Today we are so excited to introduce our second male author on Two Voices….One Thought, this one much different from the last, as his work is Fiction. Shaun Michael O’Neal.
Shaun just so happens to hail from the State that Inion & I have been in love with all our lives, Washington: The Magical Northwest Pacific with its Emerald Green Forests. We shall take a moment to rear our ugly head of jealousy!
Okay…all done, now onto the artist.
We first met Shaun Michael O’Neal on Facebook, which is why we love networking, as it opens so many doors to artists that we might’ve never known. What made us instantly like Shaun, was his incredible sweet spirit, love for the Artistic community and……….
Yes, we’re going to say it; because you know we love, love, love DARK THINGS! We just recently picked up Shaun’s book: The Evil In The Dark and it’s sitting in our kindle begging to be read.
Last time we caught up with Shaun, he was trying get his book publically banned by the Roman Catholic Church. 😉 So, let’s give Shaun Michael O’Neal a big welcome!!
(INM) Hi Shaun, how are you doing? We’re so happy to have you here on Two Voices….One Thought!
(SMO) Thank you! It’s a pleasure to be here.
(INM) Let’s start this interview off with a little personal info. How long have you been writing and what made you want to become a writer?
(SMO) I would like to answer the second part first. I have been writing since High school. But even that was not the start. When I was 7 I was writing and preforming for the rest of the kids. I turned the garage into a stage. A rope with an old blanket draped over it was my curtain. It was so much fun.
(INM) Now that’s how to get that imagination in gear! Shaun you live in Washington, so ya know we got to hit you up about this! What’s it like writing in what we believe to be the most magical place on earth? And please be nice and try not to wreck our dream!!! Lmao
(SMO) I must first say I was raised in Southern California; Fountain Valley 5 miles from the water and Huntington Beach, to be exact. I have been here 10 years and still not used to the rain. But looking out every day and seeing a forest, I live right on the edge of one, is pure beauty.
(INM) Can you feel the mental darts we’re throwing at you? We’ll behave now!
Shaun, we recently purchased your book: The Evil In The Dark, tell us what to expect from this read without giving any spoilers away!
(SMO) In a nut shell, I have a couple doing what they are told to do by their church. They live their faith. They never stop to question it. That’s not allowed. Along the way an unusual and supernatural plot unfolds that cause them to question everything. Friends are dragged in as well. Where it goes, you have to read it to find out. I will say… it gets twisted!
(INM) Oh yeah….this sounds right up our demented alley! Shaun, is this book the genre you prefer to write or do you cross genres when writing?
(SMO) This is a classic horror story and genre I love. It allows me to say so much without sounding to weird. I hope.
(INM) Yep, we jumped into that same genre so as to appear normal as well! Lol 😉
Shaun, the main character(s) of your book, Mark & Jesse are these based on someone personal or are these strictly fictitious characters?
(SMO) Mark and Jesse are completely fictitious. I did put a lot of my myself in one character and I won’t say who, not yet! The name, Mark is from a friend of mine. I was the best man at his wedding. Jesse: I always type to music. The song Jessie’s girl from Rick Springfield was playing. The name Jesse just felt right. So I used it.
(INM) Yeah, we’re the same way, listening to music when writing. Now, the backdrop to this book seems to be religious. The ongoing battle of good vs evil (a favorite of Inion N. Mathair’s as you well know.)
Many readers find religious based books to be heavy reads, with content sometimes to dark or too intense to follow. What set’s your book apart from the other religious books out there?
(SMO) I have to admit. I did quote the old Catholic bible a few times. It’s key to the story. But it’s not done in the manner most people would think. The supernatural aspect keeps it from being as dark and heavy as it could be.
(INM) Nice balance our friend! Shaun, what was the initial spark that inspired this book and how long did it take you to write it?
(SMO) Back in the late 80’s one of the gentleman I was working for was one of the librarians for the OTO. ( Ordo Templi Orientis ) or in English, ‘Order of Oriental Templars. He himself a bishop in The Gnostic Catholic Church. He shared with me many very old Sacred text. I was hungry to learn. He was happy to teach. It was years after I got the idea for the book. I started outlining it in 2000. I tossed around many plots until I found one that worked and had my voice. I started writing it in 2009. I completed it on February 6 2010 and I was on real writers high. A few days later I was in an accident at work and was really hurt, so I put it away. From my bed with a laptop I started to search for an agent. 100 rejections, (no one would ever read it) and 4 major surgeries later and still no agent. I decided to publish it myself. It was not an easy decision; but it was the right one at the time.
(INM) Shaun, give us two writers that you admire and who have influenced your writing?
(SMO) Wow, only two? Well, J. R. R. Tolkien. The next Rod Serling, wrote more for the screen and theatre but I always loved what he did. Holding a mirror up to the world and showing its problems. I have to add Edger Alan Poe. With that said I have taken a lesson from many of the greats. H.G. Wells and Hemingway. I just couldn’t do two sorry about that.
(INM) Well, you know we’ll let that slide when you start throwing names around with that kinda weight! Lol 😉 Shaun, this is such a silly question, but a favorite one of Inion N. Mathair as we believe that a truly great book, will have a flavorful villain that will keep your attention! So, who is your all- time favorite literary villain?
(SMO) That is a very tough question. I like my villains rich in character; the king that if just one thing was different in their lives, they might have been seen as the good guy. Of course pure evil without apologies is good as well. An example of this would be Cardinal Richelieu from, The Three Musketeers.
(INM) Shaun, another silly question: If you we’re stranded on a deserted Island and could only have ONE book….which one would you request?
(SMO) I would like a book on boat and raft building!
(INM) Well, we jumped into that one head first! 😀 Now, we have it on good authority, that you have a bit of a, Ahem (they clear their throats) how shall we put it…………dislike? Nope! Not strong enough. Ahem; uncomfortable? Nope wrong word! HATRED? Ahh yes, Hatred, that’ll work! Whoop there it is! So what about this hatred for clowns! Okay, just know that anything you say on Two Voices….One Thought, will strictly be between the interviewee and us! No one else will hear, you have our word!
(SMO) Clowns are Evil! Really, I have never liked clowns. They have always seemed dark and unnatural, John Wayne Gacy Jr. notwithstanding. My latest clown came courtesy of a nightmare. If a nightmare is bad enough to wake me up screaming, I write the nightmare down for further stories. Such is the case with my latest loathing of clowns.
(INM) Okay, one last question before we let you go. Shaun what can we expect from, that brilliant,dark mind of yours in the future?
(SMO) I have completed and have in edit now: 2 85k word stories. In these stories, I use supernatural creatures; some trying to maintain their humanity; others shunning it. It’s filled with magic, very old Gods from different times and places. Love, blood, passion, pain, death, resurrection and a lead character struggling to deal with it all. The working title is, “The Blood Spot” I have another in edit with a working title of, “Cross roads” one novella and two shorts, all dealing with change. Again all these are dreams. Of course Garden Of shadows is out now. Would you believe I have a book of poetry? It’s not horror. That one… I’ll tell you about later.
(SMO) In closing, I would like to once again thank the both of you. You have helped me, taught me and been a friend. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.
(INM) We blush, smile and send lots of:
Garden of Shadows
Shaun’s book links:
THE EVIL IN THE DARK / AMAZON
GARDEN OF SHADOWS / AMAZON
Synopsis for: The Evil In The Dark: An ancient evil besets a young couple. Seeking help and spiritual guidance from the old Catholic priest they have grown up with and trust implicitly. Mark and Jesse are propelled into a world of secrets and truth. With the help of Father Pat, they enter a realm hidden in plain sight. One that will shake the very foundations of their faiths and lives. A world of truths, lies and obfuscation. The price they pay if they fail? Only their lives and souls.
Synopsis for: Garden of Shadows: A compilation of short stories from Horror Master Shaun Michael O’Neal author of “The Evil In The Dark” Now offers you 13 Tales of Terror sure to keep you up or give you nightmares!
SHAUN’S NETWORK PAGES: (get to know the man): http://www.shaunoneal.ocm
https://www.facebook.com/shaunmichael.oneal?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shaunshaunonealcom/322406061144066
https://twitter.com/AuthorShaun
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18088496-the-evil-in-the-dark?from_search=true
Shaun, we can’t tell you, what a pleasure it was to host you here on Two Voices….One Thought. You’ve been such a great friend to us! We wish you the greatest success with your books and we encourage all of you, our friends, when you have your “Must-Read” list down, to tag on Shaun’s book as he is a truly brilliant writer and wonderful human being!! We will also be leaving some links where you can friend Shaun on line and get to know him better!!
If you’d like to purchase “The Evil In The Dark” just head on over to Amazon and the link we’re leaving below and grab your copy of Shaun’s book. Also while you’re there, check out Shaun’s other book:
Inion N. Mathair 
Excellent review and once again you know the most interesting people!! Here I am with the roadrunner now…….I really am with the roadrunner. He watches me……all the time……come to think of it, this is sorta starting to sound like horror fiction, either that or I spend too much time on the computer. Ya think??????
Lmao~never Cindy!! We’d miss you terribly if you vanished off the blogosphere! Besides, we just so happen to luv the company YOU keep!! Never deprive us of those phenomenal pics we’ve grown addicted too!!! 😉 xo ❤
Very nice interview. Sounds like a cool read. Dark, supernatural, and a mix of religion makes for great material. So many directions to go with this genre of writing. He sounds like a nice guy and I wish him well. Plus, he is living in the Emerald Forest that you are so jealous of!
Thanks Phil, and your right, the mixture of elements are quite intriguing. We have it sitting in our kindle and waiting for us. And Shaun is a very nice guy! The fact that he lives in Washington, well, we just throw darts at his picture for that one! lol 😉 Thanks for coming by & commenting!
Inion – Terrific review and it doesn’t matter if you read the genre or not. The review is so well written, it makes me want to explore yet another genre I haven’t been reading.
I compliment you on your use of pictures. They really led to the easy reading and I thought, masterfully placed. Great job.
From the trenches she comes! Luv to find your comments here, Sheri!! And we know Shaun will appreciate them as well!! Yeah, it’s always fun crossing genre’s and taking a look at stories that are out of our wheelhouse! Thank you for the comment on our chosen pics. Our posts tend to run pretty long, so we find that when pictures accompany the blog, people tend to say what you did, which is it makes it go by faster. 😉 Thanks again, see ya soon at your place, Sheri! xoxoxo ❤
Great interview and the book sounds great!!! So many books, so little time 😉 Sounds like Shaun put a LOT of work and time into this story. Can’t wait to read it!
Hey Arlene, and thanks for coming by & commenting….talk about a lot of work. That brother of yours is freaking unreal! My daughter is kinda idolizing him now,(told you she would!) But she’s such a huge fan of comic books and also graphic novels, (she’s really excited to check out his “Tigers Tale.” Yes, I believe my daughter will be following your brothers work for quite some time!! Matter of fact, she mentioned to me wanting to bring him on Two Voices….One Thought. So if you could please, mention us to him (hint…beg! lol) and let us know if he’d like to appear on here. We do our posts six weeks in advance, so he wouldn’t have to squeeze it in right now. He could pick the month he wanted to appear then we’d send it to him early enough we’re he would have plenty of time to work on it. We really would love to have him on Arlene. Thanks for considering and we hope to hear from you!! xoxoxo ❤
Hi InM – sorry it’s taking me so long to respond to this comment. So glad you like my brother’s work – I’m kinda proud of him 🙂 I’m so hopeful that he gets to publish his Tiger’s Tale as a graphic novel. I got to read them when they were a comic strip in the back of his company’s magazine, but it will be great to see the whole story in one collection! I will definitely let him know you are interested in interviewing him on your excellent blog and get back to you 🙂 Thanks again!!!!
Very cool! I saw his photo and said, hey, I know that guy! Well, I Facebook know him. 🙂
I love me some dark and twisted, so his books sound right up my alley….especially if there is supernatural thrown in there. GREAT interview I&M and Shaun!
Hey Bethie, yeah I love it when FB & WordPress collide! Makes for the best interviews when people can remember a face or name! Shaun is a really great guy! and yes…very dark! Thanks for coming by and for commenting Bethie!! 😉 xoxox ❤
Keep ’em coming! My list just gets longer and longer! I really love supernatural horror even thought it scares me the most. I suppose that’s the point, though. Right? I’m definitely going to have to add both of these books.
Great interview, too. You girls always do such a great job with these. I love the answer to the one book if stranded on a desert island! Classic!
I’m with Shaun on the clown front too…evil!
Hey Sandy, yeah clowns definitely have a big cloud over their head. we we’re surprised to find out how many people really do dislike them, when we mentioned it on facebook once. The thread went on forever with recollections of child hood fears to grown ass men going. “They creep me out!” As for the supernatural horror, you are rightly afraid for good reasons, my dear! It’s that element of not being able to kill something that’s hurting you! So much easier to tackle something that can be killed! Thanks for coming by Sandy & for commenting, headed over to your place now to enjoy a great read!!! 😉 ❤ xoxoxo
Bravo! Another entertaining and informational interview. I MUST get, The Evil In The Dark! Being Catholic I have a feeling I will find it most intriguing! Thanks ladies. 🙂
Thank you Maria!! Shaun has a very interesting dark side to him that can be seen in his stories and characters. So glad you came by to visit and thank you for leaving a comment!!! xoxox ❤ 😉
Yay! A new blog post from two of my favorite ladies! You all are the best interviewers; I love the questions you come up with. And now I have yet another book to add to my to-read list! 🙂
Hey Sweety and thank you for coming by and for commenting! You know how much we love to get our facebook sisters over here on our blog!!! Just left yours earlier and we’re all excited about your new story you talked about! Love your dark delicious mind, girl!!! 😉
Fun blog, you two. I get theological horror. Dark things lurking in our psyche are sometimes exploited by those professing faith– think about the Salem witch trials. Or what is happening today… As for clowns, I can see where little kids might forever be traumatized by one. But I am a shirt-tail relative of Bozo. (Grandfather’s sister married Pinto Colvig’s older brother. Pinto created Bozo and was the voice of Goofy.) Hard to imagine either of those two terrorizing a child. 🙂 –Curt
Hi Curt & thank you for stopping by and commenting. We’d have to agree with you, being huge fans of clowns with happy childhood memories of them. I didn’t get my first clown fear until I read the book: IT by the brilliant Stephen King who clearly shared Shaun’s dislike of them! The Salem witch trials…what a perfect example of the misuse of religion to suit man’s desire to keep women weak & quiet!!! That is too delicious a subject not to hit on Curt. We might have to take your comment and work a post up around it! You’re brilliant!!! 😉 ❤
🙂
Supernatural horror scares the beejeebers out of me! I still can’t watch the Exorcist and forget all the other movies like that out there. For me, it’s harder to fight an evil force than an ax-wielding person maniac. Adding his stuff to by TBR pile 😀
Hey girlfriend, we just gave a shout out to your brilliant blog as a thank you for reblogging!! And I know exactly what you mean, Shay. I think it’s because we know that deep down, something that isn’t physical and is supernatural can’t be as easily killed. and that is a frightening thought!! Thanks for coming by and for commenting!! xoxox ❤
I can watch slasher movies and just sort of roll my eyes but when it comes to ghosties and such, i just can’t handle it.
Love how the character name Jesse came to be. I can’t listen to music while I write. I need it nice and quiet, but I know many writers feel more creative when music is in the background.
I can’t listen to music but I also can’t be in a quiet house LOL I have to have something on TV just as background noise, something I’m not paying attention to. Like a movie I’ve seen a hundred times 😀
Whatever keeps us writing, right? 🙂
Exactly! 😀
Ha!!! No joke Shay….if I don’t have my grunge fest on while writing, I do the same exact thing, putting on a movie I’ve seen 100 X and that I really like. Just enough to keep me company but not new enough to battle for my attention!! Luv that you do the same thing!!! 😉
So sorry Carrie, tried to put this up there by your comment but it keeps shooting me down here!! Who’s controlling this blog?? lmao I actually loved how he got Jesse as well! Anything promoting Rick Springfield is always great! Talk about a blast from the past! Thanks for coming by & for commenting Carrie!! 😉
Reblogged this on Dr. Shay West.
Ladies, what a fun interview this was to read. Good on you both for such an entertaining post that supports a self-published author.
What is it about supernatural-theological horror that so captivates us? Does it play to our anxieties that there may be an element of truth in the story, feasting on our primal fears? It’s certainly a compelling genre, and tackled here by an author with a most pragmatic perspective on deserted island literature.
(P.S. Please check the 1st of the SHAUN’S NETWORK PAGES links. Perhaps it should be “.com” instead of “.ocm”) *EDIT this comment out, SVP*
Ha, we just left your site my friend! What timing!! Thank you for stopping by Nav. Shaun is a good fellow. Just a little jaded from religion and what it does to innocents. I love how he uses the tool of writing to vent those emotions. Thanks for the comment…oh & thank you for catching the link. It will do no one any good if they can’t find his books. As always the perfect gentlemen and best of friends!! 😉 ❤ Oh and btw~congrats on your book, which you'll see on our comment on The Mirror! xoxo
Reply
Alas, we are but two blogging ships passing in the night. Even though it’s broad daylight, outside.
Shaun does seem like a rather nice fellow. I suppose it’s a trifle sad that he’s jaded on religion, given that it can be so uplifting to others. I had no intention of doing so when I began my writing adventure, but I now realize that my primary thesis, the discovery of which is the true narrative to my broader work, cannot help but to consider religion.
Obviously, informing the world that hard-core feminists, by definition, suffer from penis-envy gender narcissism wasn’t dramatic enough. However, I think a lot of plain and decent folk are going to be quite taken with where this leads in the sequel. I’d be interested to learn what Shaun thinks, once I get the ideas developed and properly expressed.
I caught your magnificent comments at my place and am humbled by then. Thank you both so much. ❤