User:Maurice999/sandbox

Author: Maurice O' Neill

My birth place was Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland. The year was 1956, a simple time were parents were hands on and schools predominately in the charge of Nuns and Christian Brothers while the Clergy were advocates of God's incapable of error.

As a trained auto-mechanic I departed for Ethiopia in January 1987 working as a volunteer with the humanitarian organization, Concern Worldwide and later professionally with the International Federation and Committee of the Red Cross.

It was in Ethiopia that I chanced upon my first computer. It circumvented my dyslexia allowing my letters home to develop into fables, then short stories and in 1998 my first book 'Whispers of my Thoughts', which sadly (or thankfully) has gone out of print with the demise of Minerva Press Publishers.

My dream (and we all should have one) would be to finish out my days travelling with my companion and the evenings on a laptop with a whiskey and coke by the side. Presently, I reside in New Jersey, America with my companion, friend, lover and wife, Stella Simpas.

Now sixty-two years young I have been writing for decades, with the rejection slips to validate it, or worse the hollow praise of vanity publishers who seek my patronage for a contribution.

I would say to every aspiring writer, to believe in yourself. Never be afraid to expose yourself as a writer. Persevere in your desire. Rape criticism for benefit and not the wounds it inflicts. Seek the extraordinary beauty that your words can create. Be fearless in probing the depths of your thoughts, and shut off the outside world when they are flowing.

All the time I'm collecting bits and pieces that catch my eye. I never stop collecting possible stories and catchy sentences. Cell phones are amazing for recording random thoughts or take a picture to later transfer into words. It is not unusual for me to wake up in the middle of the night and write down a line that has carried into a dream. That's what writers do I suppose.

My webpage is www.maurice.ie where you can read excerpts from all my books or purchase hard copies.