Ask the Author: Tom Richards

“Do you have any questions about the fun of being a Yank living in a wee Irish village, or how to move from a premise through story creation? I'm right here if you want to throw questions at me,” Tom Richards

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
Tom Richards Dolphin Song was inspired by a true story that I read years ago in the Sunday Times.... A family of three - Mom, Dad and 6 year old son - were involved in a horrendous traffic accident. The son, trapped in the burning car, watched his father die. Overwhelmed by tragedy, he stopped talking due to acute traumatic mutism. His mother, of course, did everything she could to help him, even though her own grief was horrible. Well... she found a cure and it was magic.

This news report moved me but for a long time I couldn't figure out how to write a fictional novel based on it. It took me many years and many repeated attempts. I started out by writing the screenplay with my good friend Liam O'Neill - filmmaker, director, writer. As another Yank living in Ireland, Liam was instrumental to the creative process. Unfortunately, Liam passed away due to Covid in May of 2020. Which is why the book is dedicated to him.

I kept writing with Liam peering over my shoulder. My answer came by taking an existing Greek legend, grafting an Irish legend on top of that, creating characters that are, on the one hand emotionally flawed but on the other had are possessed to 'fix the situation', and after hundreds and hundreds of hours and many drafts... Finis.
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Tom Richards
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