Author Interview & Book Giveaway: Paul McDonnold

Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews! Will you tell us a little about 'The Economics of Ego Surplus'?


My pleasure! It’s an action novel that’s meant to entertain while also teaching the reader about the global economy. It also has a moral element to it, which is what the title refers to.


When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

I enjoyed reading from a very young age, and I think the interest in writing grew out of that. I remember getting into Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels in about eighth grade. That was a big influence in making me want to try to write stories myself. In college I got sidetracked into studying something more practical than writing – economics. But in the long run it worked out well because it gave me something to write about (the economy) that not a lot of other writers take on.


Approximately, how long does it usually take you to write a book? 


From first ideas to a finished manuscript was about 6-7 years for The Economics of Ego Surplus, but that was working on it very sporadically. My writing for businesses is what pays the bills, so for now my fiction efforts are relegated to the time I can find for them.


What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? 


Probably having plot ideas occur to me in the shower.


Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 


I do a lot of research to get details, which is something I enjoy. As far as the ideas themselves, it’s very mysterious to me where they come from. I like something the Catholic novelist and short story writer Flannery O’Connor said, that you write what God gives you. This is a difference I’ve noticed between non-fiction, which can be written entirely from research and feels like your own efforts, and fiction, which requires inspiration. To me, inspiration feels like something that comes through you rather than from you, if that makes sense.


What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? 


How consumed and obsessed you can become as the manuscript nears completion!


How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? 


Several years back I wrote a novella that introduced the protagonist from the current novel (Kyle Linwood). It’s not anything too deep, just a story about a guy who goes through a quarter-life crisis and heads to Africa on an adventure quest. The title is ‘5 Pillars, 7 Sins,’ and I recently released a free eBook of it to help promote the current novel. You can find it at starvinganalyst.com. The current novel (‘The Economics of Ego Surplus’) tries to accomplish a little more, not to mention being longer, so I would say I like it best.


What do you think makes a good story?


I like old fashioned storytelling, where the protagonist comes to some new understanding of their self or the world, and where the story has a moral point (for instance, The Great Gatsby illustrating the futility of chasing the past).


What do you like to do when you're not writing? 


I recently moved from Dallas to some land I own in the country, near where I spent much of my childhood. So I spend a lot of spare time working on the land. Beyond that I read, watch TV, go to church, go shopping – pretty ordinary things!


What are three things you wouldn't want to do without? 


Too many to list!


Do you have a favorite song and/or movie? 


Those change pretty often with me and it's hard to pick just one. But I'll say Salvation Song by The Avett Brothers. And I'll pick Quiz Show as a good movie that people seem to have forgotten.


Are you currently working on any new novels? 


Yes, I have an idea for a third and maybe final novel with the protagonist Kyle Linwood. It is still in the preliminary stages, plus I am thinking it will be longer than the current novel, so it is probably a few years away.


Thank you so much for being here! Where can we find you on the web?


Thanks for having me! The site for the novel is:


http://starvinganalyst.com/tees


The root of that (starvinganalyst.com) is where you can download the earlier novella ‘5 Pillars, 7 Sins.’ And here is the site for my non-fiction and business writing:


http://www.paulmcdonnold.com






Book giveaway!!!

You can read my review on 'The Economics of Ego Surplus' here.


If you would like to enter for a chance to win 'The Economics of Ego Surplus' use the Rafflecopter below. There will be THREE winners!! U.S. residents only. Many thanks to Paul McDonnold for this giveaway!


Enter the giveaway here (it might take a moment to load):