Introducing Sean McMurray, author of The Truth about Romantic Comedies!

 

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Include a couple of facts that not a lot of people know about you.

A couple of facts that not a lot of people know about me? Hmmm…

I’ve never met any famous people but I once passed a president’s motorcade!  That counts right?

Okay, I confess, it was only a vice president but still…

Anyway, I’m from a part of Ohio where I’m surrounded by salt of the earth people.  I’m a husband, father, history teacher and dreamer.

2. Tell us a bit about the book that will be published by Anaiah Press.

The Truth about Romantic Comedies is about a broken hearted 17-year-old named Timothy, who participates in an experiment with an amateur social scientist named Rachel, to determine whether romantic comedy clichés actually help people fall in love.

3. When and why did you start writing?

I’ve always been a story teller. When I was young I would regale anyone willing to listen (usually my brother) with fantastic tales of my journeys with my invisible flying motorcycle.  But I didn’t discover my passion for writing fiction until the waning days of college, where I was inspired to write my first novel while reading about guerilla warfare along the Kansas-Missouri border during the Civil War.  That first novel took 5 years to write and though it’s terrible, it’s probably the most important piece of fiction I’ve written because I proved to myself that I could actually do it.  Now actually getting published? That’s another story entirely.

4. Is this your first book? How many have you written? How many have you published?

The Truth about Romantic Comedies will be my first published novel but I’ve written a few others that my mom thinks are the best books in the whole wide world.

5. Tell us a bit about your journey to publication.

My road to publication was like my attempt to find a date for the Homecoming Dance, paved with rejections.  But if my awkward teenage years taught me anything, it’s that there’s something to be learned from every rejection and perseverance pays off.

6. What are some of your favorite books / authors?

When I was a wee lad in Sunday School we used to sing this little ditty called “Deep and Wide”.  Well, that song is also an apt description of my list of favorite books/authors.  If you were to plunge your hands under that fountain that flows so deep in wide you would find such authors as Brandon Sanderson, C.S. Lewis, John Green and John Grisham.  Along aside them would be such books as Ender’s Game, The Screwtape Letters, The Book Thief and A Christmas Carol.

7. What are some of your favorite movies / TV shows?

I love movies and TV shows that surprise me, leave me in awe or connect with me on some kind of personal level.  On the movie side some of my favorites include The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Shawshank Redemption, Inception and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  I don’t watch a whole lot of TV anymore but my wife and I totally binged Stranger Things like it was late night Taco Bell.

8. Where do you find inspiration for your books?

My inspiration for The Truth about Romantic Comedies came from my desire to tell a story that depicted the teenage experience in a raw and authentic way while also depicting Christians as the faithful but yet still flawed people that they are. 

In a general sense, it’s hard to pin down where my inspiration comes from.  If you haven’t noticed already, I’m a random person and my ideas are a reflection of that (I got the inspiration for one of my novels while passing out yearbooks to my students).  I will say that typically my ideas form around a single set of characters first and the plot blooms from there.

9. Describe your perfect day of relaxation.

My wife, white sand, interlocked fingers, a warm breeze and our children having the time of their lives at home with their grandparents.   I kid. I kid.  Our children would be there too, just somewhere in the background.  (Kids, if you are reading this, please know that Daddy loves you very very much.)

10. Where can readers learn more about you?

Besides lurking in the bushes outside my house, you can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/McMurrayMuses or on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/smcmurray60.  I’m detailing my road to publishing at www.mcmurraymuses.com.