudner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account