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Patrick McCusker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Dublin, Ireland

Website

http://www.pmccusker.com

Twitter

PlanetDancing

Genre

Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

Member Since

November 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/patrickmccusker

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Patrick McCusker is a published author, lecturer and nature conservationist.

My first book "Planet Dancing" is about conserving nature on large scale and was published by Open Gate Press, London in 2011.

My second book entitled "FEAR" is an American Medical thriller with a young Japanese-American doctor as the heroine. The story opens in China but then moves to the USA, Boston in particular. Something in a river that flows through Harbin, a city in NE China, is killing people: not just killing them but reducing them to dry husks.

My latest release, "The Extraordinary Temptation" is a science fiction medical thriller where a piece of mummified skin is discovered in a medieval monastic settlement in Ireland. A wealthy American attempts to clo ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

A positive mental health aid appeared in The Irish Field suggesting we feel better if we take time to truly appreciate the most taken for granted aspects of our lives. We should stop for a moment and consider why we enjoyed that piece of cake or meal or that view/piece of music. We should mentally note every detail. As a writer, do you do this naturally and is this why writing is considered so therapeutic?

Patrick McCusker Yes, writing is therapeutic. Writers who write and write again but never get published should realize the benefits to their good mental health in what…moreYes, writing is therapeutic. Writers who write and write again but never get published should realize the benefits to their good mental health in what they are engaged in. I wrote a book - Planet Dancing - This is about the need to conserve species. I got nothing but delight in the two years it took me to write this book.y (less)

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I have been chatting with another author about our fictional characters having more control on their story than we as authors have over them! I wonder if readers know how strongly fiction is character-led? So, Patrick, have any of your characters done something within your book that you didn't expect or has there been an unplanned event that took you by surprise?

Patrick McCusker Dear Lisa: Character-led novels are a dream. I don't know where such characters come from but they seem to just sit down beside you and take over the …moreDear Lisa: Character-led novels are a dream. I don't know where such characters come from but they seem to just sit down beside you and take over the plot. The young lady doctor, the heroine in the medical thriller - FEAR - was such a character. She had me sitting down every morning at the computer as though i had no choice in the matter and seemed to be shouting at me to get on with it as though her very existence depended on it. And in a way it was.

Other characters can be wooden and refuse to come to life. At an early stage it's best to dump these because unless you like your characters they won't work. That lady doctor, the heroine in FEAR I need you back. Where are you?(less)

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Combine Editions
Patrick McCusker’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 31 ratings · 19 reviews · 4 distinct works

	The Extraordinary Temptation 4.28 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	FEAR: Spine-chiller and romance too. 4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Planet Dancing 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Thorns of the Vatican 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

12 posts
Patrick McCusker's Blog

FREE BOOKS!

FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS - 21-25 July - two eBooks will be on offer FOR FREE!

1 - THE EXTRAORDINARY TEMPTATION.
This is a religious book. A thriller/ horror really.
What if Christ were to come back to Earth? Would you feel a great sense of joy or fear? Above all you would know certainty that God does indeed exist. For many that certainty would give unbounded hope.

2 - FEAR. This is a medical thriller wi Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 21, 2016 13:16 • Tags: american-thriller, christ-cloned, horror, jesus-christ, religious-discovery, religious-horror, religious-thriller

View all 12 posts »

Patrick is Currently Reading

Patrick McCusker is currently reading

Art and History of Luxor

by Giovanna Magi Bonechi

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Apr 23, 2016 04:32AM

Patrick McCusker is currently reading

The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt

by Aidan Dodson

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Apr 23, 2016 04:32AM

Patrick McCusker is currently reading

Congo / Sphere / Eaters of the Dead

by Michael Crichton

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Apr 23, 2016 04:32AM

Quotes by Patrick McCusker (?)

“WINTER CAME THAT YEAR LIKE AN ACT OF WAR.
(From one of my short stories - the shadow of Gold.)”
― Patrick McCusker

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“They were really children that morning. By nightfall none of them were.

First line from Patrick's short story - The Quarry-gang Kids.”
― Patrick McCusker

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Patrick’s Quotes

“WINTER CAME THAT YEAR LIKE AN ACT OF WAR.
(From one of my short stories - the shadow of Gold.)”
― Patrick McCusker

0 likes

“They were really children that morning. By nightfall none of them were.

First line from Patrick's short story - The Quarry-gang Kids.”
― Patrick McCusker

0 likes

“When everyone else is losing their heads, it is important to keep yours.”
― Marie Antoinette

663 likes

“Science has taught me that everything is more complicated than we first assume, and that being able to derive happiness from discovery is a recipe for a beautiful life. It has also convinced me that carefully writing everything down is the only real defense we have against forgetting something important that once was and is no more, including the spruce tree that should have outlived me but did not.”
― Hope Jahren, Lab Girl

152 likes

“The quality of life in our world does not depend on the conflicts that arise, but on our response to them.”
― WIDAD AKRAWI

tags: inspirational, peace, war

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More of Patrick’s quotes…

Patrick’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-6) post a comment »

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message 6: by Patrick

Nov 27, 2016 01:18PM

The passing of William Trevor, as a short story writer, will be missed.

Patrick McCusker.

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message 5: by Patrick

Nov 27, 2016 01:17PM

Patrick wrote: "John Steinbeck (I have sat at lectures by professors of literature who judge him to be lightweight. They are wrong.)

William Trevor - for wonderfully crafted short stories - The Hill Bachelors; Af..."

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message 4: by Patrick

May 24, 2016 01:28AM

Dear Ged:

You are most kind in your comments on The Extraordinary Temptation. I am most appreciative.
I liked writing the ranch scene in Texas. I walked many hours in that huge state to get the 'feel' of the place right.

Regards

Patrick.

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message 3: by Patrick

May 24, 2016 01:24AM

Ged wrote: "Dear Patrick,
Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed reading The Extraordinary Temptation. Quite a different book for me, but one I enjoyed immensely. In particular, I enjoyed the section of t..."

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message 2: by Ged

May 23, 2016 01:22PM

Dear Patrick,
Just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed reading The Extraordinary Temptation. Quite a different book for me, but one I enjoyed immensely. In particular, I enjoyed the section of the book set in and around the ranch in America, which I read at work in a deserted canteen at three in the morning. You can imagine!
I also found the last chapter quite beautiful as well as thought provoking.

Thanks again and best wishes,
Ged.

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message 1: by Patrick

Apr 23, 2016 04:36AM

John Steinbeck (I have sat at lectures by professors of literature who judge him to be lightweight. They are wrong.)

William Trevor - for wonderfully crafted short stories - The Hill Bachelors; After Rain.

Stephen King - for the ability to capture 'atmosphere'.

Dillan Thomas, the Welsh poet. Extraordinary use of words.

Beckett. None better. He will use three words where others would need a hundred.

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