John Farquhar is a fellow member of the South Jersey Writers’
Group and he’s a published author with a story in Tall Tales and Short Stories
from South Jersey called “Bad Day for Santa”. This past year, John published
his book “What to Expect When You’re Dead” on Hypothetical Press. It is a
humorous look at death and blending in with the afterlife crowd. John’s newest
story called “The Icarus Option” is in the new anthology, Reading Glasses. John
is a good friend of mine and I’m happy to introduce him to everyone
Marie
Gilbert: It’s so nice to chat with you John and as you know, I’m a big fan of
your writing. What type of stories do you enjoy writing the most?
John
Farquhar: I enjoy writing comedy. Often, I
like my stories to have a satirical edge, but if I can create scenes of farce
and celebrations of how deeply and unashamedly stupid we all are (myself
included), that gives me the feeling of a job well done. 'The Icarus Option' is
slightly darker than my usual style, but the same attitude to life is there, I
think.
Marie
Gilbert: What was the inspiration for this particular story?
John
Farquhar: Like the main character, I saw
Brueghel's painting 'The Fall of Icarus' when I was young, and loved it.
It was also one of the few paintings that has ever made me laugh. Brueghel
updates Icarus' fall (the landscape in his picture is Flemish, and the
people are of his own time, not Greek), and I just wanted to continue this
trend. Ovid's poem about Icarus was also one of the first Latin poems that I
read in the original.
Marie
Gilbert: Would you pick this type of death if you were very sick?
John
Farquhar: I'd have to be an idiot....
Marie
Gilbert: Tell us about your recently published book.
John
Farquhar: 'What to Expect When You're Dead'
has been selling pretty well among college students in particular. I haven't
marketed it as forcefully as I should have, but I'm working on this and, when I
re-read it, it still makes me laugh, which is a good sign.
Marie
Gilbert: What other stories are you working on?
John
Farquhar: The summer has been very productive
and I am about to finish a book of twelve short stories, all connected to
Ireland, called 'Taking Cathleen Home'. The original title was 'The Turd Man',
but I wasn't sure if this was literary enough. 'The Turd Man' is the opening
story and there is another story called 'Brave Fart' which I'm very proud of.
Sad news, though: when I finished writing 'Brave Fart', my Muse came to
me in a dream that very night, and shot herself. So, if anyone is involved with
a Muse, and it isn't working out for the two of you, do send her to me. (I
prefer my Muse to be female, but, what the Hell, if you have a guy who
isn't doing it for you on the imaginative level, send the schmuck
along. I'm Irish). This, indeed, is the point about the book: having
been born in England, and currently living in America, I'm finally
beginning to feel that Ireland is my home.
Marie Gilbert: Has belonging to a writer’s group helped you and why you would
recommend it to others.
John
Farquhar: I never thought I would find people
more eccentric than I am, but I have found two so far in the SJWG. No praise
could be higher. If you are not yet a member, join us, you hesitant
weirdo, as soon you read this!
John,
it’s been a true pleasure interviewing you again and I wish you best of luck on
your new adventures. You can find Reading Glasses on Smashwords, for Kindle, Nook, iBook downloads and more.
