T.S. O'Neil's Blog
August 13, 2013
Interview with T.S. O'Neil
What is your name? Do you use a pen name (if so, why?)? My name is Tim O’Neil and I use the penname T.S. O’Neil. I took the alias TS Elliot for an email account back about 13 years ago when people customarily didn’t use their true name for their address and T.S. actually corresponds to my first and middle names; Timothy Steven.
While publishing Tampa Star, I noticed a lot of authors were using their initials instead of their first name; like J.K. Rowlins. I resurrected T.S. and followed suite.
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 53 years young and originally from Newington CT. I went to undergraduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of Phoenix in Technology Management. I spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army Reserve.
During that time, I travelled a lot of the world, picked up Spanish, as the Army sent me to language school and managed to have a lot of fun and mostly managing to avoid combat. While most sane people look at the being shot at as merely a life threatening situation, those in the military look at it as an opportunity for career advancement.
Well, as a careerist, I was a miserable failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning wherever I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad.
I was supposed to jump into Omar Torrejo Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause, but instead I went on to the MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place in December of 89, as I drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break and members of my former unit parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat in Panama enjoying the new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm took place. My luck finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in Iraq. Other than a couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively peaceful.
I got out of the military and eventually gravitated to the IT Field. I am currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida with the love of my life, Suzanne and we are getting married on Oct 4th of this year.
What type of genre do you write? I believe it’s technically in the Thriller genre
What genre do you personally read? I used to read a lot of Thriller / Mystery fiction, and I still occasionally do. My favourite author is Elmore Leonard, followed closely by Laurence Shames.
Tell me about your latest?
I published Tampa Star late last year and it is my first book. It’s the story of a father and son that’s told in two parts. The first part of the book starts in the early seventies in the aftermath of the Viet Nam war. The father, Char, is a Seminole Indian and former Green Beret who is wounded by a dead guerrilla in the aftermath of a firefight. He is subsequently evacuated and discharged with a bum leg. Char moves to the Florida Gulf Coast, gets a job, meets a girl and life seems to be going his way, until he falls in with the wrong crowd and things spiral out of control from there.
The second part of the book picks up in two thousand and four when the son, a former Recon Marine Officer, is discharged and travels to Florida in search of his father.
The story has a host of villains in it that you will love to hate, including a corrupt cop, a Mafia Capo and a Russian ex-CIA interrogator.
What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story? I think it was Elmore Leonard more than anyone. That guy can tell a story. The dialog he develops is so realistic, I can absolutely see the characters saying it in real life. The man is a genius. I am very sorry to hear he is in ill health and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer is a book that I loved reading and a movie that I loved watching. The protagonist, played by Ryan O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him; his wife leaves him, he can’t stop drinking and oh yeah, there’s two heads in a bag in the basement and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I would always watch the movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to say: “Well, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.�
Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp? Sometimes good people do bad things, but most of the time they are not beyond redemption.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career? Learning to write for one thing and the jury is still out on whether I am still challenged by that.
What has been your best moment as a writer? I think so far was publishing the first book and dedicating it to my mother, who always believed in me.
Who is your author idol? Elmore Leonard.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters? An idealized version of myself perhaps. I like to think I can employ witty repartee in tense situations, but usually I’m too scared to crack wise. I think I see part of myself in Char Blackfox, the protagonist is Tampa Star, in that life has kicked him around a lot, but he has come back swinging.
Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do? No, the self-publishing game is a lot different than having a publisher do all the grunt work for you; the promotion, proof reading, copy editing and most importantly, floating you an advance.
What does your workspace look like? A very messy large computer table with three computers, ancillary equipment and assorted chotchkies, including a little Dilbert stress ball.
Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit? Not yet, but I’m sure I will.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I spend time with my fiancée, Suzanne, travel and pay attention to my regular job. I would like to say, biking, but I have not done much of that lately. I manage to get a few hours in at the gym, but that can be a challenge sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer? You’re asking the wrong person; ask my fiancée.
Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer? I think that when someone questions how I came up with a particularly off beat character or some weird way to kill someone and I tell them it was really easy signifies to me that I think differently than a lot of other people. I am not sure whether that is a gift or a curse.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Keep trying. Don’t give up. Be open to criticism and always be willing to take good advice when it’s offered.
After this book, what is next? I am about ninety percent done with Starfish Prime, the second book in the Blackfox Chronicles. This time, Michael Blackfox is pulled back into the Marine Corps. Since he has been out, a new Special Operations unit has been formed and his skill set makes him uniquely qualified for their current mission. He is forced to join or watch his father be sent to jail for the crimes he committed in Tampa Star.
Your website? -
Your blog? This is it.
Other websites?
Where can your book be found? Amazon and Smashwords
While publishing Tampa Star, I noticed a lot of authors were using their initials instead of their first name; like J.K. Rowlins. I resurrected T.S. and followed suite.
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 53 years young and originally from Newington CT. I went to undergraduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of Phoenix in Technology Management. I spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army Reserve.
During that time, I travelled a lot of the world, picked up Spanish, as the Army sent me to language school and managed to have a lot of fun and mostly managing to avoid combat. While most sane people look at the being shot at as merely a life threatening situation, those in the military look at it as an opportunity for career advancement.
Well, as a careerist, I was a miserable failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning wherever I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad.
I was supposed to jump into Omar Torrejo Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause, but instead I went on to the MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place in December of 89, as I drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break and members of my former unit parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat in Panama enjoying the new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm took place. My luck finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in Iraq. Other than a couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively peaceful.
I got out of the military and eventually gravitated to the IT Field. I am currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida with the love of my life, Suzanne and we are getting married on Oct 4th of this year.
What type of genre do you write? I believe it’s technically in the Thriller genre
What genre do you personally read? I used to read a lot of Thriller / Mystery fiction, and I still occasionally do. My favourite author is Elmore Leonard, followed closely by Laurence Shames.
Tell me about your latest?
I published Tampa Star late last year and it is my first book. It’s the story of a father and son that’s told in two parts. The first part of the book starts in the early seventies in the aftermath of the Viet Nam war. The father, Char, is a Seminole Indian and former Green Beret who is wounded by a dead guerrilla in the aftermath of a firefight. He is subsequently evacuated and discharged with a bum leg. Char moves to the Florida Gulf Coast, gets a job, meets a girl and life seems to be going his way, until he falls in with the wrong crowd and things spiral out of control from there.
The second part of the book picks up in two thousand and four when the son, a former Recon Marine Officer, is discharged and travels to Florida in search of his father.
The story has a host of villains in it that you will love to hate, including a corrupt cop, a Mafia Capo and a Russian ex-CIA interrogator.
What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story? I think it was Elmore Leonard more than anyone. That guy can tell a story. The dialog he develops is so realistic, I can absolutely see the characters saying it in real life. The man is a genius. I am very sorry to hear he is in ill health and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer is a book that I loved reading and a movie that I loved watching. The protagonist, played by Ryan O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him; his wife leaves him, he can’t stop drinking and oh yeah, there’s two heads in a bag in the basement and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I would always watch the movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to say: “Well, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.�
Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp? Sometimes good people do bad things, but most of the time they are not beyond redemption.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career? Learning to write for one thing and the jury is still out on whether I am still challenged by that.
What has been your best moment as a writer? I think so far was publishing the first book and dedicating it to my mother, who always believed in me.
Who is your author idol? Elmore Leonard.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters? An idealized version of myself perhaps. I like to think I can employ witty repartee in tense situations, but usually I’m too scared to crack wise. I think I see part of myself in Char Blackfox, the protagonist is Tampa Star, in that life has kicked him around a lot, but he has come back swinging.
Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do? No, the self-publishing game is a lot different than having a publisher do all the grunt work for you; the promotion, proof reading, copy editing and most importantly, floating you an advance.
What does your workspace look like? A very messy large computer table with three computers, ancillary equipment and assorted chotchkies, including a little Dilbert stress ball.
Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit? Not yet, but I’m sure I will.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I spend time with my fiancée, Suzanne, travel and pay attention to my regular job. I would like to say, biking, but I have not done much of that lately. I manage to get a few hours in at the gym, but that can be a challenge sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer? You’re asking the wrong person; ask my fiancée.
Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer? I think that when someone questions how I came up with a particularly off beat character or some weird way to kill someone and I tell them it was really easy signifies to me that I think differently than a lot of other people. I am not sure whether that is a gift or a curse.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Keep trying. Don’t give up. Be open to criticism and always be willing to take good advice when it’s offered.
After this book, what is next? I am about ninety percent done with Starfish Prime, the second book in the Blackfox Chronicles. This time, Michael Blackfox is pulled back into the Marine Corps. Since he has been out, a new Special Operations unit has been formed and his skill set makes him uniquely qualified for their current mission. He is forced to join or watch his father be sent to jail for the crimes he committed in Tampa Star.
Your website? -
Your blog? This is it.
Other websites?
Where can your book be found? Amazon and Smashwords
Interview with T.S. O'Neil
What is your name? Do you use a pen name (if so, why?)? My name is Tim O’Neil and I use the penname T.S. O’Neil. I took the alias TS Elliot for an email account back about 13 years ago when people customarily didn’t use their true name for their address and T.S. actually corresponds to my first and middle names; Timothy Steven.
While publishing Tampa Star, I noticed a lot of authors were using their initials instead of their first name; like J.K. Rowlins. I resurrected T.S. and followed suite.
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 53 years young and originally from Newington CT. I went to undergraduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of Phoenix in Technology Management. I spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army Reserve.
During that time, I travelled a lot of the world, picked up Spanish, as the Army sent me to language school and managed to have a lot of fun and mostly managing to avoid combat. While most sane people look at the being shot at as merely a life threatening situation, those in the military look at it as an opportunity for career advancement.
Well, as a careerist, I was a miserable failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning wherever I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad.
I was supposed to jump into Omar Torrejo Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause, but instead I went on to the MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place in December of 89, as I drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break and members of my former unit parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat in Panama enjoying the new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm took place. My luck finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in Iraq. Other than a couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively peaceful.
I got out of the military and eventually gravitated to the IT Field. I am currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida with the love of my life, Suzanne and we are getting married on Oct 4th of this year.
What type of genre do you write? I believe it’s technically in the Thriller genre
What genre do you personally read? I used to read a lot of Thriller / Mystery fiction, and I still occasionally do. My favourite author is Elmore Leonard, followed closely by Laurence Shames.
Tell me about your latest?
I published Tampa Star late last year and it is my first book. It’s the story of a father and son that’s told in two parts. The first part of the book starts in the early seventies in the aftermath of the Viet Nam war. The father, Char, is a Seminole Indian and former Green Beret who is wounded by a dead guerrilla in the aftermath of a firefight. He is subsequently evacuated and discharged with a bum leg. Char moves to the Florida Gulf Coast, gets a job, meets a girl and life seems to be going his way, until he falls in with the wrong crowd and things spiral out of control from there.
The second part of the book picks up in two thousand and four when the son, a former Recon Marine Officer, is discharged and travels to Florida in search of his father.
The story has a host of villains in it that you will love to hate, including a corrupt cop, a Mafia Capo and a Russian ex-CIA interrogator.
What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story? I think it was Elmore Leonard more than anyone. That guy can tell a story. The dialog he develops is so realistic, I can absolutely see the characters saying it in real life. The man is a genius. I am very sorry to hear he is in ill health and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer is a book that I loved reading and a movie that I loved watching. The protagonist, played by Ryan O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him; his wife leaves him, he can’t stop drinking and oh yeah, there’s two heads in a bag in the basement and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I would always watch the movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to say: “Well, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.�
Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp? Sometimes good people do bad things, but most of the time they are not beyond redemption.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career? Learning to write for one thing and the jury is still out on whether I am still challenged by that.
What has been your best moment as a writer? I think so far was publishing the first book and dedicating it to my mother, who always believed in me.
Who is your author idol? Elmore Leonard.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters? An idealized version of myself perhaps. I like to think I can employ witty repartee in tense situations, but usually I’m too scared to crack wise. I think I see part of myself in Char Blackfox, the protagonist is Tampa Star, in that life has kicked him around a lot, but he has come back swinging.
Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do? No, the self-publishing game is a lot different than having a publisher do all the grunt work for you; the promotion, proof reading, copy editing and most importantly, floating you an advance.
What does your workspace look like? A very messy large computer table with three computers, ancillary equipment and assorted chotchkies, including a little Dilbert stress ball.
Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit? Not yet, but I’m sure I will.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I spend time with my fiancée, Suzanne, travel and pay attention to my regular job. I would like to say, biking, but I have not done much of that lately. I manage to get a few hours in at the gym, but that can be a challenge sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer? You’re asking the wrong person; ask my fiancée.
Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer? I think that when someone questions how I came up with a particularly off beat character or some weird way to kill someone and I tell them it was really easy signifies to me that I think differently than a lot of other people. I am not sure whether that is a gift or a curse.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Keep trying. Don’t give up. Be open to criticism and always be willing to take good advice when it’s offered.
After this book, what is next? I am about ninety percent done with Starfish Prime, the second book in the Blackfox Chronicles. This time, Michael Blackfox is pulled back into the Marine Corps. Since he has been out, a new Special Operations unit has been formed and his skill set makes him uniquely qualified for their current mission. He is forced to join or watch his father be sent to jail for the crimes he committed in Tampa Star.
Your website? -
Your blog? I have not started a blog…yet.
Other websites?
Where can your book be found? Amazon and Smashwords
While publishing Tampa Star, I noticed a lot of authors were using their initials instead of their first name; like J.K. Rowlins. I resurrected T.S. and followed suite.
Tell me a bit about yourself: I am 53 years young and originally from Newington CT. I went to undergraduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of Phoenix in Technology Management. I spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army Reserve.
During that time, I travelled a lot of the world, picked up Spanish, as the Army sent me to language school and managed to have a lot of fun and mostly managing to avoid combat. While most sane people look at the being shot at as merely a life threatening situation, those in the military look at it as an opportunity for career advancement.
Well, as a careerist, I was a miserable failure as I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meaning wherever I happened to be, peace was breaking out like mad.
I was supposed to jump into Omar Torrejo Airport with the Rangers during Operation Just Cause, but instead I went on to the MP Officer Advance Course. The invasion took place in December of 89, as I drove home to Connecticut for Christmas break and members of my former unit parachuted into glory. Later, as I sat in Panama enjoying the new era of peace and prosperity, Operation Desert Storm took place. My luck finally caught up with me and I spent part of a tour in Iraq. Other than a couple of nights of rocket fire, the period in Iraq was relatively peaceful.
I got out of the military and eventually gravitated to the IT Field. I am currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida with the love of my life, Suzanne and we are getting married on Oct 4th of this year.
What type of genre do you write? I believe it’s technically in the Thriller genre
What genre do you personally read? I used to read a lot of Thriller / Mystery fiction, and I still occasionally do. My favourite author is Elmore Leonard, followed closely by Laurence Shames.
Tell me about your latest?
I published Tampa Star late last year and it is my first book. It’s the story of a father and son that’s told in two parts. The first part of the book starts in the early seventies in the aftermath of the Viet Nam war. The father, Char, is a Seminole Indian and former Green Beret who is wounded by a dead guerrilla in the aftermath of a firefight. He is subsequently evacuated and discharged with a bum leg. Char moves to the Florida Gulf Coast, gets a job, meets a girl and life seems to be going his way, until he falls in with the wrong crowd and things spiral out of control from there.
The second part of the book picks up in two thousand and four when the son, a former Recon Marine Officer, is discharged and travels to Florida in search of his father.
The story has a host of villains in it that you will love to hate, including a corrupt cop, a Mafia Capo and a Russian ex-CIA interrogator.
What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story? I think it was Elmore Leonard more than anyone. That guy can tell a story. The dialog he develops is so realistic, I can absolutely see the characters saying it in real life. The man is a genius. I am very sorry to hear he is in ill health and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer is a book that I loved reading and a movie that I loved watching. The protagonist, played by Ryan O’Neal, is watching his world crumble all around him; his wife leaves him, he can’t stop drinking and oh yeah, there’s two heads in a bag in the basement and he is left trying to figure out how they got there. I would always watch the movie when my life was at a low point and it would allow me to say: “Well, at least I don’t have it as bad as that guy.�
Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp? Sometimes good people do bad things, but most of the time they are not beyond redemption.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career? Learning to write for one thing and the jury is still out on whether I am still challenged by that.
What has been your best moment as a writer? I think so far was publishing the first book and dedicating it to my mother, who always believed in me.
Who is your author idol? Elmore Leonard.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters? An idealized version of myself perhaps. I like to think I can employ witty repartee in tense situations, but usually I’m too scared to crack wise. I think I see part of myself in Char Blackfox, the protagonist is Tampa Star, in that life has kicked him around a lot, but he has come back swinging.
Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do? No, the self-publishing game is a lot different than having a publisher do all the grunt work for you; the promotion, proof reading, copy editing and most importantly, floating you an advance.
What does your workspace look like? A very messy large computer table with three computers, ancillary equipment and assorted chotchkies, including a little Dilbert stress ball.
Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit? Not yet, but I’m sure I will.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I spend time with my fiancée, Suzanne, travel and pay attention to my regular job. I would like to say, biking, but I have not done much of that lately. I manage to get a few hours in at the gym, but that can be a challenge sometimes.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer? You’re asking the wrong person; ask my fiancée.
Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer? I think that when someone questions how I came up with a particularly off beat character or some weird way to kill someone and I tell them it was really easy signifies to me that I think differently than a lot of other people. I am not sure whether that is a gift or a curse.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Keep trying. Don’t give up. Be open to criticism and always be willing to take good advice when it’s offered.
After this book, what is next? I am about ninety percent done with Starfish Prime, the second book in the Blackfox Chronicles. This time, Michael Blackfox is pulled back into the Marine Corps. Since he has been out, a new Special Operations unit has been formed and his skill set makes him uniquely qualified for their current mission. He is forced to join or watch his father be sent to jail for the crimes he committed in Tampa Star.
Your website? -
Your blog? I have not started a blog…yet.
Other websites?
Where can your book be found? Amazon and Smashwords
