WhenSean A.P. Ryan is hired to protect an actress for a three-day science fictionconvention, he figures he's in for a quiet time. But he didn't count onfactions from her home country to sent hired killers. This doesn't even count"Middle Earth's Most Wanted Elven Assassin;" he thinks that theactress is really an Elven princess, and will do anything to prove it to her,including murder.
Q: It Was Only On Stun! is an incrediblyfun read. The backdrop is a science fiction convention, so you have all ofthese dressed-up people from every sci-fi/fantasy fandom, from Star Trek toHarry Potter. The head of security (and main character) is a former stuntman.Then you have Galadren, "Middle Earth's Most Wanted Elven assassin,"who takes himself very seriously (and who happens to be my favorite character).So, my question is, did you set out to write parody, poking gentle fun at thegenre, or did the novel simply take off and you went with it, enjoying theride?
DF: The novel took off and left me behind somewherearound page 100 of the original draft (which happens to be about 100 pageslonger than the final version). I didn’tset out to poke fun; much of it happened because I was throwing a non-sciencefiction fan into the deep end of the pool, and to him, it feels like he’s beenthrown through the looking glass. As for the costumes, easily half the peopleat any convention are dressed to the nines in some heavy-duty outfits. If you check out my “Sean Ryan” trailer, thoseare pics from DragonCon, and there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, ofpeople dressed in professional-level costuming. How could I not have my background characters in the same outfits?
Two characters who were the biggest, obvious parodies, justhappened. One was “Morrie, The JewishVampire,” who was a little strange, but useful. Galadren was a later addition– I had been writing a later Sean Ryannovel, and my father casually added a few lines to Sean’s resume about facing“Earth’s Most Wanted Elven Assassin.” Atthat moment, I had to rewrite It Was OnlyOn Stun! Strangely, I’ve beencomplimented by psychologists on my ability to write for schizoidpersonalities, and where did I get the training? When I tell people that I haven’t had anysuch training, the people asking the questions back away slowly.
DF: It influencesmy writing in two major ways. Ittells me of the existence of evil and the power of redemption. However, unlike“modern” thought, that tells us we have to forgive people automatically withthe excuse of the day (either with being “misunderstood” or “s/he’s a victim,too”), redemption requires some level of repentance. This is why the bad guys are evil, thoughGaladren is not so quickly condemned. The former are evil, the latter is pureand truly crazy.
There are also other ways Catholicism informs my work,but those are the big ones.
Q: Your main character, Sean Ryan, is Catholic. He's alsoa very violent guy. He makes a remark about his Rosary doubling as brassknuckles. Would Sean Ryan describe himself as a good man?
DF: If asked, Sean would first say, “Oh, I’m very good.”If you pushed for an honest answer, Sean would say, “Maybe.” On one hand, Seanis often in situations where he needs to survive by any means necessary, ifonly because he has people to protect. If he could be certain that giving hislife would end a threat to someone he’s protecting, he would. The violence wouldn’t bother him, because muchof it he deems “necessary force.”
The “maybe” comes in for those moments when Sean wants to kill someone. There is adarkness in him, as there is in all of us, it’s called original sin (see,there’s that Catholicism again). For aman who deals in day-to-day violence, Sean’s darkness has more opportunity toact, and go beyond what necessary. As much as he jokes about going to the darkside, he hasn’t yet, and he knows it.
Next to that, the brass knuckle rosary is something hewould have no problem with. Sean would actually rationalize it as “God gave Hislife to save us. I don’t think he’d have a problem helping me save otherpeople.” Though, later, Sean would probably say, “Sorry about that God,” and washthe rosary thoroughly later on. It would be his way of being respectful, whilekeeping others alive … I never said he wasn’t strange.
(Read the rest of the interview at my other blog, "A Fortnight of Mustard")
It Was Only On Stun! will be availablefor free for Kindle at Amazon for five days ofLabor Day Week (Sunday to Thursday). You can also buy it at Create Space.
AUTHOR BIO: Declan Finn lives in a part of New York City unreachable by bus orsubway. Who's Who has norecord of him, his family, or his education. He has been trained in handto hand combat and weapons at the most elite schools in Long Island, andfigured out nine ways to kill with a pen when he was only fifteen. Heescaped a free man from Fordham University's PhD program, and has been on therun ever since. There was a brief incident where he was branded aterrorist, but only a court order can unseal those records, and realloy, whywould you want to know? It Was Only On Stun! ishis first novel. You can visit him at his website: declanfinn.webs.com
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