Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Steven Owad

What inspired you to write “My Only Friend The End”?

Owad: I had thought about an end-of-the-world story ever since I was a child. I was never going to write it. It was just an idle curiosity, probably spawned by the old Twilight Zone episode in which Burgess Meredith survives an apocalypse. The idea just stayed with me and raised intriguing questions. What would you do if you had to live in the big, empty world alone? Could you find meaning rather than merely survive? Would the solitude drive you barking mad? That led to countless other questions, so decades later I decided I had to write it. 

How did you come up with the names of your main characters?

Owad: In this book, the main character is actually unnamed. He never needed a name; he was an everyman. It was only when I'd finished writing and needed to provide PR material that I came up with one. I had read that Stephen King liked simple, Anglo-type names for his characters, so I chose one of those—and probably made a mistake. "Owen" sounds too much like "Owad," which has made for some awkward-sounding reviews of the book. Generally, for most characters, I choose a name that sounds right, and if during the writing it stops sounding right, I change it, often more than once, until there's an "aha" moment. I can't say what makes one name right and another wrong. Sometimes things just sound right.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Owad: Not too many people read books anymore--certainly not a lot of men. Many of the intelligent, educated men I know have never read a novel. They prefer passive entertainment, social media and quick dopamine hits. Whether that's right or wrong, it's just the way the world has developed. So to anyone who cares enough about reading long-form works to, for instance, read this interview, I say, Cheers! Yippee! Huzzah! You are definitely my peeps.

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Owad: Maybe see my answer above? Zitsfliesh is essential. Sit down and do the work. But then the work won't be any good if you don't read a whole lot first. Keep TV and social media to a minimum or avoid them altogether. There aren't a lot of good writers who weren't avid readers first.

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Owad: Favorite genres would be modernish literary -- dead white American males (Hemingway, Steinbeck, etc.) and drama. I love reading plays—usually more than I like seeing plays, which might sound odd but is true. Favorite book: Either Heart of Darkness or Catcher in the Rye (sorry to be boring and traditional about it). Favorite author: probably Hemingway (short stories) or Tim O'Brien. Andre Dubus III and Annie Baker are up there, too.

What are you working on next?

Owad: I just finished a new novel about two women clashing over a kidnapping gone wrong. It's a speculative crime novel with a moral hook (How do you mete out punishment when you, too, are guilty?). Not sure when that one will come out. Now I'm starting another book about a woman who realizes she's probably going insane and is compelled by someone to kill her husband. Not sure yet how that will turn out, but I love the character.

Want to find out more about My Only Friend The End and Steven Owad? Find them here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.owad/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenowad/

Author website: https://stevenowad.com/

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