Interview with Brian Conaghan author of "The Boy Who Made it Rain"

This is a recent interview I had with a soon to be published author, Brian Conaghan. His novel The Boy Who Made it Rain published by Sparkling Books will be released on June 3rd 2011. Checkout this link and the interview below! http://www.sparklingbooks.com/new_titles.html

MFM: Is this story loosely based on your life or is it purely fiction?  

BC: It’s a work of pure and unadulterated fiction. Having said that it certainly does contain aspects of events I have witnessed and/or been privy to as a teacher in schools over the years.  

MFM: Being young myself, I totally understand how parents and teachers are thought of as the problem. Is your character troubled by the people nearest him? 

BC: I think all the characters in the book are troubled by those around them. Each character has conflict, or trouble, with their friends, parents, teachers or, and this is certainly Clem’s case, the environment. I think it may be those nearest us who cause the greatest conflicts… Perhaps that’s just me?  

MFM: Are you trying to bring to light the problem of school bullying? 

BC: That was definitely the starting point but I don’t believe I aimed to bring it to light. There was no need. We all know that it exists (not just in the education systems too) Bullying, I feel, is something that will never be eradicated from schools. Sadly, it is more prevalent and dangerous now than it’s ever been. Certainly bullying is a theme in the book, however it’s not simply a novel about bullying. 

MFM: What voice is the book written in? 

BC: The Boy Who Made it Rain is written in two parts. Part 1 involves ‘interviews’ with all the characters (except Clem) who each present a first person account of some unstated tragic event. With this section it was vital to get the register correct for each character. Part 2 is Clem’s first person account of events in which he corroborates, contradicts and counters those characters’ opinions in Part 1.  

MFM: You say that Clem's dad is a Willy-Loman like loser, did Clem inherit some of his traits? 

BC: Clem compares his dad to Willy Loman as a way of being disparaging towards him; he sees this as a negative quality. Nevertheless, Clem’s propensity to internalise and torture himself over the most mundane tasks, as well as his level of intensity, demonstrates some signs of Lomanesque behaviour.

Now we just have to wait until June! Thanks Brian and Sparkling Books.