Sean O’Leary was born in Brooklyn and raised with strong German and Irish traditions that helped shape his perspective and storytelling voice. A graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, he pursued his passion for engineering and later earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Utah. After years of solving complex real-world problems in the engineering field, Sean returned to a lifelong love of storytelling, becoming a self-publishing author whose ideas had been decades in the making. Inspired by a childhood filled with science, science fiction, and long afternoons in libraries, he writes across multiple genres including fiction, children’s books, and photo essays. A proud member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, Sean is also an avid traveler, photographer, and active member of the blacksmithing community. He lives in Utah with his wife and family, always searching for the next great story—and the perfect cup of coffee.
Author Q&A
What book are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. Each year I start by making a list of the books I intend to read, usually about forty and mostly from the sci-fi fantasy genre. I record a video discussion about many of the books I read and also write reviews on Goodreads.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Not being a professional author, I find one of the most challenging things is finding time to write while balancing my full-time job and taking care of my family. The best habit for writing is to have a set time each day when you can immerse yourself in the story you are writing. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that luxury. It might explain why it takes me so long to get each book completed. The funniest challenge I think is having such a popular authors name. It comes up so much that when I introduce myself at events I have to let people know I’m NOT the crime writer or the priest but the local Utah author.
Who designed the covers?
For Princess and Scruffy, I was very fortunate to have a HS friend recommend Hatice Bayramoglu for my children’s book illustrations. She is a very talented illustrator for children’s books and has worked on hundreds of books. Her artistry really brought the story to life.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? I think I learn things from every book and every story I write. My books talk about topics that I think are important for the world to read and talk about. In that way what I learn from writing these stories is a better understanding of how I feel about the world and people. It is one thing to say you have an opinion, but once you start to write that opinion down you realize it is vague and ethereal. As you put pen to paper, you breath life into it and make it solid.
What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
I read, and write, mostly about science fiction and fantasy. It is the genre that has always grabbed my imagination. I also think it is the genre that offers the most freedom to the author because it allows us to design the world, we want to exist rather than the one we were born into. I’m sure people might scratch their heads at my children’s book but what started out as a love letter that then became a storybook that I wanted to share and pass down to my first grandchild is indeed fantasy to me. I hope children and their grown-ups enjoy it.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
There are two great ways to learn more about me and the books I write. We have a great website (www.seanolearybooks.com) that allows the visitors to dip their toes into the world of each of the books and see if it is something they want to learn more about.
I also have many videos on YouTube, @seanolearybooks, were I talk about the books I have read, the libraries I love to visit and the challenges of writing in the current state of affairs. I talk about issues that are important to me and show some of the hobbies that keep me centered with the love and support of my family.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
This is a fantastic question because it immediately inspires the imagination. I am currently writing a fantasy science fiction book about the Mayan end of the world. The two main characters are Ximena, the current Mayan Queen and Daniel Francis O’Leary a 25,000-year-old Druid. Most of the book takes place in Guatemala, a country that I have never had the opportunity to visit. I would love the chance to spend time there and immerse myself in the culture and learn more about Guatemala City; the people, the food and the history.
If you have pictures on your writing desk, who/what are they of?
One of the pictures I can see from my writing desk is an old picture of me and my colleagues at NASA in Florida preparing to send an autonomous experiment into space on the Space Shuttle. While I love writing and storytelling, my day job has been that of an Electrical Engineer for more than thirty years. The projects I have worked on and the people I have met, often appear, in some form, in my writing.
How do you come up with names for your characters?
I try to find something that is meaningful to the story and the character. My first full length novel is called Dan Tesson. I struggled with a name for this book for a long time. This name comes from DanTe’s son because I feel the book is a modern retelling of Dante’s Inferno, albeit from a different perspective than the original. Usually, I will go through lists of names and their meaning or origin to find something that fits. I actually spend a lot of time with the characters names because I feel it is so important.
Also, Princess and Scruffy was written 38 years ago for my girlfriend (now wife) so it’s my first book. Dan Tesson was written, or at least started, 22 years ago when, like Dan, I was working for a defense contractor and that was my first full length novel. With my latest book it’s my hope to only take one year to get a first draft because the experience of seeing my books in print and in the hands of children and young people truly inspires me to keep writing the stories that I dream about.
Do you have any writing buddies?
I do. I enjoy sharing literary ideas with my HS School friend of 43 years, Em Green. She has written many books herself and we have even collaborated on a series of books called The Rating Game. That series depicts traditional and indie writers, publishing firms, book store owners and more, who are in some way connected to the world of writing and publishing books. It takes the reader on an insiders’ roller coaster journey through writing and getting published in a crazed, aggressive, spine-chilling, fun and exciting world where you need to get the upper hand or keep the hand you’ve carved out for yourself. Each of the characters has a story to tell and lessons for aspiring writers. We really had fun using everything we’ve been learning as writers in the current market and had the characters go through it in an alternate universe where everything is possible.
Princess and Scruffy is available for purchase on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Scruffy-Sean-OLeary-ebook/dp/B0DG6TCLB2/