Hello everyone. Today I have a special guest here at my blog. Please welcome author Brian Cohen! Some of you may remember my raving about Brian's book, The Life O'Reilly. I really enjoyed this book and it will be on my top reads list for 2010.
The Life O'Reilly is a touching and emotional read. It's a story about life, love and finding oneself. You can read my full review here.
Visit the author's website here: http://www.briancohenbooks.com/
Not only is Brian stopping by my blog to do an interview, he has graciously offered to give away a signed copy of his wonderful book to one of my lucky blog readers!!
Read on for the interview, and the giveaway details.
Bookworm: Welcome to my blog Brian, and thank you for taking the time our of your busy schedule for this interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Brian Cohen: A native New Yorker, I was born in Queens and raised on Long Island. I have had a passion for all things creative, including film, literature, and music, since elementary school. During my Middle School and High School years, when I was introduced to literary classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Les Miserables, and The Count of Monte Cristo, I discovered both a love of fiction and a knack for creative writing. But it wasn’t until my first semester of law school that I truly caught “the writing bug” and knew I had to become a storyteller. I have been practicing law for over 12 years, specializing in complex litigation. I live with my wife and our daughters in the suburbs of New York City.
Bookworm: What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
Brian Cohen: Without a doubt, the hardest thing for me was finding the time to write!
Bookworm: In your book, Nick O'Reilly goes through an emotional journey, he discovers love, hope and happiness along the way. Where did you get the idea for Nick's story?
Brian Cohen: I am a huge fan of crime fiction, so as an attorney setting out to write a first novel, it naturally followed that legal suspense would be my genre of choice. I spent six months researching, plotting, outlining, and creating character sketches, and then another six months cranking out 150 pages of material. During that time, though, a lot was happening in my life – stories of people my age dying prematurely were being told with alarming frequency, the rat race had become all-consuming, and my wife and I were getting ready to welcome our first child into the world. Then one day, I appreciated that everything I’d been experiencing had inspired another story; I realized that, though writing a crime novel was something I wanted to do, telling the story of Nick O’Reilly was something I had to do. So that evening, I told my wife that I was shelving the thriller and starting on a new project and, the following morning, I began writing The Life O’Reilly and have never looked back.
Bookworm: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Brian Cohen: Thanks so much for all of your support and enthusiasm. You've made the journey to publication all worthwhile!
Bookworm: I've read you have a second novel in the works. Can you tell us what it's about?
Brian Cohen: It's an emotional story of love and redemption that explores the politics of a family business and the impact it has on the relationships of its inter-generational members who struggle to understand the differences in each other’s values.
Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Brian Cohen: I admire so many authors whose books have inspired me over the years, but to name a few: Harper Lee, Chaim Potok, Sloan Wilson, Bernard Malamud, John Grisham, George Pelecanos, and Dennis Lehane.
Bookworm: Thank you again Brian! It's been a pleasure getting to know a bit more about the author behind the book. Your new book sounds interesting as well. Best of luck :O)
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Giveaway Details:
1. This contest is open worldwide
2. To enter to win, comment on this post and include your email adress
3. For an extra entry, blog about this contest or place it on your sidebar and include the link with your comment and email.
4. A winner will be announced on Friday Oct.1, 2010
Good luck!
