This Week’s Feature Author Interview with
Eldon Farrell
Hi Eldon Farrell, welcome to the Indie Publishing Group website. Introduce yourself to us. Tell everyone who you are, where you’re from, what do you enjoy doing, hobbies and interests.
A little bit about myself, I was born in Guelph Ontario but did most of my growing up in Brantford. I became a designated professional accountant in 2011 after graduating from both Fanshawe College in London and Laurentian University in Sudbury. I’m married to the love of my life, my gorgeous wife Emily and we are raising our rambunctious son Connor who is all of fifteen months now. So you could say hobbies and interests I used to have more of lol. I enjoy spending time with my family and obviously writing and reading. I’m an avid reader of both books and comics when I can find the time.
When did you start writing and why?
I began writing at a very young age, somewhere between 7 and 9, although I didn’t take it seriously until much later. I’d imagine I started for much the same reasons that other writers take up the pen; I had these ideas in my head and just had to get them out so I wrote them down. Back then I wrote short stories exclusively. I remember I would set myself a two week deadline to complete each story and then it was on to the next. To be honest, that method may have resulted in quantity but quality was another matter! I do still remember the first story I completed though…what else but a classic haunted house tale.
Which is your favorite book you have written and what gave you the idea for it?
Let’s see…it would have to be the second book I’ve published—Book Two in the Descent Series—Taken. It’s fast paced, a little thought provoking, and really dark. More than just a continuation of the story begun in Stillness, it stands on its own and takes the familiar characters into unfamiliar territory as I move away from a medical based thriller to more of a crime based thriller. It also features my favorite character—The Toymaker—so how could it not be my favorite?
The idea for it actually came from the ending. First time ever I had the ending before I wrote the book and knew exactly how it would end. I just had to get there! And don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil the story here. You’ll just have to read it 😉
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Stillness actually morphed from a much longer title back when the original idea for the story was much different than the final product. I originally conceived of a round the world adventure story where my characters would have to race against time to save humanity. I called it Stillness of the Heart. I walked away from it very early on as it just wasn’t for me. But I liked the word Stillness and thought that it would make a great name for a town. I retooled the story, kept the name and produced, in my opinion, a far superior end product.
Who helped you with the cover? Or did your design it yourself? What was your inspiration for your cover design?
Despite all advice against doing so, I designed the cover myself. When you’re starting out everyone tells you that you need to have a professionally designed cover to grab those crucial eyeballs and I think they’re right to an extent. But I’ve always been kind of controlling when it comes to my work and so I kept control over all the covers for the Descent series. I like them all but do think they got progressively better. I love the cover for Realm of Shadows.
As far as inspiration goes, I wanted the cover of Stillness to convey just that—a stillness. I think the image of a tranquil field coupled with a barb wire fence suggests a hint of danger that is just around the corner. It works well with the story.
What are some of the themes of your story?
One of the major themes in Stillness—in fact, throughout the whole series—is the distrust of power and those who hold it. In some respects Stillness can be read as a commentary on the hazards of a lack of public oversight over corporate interests. Other themes within these pages examine the cost of redemption as well as an exploration of the best and worst of humanity through the device of a disease outbreak.
What’s your process when you sit down and decide to start writing a book? What is your process and do you have a system?
For me writing is a chaotic process as most creative endeavors are. I’m not the kind of author who plots out every scene ahead of time and knows exactly how everything is going to go. I usually will plot out brief (one line) descriptions for my chapters noting what characters are in them and then begin writing. Almost without fail changes ensue once I begin writing and I’m fine with that. I view my role as simply a custodian for the story and let my characters lead the way.
Who are some of your favorite characters and why?
As I mentioned earlier, my favorite character is The Toymaker; my serial killer from Taken. This character was originally meant to only have a cameo in that book but absolutely stole every scene I wrote him in and basically demanded more coverage. I loved the fact that with him everything was simple. With most of my characters there is a blend of good and evil; shades of grey if you will. With him it was straight up all evil and writing that was really a delight.
A favorite character that isn’t mine would be Victor Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. When I read that book for the first time I was amazed. First off that Frankenstein wasn’t the monster (Hollywood lied to me lol), and secondly by the way Shelley wrote the character. I can’t think of a better depiction for the road to hell being paved with good intentions. An outstanding character at his core.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Pay attention here because most of my favorite authors you probably haven’t heard of—but you should. I love the works of Patrick Redmond; anything written by him is stunning. No word of a lie he could write about paint drying and have you on the edge of your seat. Place Last Seen by Charlotte McGuinn Freeman is another amazing book I love. To my knowledge the only novel she ever wrote but if you can write one book this good you don’t need to write another. And most recently I enjoyed Now That We’re Adults by Lynn Almengor. A fellow indie author who shows the promise of indie publishing with this timeless coming of age story. Awesome writers all and if you’re in the market for a great read you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Have you got anything you’re working on now?
Right now I’m working on something totally different. My next novel, Singularity, is the beginning of a brand new series. A dystopian urban fantasy with comic book elements woven in—this will be entirely different from anything I’ve done before. And you heard it here first; Singularity will feature a voice distinct from anything heard in the Descent series as I embark on an extensive editing process to streamline my writing. I want this to be my opus. When people speak of Eldon Farrell the author, Singularity is what I want them to think of.
If you could have any super powers what would they be?
I would love to be as fast as The Flash; just think of what you could accomplish if you could move that fast!!
If you could travel to any location in the world where would you go?
Any location in the world? For me it would have to be a return trip to New York City. I was there once a few years ago and totally fell in love with the city. The energy of the place is infectious. I can’t wait to return.
Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
In five years’ time I hope to still be writing and have a few more books published. If I’m lucky I’ll be on the charts somewhere but if not that’s okay too. As long as I’m still writing and helping out others who choose to give it a go I’ll consider myself lucky.
Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview. Take a minute and check Eldon Farrell out on the links below!
