Character Spotlight ~ Shawn Grady's Aidan O'Neill

Today the spotlight shines on......................... Aidan O'Neill

Shawn Grady's debut novel, Through the Fire, hits stores on Wednesday 1st July, with author James Scott Bell saying, "A sizzling debut novel from a writer who really has the goods. Shawn Grady is an author to watch."

I am so looking forward to reading this novel and telling you my thoughts. For now, Shawn gives us an inside look into firefighter, Aidan O'Neill.

Over to you, Shawn:~

Brief physical description:

Aidan looks like the fireman on the cover. Paul Higdon at Bethany House really nailed it on the design.

Julianne Caldwell is my female lead. She's a savvy fire prevention analyst who gets thrust into the position of acting fire investigator. She knows Aidan from a past encounter, but he doesn't immediately recognize her.

Strengths:

Aidan is passionate, driven, and excellent at what he does. He also possesses an inherent gift for sensing what fire is doing.

Weaknesses:

Aidan’s reliance on his gift has made him overconfident in the face of the fire. When his gift goes silent, he finds himself searching for where his trust really rests. Aidan has issues with authority that are tied to his anger toward God.

Quirk:

Aidan loves his silver ’83 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Inspiration for the character:

Writing in first person, I approached Aidan like a method actor would a role, and worked to infuse him with genuine traits and thoughts. Many of the characters in the story that are seen through Aidan’s eyes were inspired by people I’ve had the honor to work with, though no one person is meant to be represented by any individual character.

Background to the story:

I felt a pressing need to express something of the experiences and feelings I’ve had working for the fire department, particularly at Station One in downtown Reno. The people, the energy, the lack of sleep, the fires, the medicals, the three-story poles and the cast-iron cookware that’s been seasoned for decades… I wanted to relate the sights and sounds and smells and the sensations of it all. I wanted to make it feel real for the reader and take them there so they could know it.

In that context, I was compelled in Through the Fire to tell a story of loss and redemption, of death and life, and to resonate a bit of the greatest story ever told.

Appreciate you providing this insight, Shawn! Wishing you the very best with the release of your book ~ may this be the first of many :)



On Thursday, I will be spotlighting another debut author's characters, Deborah Vogt's Mattie Evans & Gil McCray ~ don't forget to come by!

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