Author P.A. O’Neil has been living in Thurston County, Washington, for around 50 years. Presently, she is retired from “day jobs,” but she has been “everything from a residence hall director to a wine and beer consultant for a national liquor store”, many positions of which have contributed to her career as a writer. P.A. has been writing professionally since August of 2016, with her first story being published in October of 2017. A collection, “Witness Testimony and Other Tales,” was published in May of 2020. Since then, she has had over forty stories published in anthologies and on-line journals. She won the Saddlebag Dispatches Magazine writing contest 2023 Mustang Flash Fiction Award for her story “The Great Burro Revolt,” which has also been included in Saddlebag Dispatches‘ first ever anthology, “West of Dodge.“ Twice, her stories have been voted “Story of the Month” on Spillwords Press. And her nonfiction piece about the centennial of the Ellensburg Rodeo has been selected as a finalist for this year’s national Will Rogers Medallion Award for outstanding western writing. P.A. O’Neil believes it is necessary to have a support group of authors similar to oneself, not necessarily of the same genre or age. For her this has been the Facebook group “Inner Circle Writers’ Group.” She also belongs to regional writers’ groups and various specialized interest groups who also provide support. When P.A. O’Neil isn’t writing, she is spending time with her husband traveling and antiquing. She used to volunteer as a 4-H Leader where she taught sewing. She is also a believer in the county fair system and supports youth groups of all kinds with their participation.
Which genres do you cover?
P.A. O’Neil: My specialty is Literary because it allows for the settings to cross genres thus allowing for a broader audience. As long as the story involves an ordinary person facing extraordinary circumstances, who overcomes them in a plausible yet thoughtful way, it can be placed in any time period and location.
Which is the latest book you had published, and what is about?
P.A. O’Neil: I have submitted a new collection to my publisher which hopefully will be ready in September. It is a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories titled “Two Sides of the Same Coin.” No cover as of yet.
At which book events can readers find you?
P.A. O’Neil: For as much as I love to write and see my work published, I have yet to participate in any book events. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t choose to participate in one in the future.
Which book event connecting you with readers is your favorite and why?
P.A. O’Neil: Currently there is none specifically.
Do you have any specific messages to your readers and, if so, which are they?
P.A. O’Neil: I like to drop the reader into an already active event, endear them to characters who have been faced with obstacles and then provide a satisfactory conclusion to the situation while leaving the reader wanting to turn the page, wanting more of the story or of my writing.
Which writer(s) keep(s) inspiring you and why?
P.A. O’Neil: Of my peers, I have to say, Gary Bonn and the late Steve Carr. Of those I admire from afar, Lyndsay Faye, Kathryn Lynn Davies, David Stuart Davies, Mark Twain, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Do you have specific writing habits?
P.A. O’Neil: In the past, I wrote (typed) in a 9-5 mode, treating it like a day job. Recent health restrictions have limited that to only a couple of hours a day now. I have to have music playing in the background; it helps with my rhythm. It also helps to have a little chocolate available now and then, as well.
What are you currently working on?
P.A. O’Neil: I’m still writing short stories; I have way too many in notation form to stop, but what has captured my attention is a new collection all about the same characters. I’m still submitting to anthologies and on-line journals.
Which book are you currently reading simply for entertainment?
P.A. O’Neil: Mother {Goose} Bruce by Ryan Higgins. It is a delightful twist on adoption and how families are made by those who care. I always read the books I purchase as gifts for children before I pass them on. The graphics are remarkable and whether you are reading to the young, or young-at-heart, this book is a must read.
What advice would you give any aspiring author?
P.A. O’Neil: If you want to be a writer – write, anything and everything. If you want to be an author, treat your time and work like a small business owner. You’re not going to make every sale, but then you’re also not going to make a sale unless you put your work out there for publishers to see. Don’t have a thin skin when it comes to rejection. No matter how good the story is, if it isn’t presented properly (edited), it will be passed on because publishers just haven’t the time to mess with sloppy work. Share your experiences with others so that they may learn and learn from what they have to share. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you think you need it. Crow about your successes as you support the success of others. Most of all, believe in yourself because if you don’t, nobody else will either.
You can find P.A. O’Neil’s written work at Amazon.
