Painting A Very Different Canvas

I know very little about the world of professional wrestling other than it is as fake as it is slick, a fictional world in which one of the greatest gifts is the ability, metaphorically speaking, to convincingly pull a punch as you plant your opponent on the canvas.
  Paul O’Brien’s debut novel BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN is set in a very different wrestling world, albeit one that is no less contrived, and from the blurb it sounds as if very few punches are being pulled. To wit:

1972, New York City, and a dazed Lenny Long walks away from a crash carrying someone’s foot in his hand. He is also searching for the VIP passenger who has somehow disappeared from the back of his overturned van. It’s the first day of his new promotion and Lenny has less than twenty minutes to deliver the missing person or a lot of people are going to get badly hurt. Danno Garland is in Shea Stadium trying to avoid a riot. He’s coming to the end of the most successful wrestling card of all time but he’s also coming to the realisation that he might not be able to deliver his widely hyped main event. He knows there’s more than just the eyes of the stadium looking at him and if Lenny doesn’t arrive soon, blood is going to be sought. probably his. Proctor King nervously watches the show on TV, wondering why his fuck-up of a son doesn’t already have the Heavyweight Championship in his hands. Arranging this match has taken Proctor four years of pay-offs, double dealing and bone breaking to arrange. If all that effort has been wasted then he might just have to take him a business trip to New York. Lenny, Danno and Proctor. Three men with pieces of the puzzle but none with the full picture. When they do piece it all together, the ‘fake’ world of professional wrestling is going to get very real.

  Sounds good, right? Well, don’t take the blurb elves’ word for it. Here’s the inimitable Eoin Colfer with his big-up of BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN. Roll it there, Collette …

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?”: Paul O’Brien

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...

What crime novel would you most like to have written?
THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo. Perfect form and structure for me. It feels epic and has all the right plants and pay offs. I also love the time period and the journey involving all the characters.

What fictional character would you most like to have been?
Jesus. The magic, the beard. The ending wouldn’t be great though. If not him then any ninja or anyone who lives under the sea. So, Spongebob.

Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
I love insider wrestling newsletters. Professional wrestlers call them ‘dirt sheets’ and have to act like they hate them. They give you all the backstage happenings. Even now the wrestling business is closed and secret and these newsletters give you a peek behind the curtain. They’re like Now magazine for nerdy men.

Most satisfying writing moment?
I have to say that finishing BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN was the most satisfying moment for me. About 15,000 words in I couldn’t see the end of the story coming for a long time, but I stayed at it day and night. And now that I am finished - I’m looking forward to jumping back in to it again for another installment.

The best Irish crime novel is …?
Just finished PLUGGED by Eoin Colfer. Funny, smart and has long legs in terms of more books.

What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
Same again. I think Eoin writes in pictures. He’s easy to see when you’re reading him. It also helps that I’ve seen a few of his stage plays so I know how much he relies on visuals to punctuate his jokes. A movie of that book could be great.

Worst / best thing about being a writer?
Worst thing is the dry eyeballs from the laptop. Best thing is holding your first book.

The pitch for your next book is …?
Well, it’s going to be a follow up to BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN so I have to be a little mysterious - although it’s all outlined.

Who are you reading right now?
Carl Hiassen. Trying to catch up on some of his stuff after a beta reader said I should. Turns out that reader didn’t like me very much. We’ve since fallen out. She got the children.

God appears and says you can only write OR read. Which would it be?
Write. Definitely. Although I don’t like it very much. It’s just something that I have to do. I love planning to write. Writing though - not delighted about having to do that part. I’ve been writing for 15 years and have written 16 full lengths plays, two screenplays, a book a poetry, a few songs and now a novel, and every word I’ve written I’ve had to tug-o-war out of my brain.

The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Direct. Raw. Considered.

Paul O’Brien’s BLOOD RED TURNS DOLLAR GREEN is available now.