Interview with Peter Murphy, author of 'Lagan Love'

Peter Murphy was born in Killarney where he spent his first three years before his family was deported to Dublin, the Strumpet City. Growing up in the verdant braes of Templeogue, Peter was schooled by the De La Salle brothers in Churchtown where he played rugby for ‘The Wine and Gold’. He also played football (soccer) in secret!

After that, he graduated and studied the Humanities in Grogan’s under the guidance of Scot’s corner and the bar staff; Paddy, Tommy and Sean.

Murphy financed his education by working summers on the buildings sites of London in such places as Cricklewood, Camden Town and Kilburn.

Murphy also tramped the roads of Europe playing music and living without a care in the world. But his move to Canada changed all of that. He only came over for awhile – thirty years ago.

He took a day job and played music in the bars at night until the demands of family life intervened.

Having raised his children and packed them off to University, Murphy answered the long ignored internal voice and began to write.

He has no plans to make plans for the future and is happy to let things unfold as they do anyway.

LAGAN LOVE is his first novel.

You can visit his website at www.peterdamienmurphy.com or his blog at www.peterdamienmurphy.blogspot.com. Connect with him at Twitter at www.twitter.com/PeeloMurphy and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LaganLove.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Peter. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

I am at heart, a nomad. I suppose it is a Celtic legacy and I have spent much of my life wandering and gathering a collection of experiences and stories that I hope to write about. I have been dabbling in writing since I was young but a few years ago I decided to go for it – to try to put together the type of story that I would like to read. I have always been fascinated with storytelling. As a child I spent hours by the radio listening to Eamonn Kelly, the last great seanachai. Storytelling, in one form or another, has always been with us and is probably the one true insight into all that lurks inside of us. Having tried my hand at a number of things: musician, computer programmer, bartender, salesman and government clerk, I can think of nothing better than writing!

Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

Lagan Love is a story of Love, Lust and Loss in a time of great change. It is set in Dublin in the mid nineteen-eighties when the future beckoned but the past still lingered in the shadows preying on the unwary. Aidan, Dublin’s young rising poet, is seeking redemption as his mythologies close in around him. Janice, who has fled her mundane existence in Toronto, has come to Dublin to find herself as a painter. Together they form a bond that is as much about ambition as it is about love, or lust. Together they flirt with the darkness inside of themselves until, in the end; Fate comes to claim its prize.

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?

Because Dublin has such a rich literary tradition, which forms a backdrop for the story, I wanted my own writing to echo some of that. I wanted to create scenes that would allow the reader to actually feel like they were there; walking through ancient Celtic ruins, feeling the sea breezes at Howth, splashing through the rain around College Green and nestling into a cozy corner of Grogan’s.

Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?

I don’t. Despite my years working with technology I am a bit of an old fogey. I write as I imagine writers have done for years. I put my stories out there and hope for the best. That said, I do have a website and, as time passes I try to adapt to the ever-changing realities of the Publishing world.

Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so?

I have done a few radio and on-line interviews but I must admit I have been slow in getting up to speed on this. I would like to think of myself a bit of a recluse but others might suggest that I suffer from inertia! I would claim that I am busy gestating my next story.

Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

Finding an agent was not a priority. Getting Lagan Love published was the first step and now, as I struggle to understand the ever-changing world of Publishing, I am beginning to turn some attention to the changed role and value of agents. I remain wide open to suggestions!

Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?

Not really. I have done a few on-line book tours but to be honest, the first thing I did after publication was to head back to Dublin. I had to because Lagan Love has a few characters that bear close resemblance to actual people who still live there and I had to be sure that they were not offended because, as we all know: Irish people have long memories! Having secured their blessings, and placated any smoldering resentments, I now turn my attention to telling the rest of the world about Lagan Love.

Q: Do you plan subsequent books?

Yes, I have two more in ‘the works.’ I am hoping to have the next available by the spring of 2012. While I am not considering returning to the Lagan Love story, as I feel it is complete, I do intend to return to the rich vein of human interactions. I also hope to continue to weave mythologies, religions and superstitions into those stories.

Q: Thank you for your interview, Peter. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

Lagan Love can be bought at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com/Lagan-Love-Peter-Murphy/dp/1936558122

http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/peter-murphy/lagan-love/_/R-400000000000000392194

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/LAGAN-LOVE/Peter-Murphy/e/9781936558131

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1936558130

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Lagan-Love-Peter-Murphy/9781936558124-item.html

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781936558124