How long have you been writing?
Since I was 16. Therefore, 22 years. I started with Fan fiction, that turned into my own world after the first thousand pages.
Which writers inspire you?
J. Michael Straczynski. Timothy Zahn. John C Wright. L Jagi Lamplighter Wright. John Ringo. Jim Butcher
So, what have you written?
What have I written? Somewhere around 40 novels on my computer. I have multiple short stories written and published.
In the interest of brevity, I’ll limit myself to the novels I’ve published.
It was Only on Stun! https://amzn.to/2H97POr
This one is your standard murder mystery at a con. Our hero is a private security contractor, brought in to protect an actress from the Balkans who was driven out. Now they want to kill her. But boy, did they come to the wrong place.
The Pius Trilogy – 5 http://amzn.to/2ENjqRB
I’ve often said that the story of my writing career can be summed up in “as then it spiraled.” In this case, a graduate school paper got out of hand. A thriller turned into three books. Then I added an anthology. Then I added a volume of history. So … it spiraled.
Set to Kill
A sequel for Stun! The same security contractor, after the events of The Pius Trilogy, has come back to run security for WyvernCon.
Sad Puppies Bite Back
This is a piece of satire that started out as a series of blog posts. It was supposed to stop at three posts. After it turned into 30, I was encouraged to publish it as novels.
Live and Let Bite – 4 https://amzn.to/2VGbSK0
This series is responsible for two of my Dragon Award nominations for best horror. Book 1, Honor at Stake, and book 3, Live and Let Bite. This is was my first urban fantasy series. It could technically be considered paranormal romance. Granted, my idea of “romance” involves a SpecOps strike team of Vatican ninjas, throwing Stars of David, RPGs, and other high explosives.
Codename Winterborn
Codename UnSub
One of my coauthored works. This follows a small nuclear war, and one man wrapped up in political BS that gets everyone around him killed. His quest for vengeance leads to some fun … and a lot of dead politicians.
Saint Tommy NYPD – 12 Book Series
Read the “What I’m working on” segment.
Too Secret Service
Meet Wayne Williams and Catherine Miller. He’s a Secret Service Agent. She’s a CIA assassin. Together, they can save the world. If they don’t kill each other first. It was written at a time when I thought that novels were four hundred pages – single spaced, eight and a half by eleven length pages. Since that was more than twice the size of most indie books, they needed to be split up.
Dances with Werewolves.
Think of Live and Let Die. Then add in modern elements to shoot at.
For All Their Wars are Merry:
I wrote a history of Irish Rebel songs for a graduate thesis. And here it is.
Clerical Error https://amzn.to/2uxmu4W
This one is a historical novel, with a murder mystery thrown in for fun.
What draws you to Superversive writing?
Superversive writing, to me, has always been plane old “writing.” When I grew up, entertainment was edifying. You read it, enjoyed it, and came away with something more to your life. It built you up and added to you. If you come away feeling empty inside, then the author did not do their job.
Frankly, we only need the special label because so many idiots have entered the field and decided “Realism” equals “suicide inducing.”
It’s also total BS.
Take Lord of the Flies. Shouldn’t it make sense that teenage or prepubescent boys, left on their own devices, should turn into a bunch of savages? Looking at a high school cafeteria, they seem savage enough already. But, as shown by real life events, that was complete crap. A group of male school students were left on an island, and somehow, didn’t kill each other.
“Realism” in writing isn’t real. It’s less than real. It makes life more bitter, more dank and depressing, all in the name of mirroring the world. Except the mirror is black and cracked, writing by nihilists who would rather drag other people down to their level.
After all, Tolkien was a veteran of World War One. He lost all of his friends in the Somme—literally, Tolkien’s entire school class was slaughtered around him. He writes Lord of the Rings, one of the most Superversive works of all time. It is the draft dodger, George RR Martin, who had never been closer to a battlefield than a movie theater, who brings you the “realism” of Game of Thrones—where the moral is that there are no morals. To call it a Lord of the Rings snuff porn parody is probably too nice.
Let’s be perfectly honest, if art has to have something honest and truthful to it, there is probably more truth in Team America World Police than there is in the news. (If you don’t believe me, look up Jack Reed or Walter Duranty on how they “reported” on the Russian revolution, ignoring thousands dead and a massive manmade famine so they could spin a socialist success).
Storytelling is Superversive. Period. Full stop. Otherwise it’s just bad writing.
What are you working on at the minute?
I’m between books right now. Overall, I’m writing my Saint Tommy, NYPD series. The premise is simple: a New York City police detective receives charisms—supernatural gifts from God (such as bilocation, smelling evil, etc)—right before he has to hunt down a possessed serial killer. Along the way, he battles death cults, warlocks, Jihadi X-Men, atheist terrorists, sex-trafficking succubi, Kaiju demons, evil Jesuits, and other agents of Hell.
I just finished book #10, Lightbringer, and I have not started the next one. I have #11 and #12 outlined.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors.
I don’t read as much as I used to. I’m too busy. One of the many things I miss about full time work (in an office, where I’m working for other people) is commute by public transit. Riding the subway and buses in high school allowed me to finish a Tom Clancy novel a week.
Lately, if I can finish an averaged size novel every two weeks, I feel like I’ve made an accomplishment.
My favorite authors are simple: just see my writing influences.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
DeclanFinn.com. If the website gives you any trouble, try http://www.declanfinn.com. For some reason, the website can’t decide if it wants a WWW or not.
I’m kicking around Facebook, via both a page and my profile. And my current Twitter is @DeclanFinnBooks
The Helicon Society 