What inspired you to write your memoir?
I was inspired by the life of my father Philip Louis. Big Philip, as he was called in our family, was a unique and somewhat enigmatic figure, who loomed very large in our family circle. His “pursuit of happiness” was different from the norm; he was a bit peculiar, but in a good way. After his passing, we naturally went through some of his old documents. We discovered things about him that we never knew before; these findings explained a lot of his mysteriousness. These things and other fragmented memories remained in the back of my mind for about 18 months after his death. Then, I began jotting down words and phrases that he used frequently. I never really thought about it much, but words have a way of working wonders and transforming a person—the outlines of a book began to appear in my mind. There was another catalyst. It happened like this:
My sister and her husband were planning to visit Norway, the birthplace of our maternal grandfather. She was going to spend most of her time in Bergen so I began reading about the town and about Norway on the Internet. I also began to do a little research on various find–your–ancestors websites, hoping to unearth more about my mother’s father. There wasn’t much I could find out about him. I searched a great deal and became frustrated because I wanted to surprise my sister with information that she could use to visit the area of his birth, then maybe even contact long-lost third or fourth cousins. That’s when I realized that, despite our great love and appreciation for this man—our father—he too was destined to meet the same obscure fate as my forgotten grandfather. I began to think of them both as “undocumented Americans.” Next thing you know, I’m working seriously on my father’s memoir.
I don’t want my father to end up an undocumented American. I think there are as many unwritten stories as there are undocumented Americans; I hope to begin changing that.
About your Book:
The subject of this memoir, Big Philip, as he was affectionately known, sprinkled ordinary conversation with bits of poetry, quotes from Shakespeare and old farmyard saws. We start with glimpses of McQuillan’s pre-Great Depression origins and then fast-forward to his colorful home life, favorite hobbies and mini-obsessions. The scenery along the way is littered with Philip’s choice phrases and idiomatic expressions. It is a ramble through an as–big–as–life scrapbook where Big Philip’s little recipes, his night job as a radio announcer, his board game “crimes” and his love for horse racing, golf, and gardening paint a richly detailed portrait of the man we can’t help but grow to love.
At books end, McQuillan encourages us to do as he has done – memorialize our parents, grandparents, lost friends – and with this book as a model, this idea should be a warmly welcomed one.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I choose Amazon and the Kindle Select program to maximize exposure and at the same time be able to put the book up for free at least 5% of the time.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
No, the craft of writing can be applied with relatively equal results all across the spectrum I think.
Author Bio:
Philip Jude McQuillan was born in 1954 in Michigan, spent his early school years in Philadelphia, PA and Vineland, NJ. After a brief career in commercial shipping as a merchant mariner, he moved to Costa Rica and spent 20 years there raising a family, teaching English and learning Spanish in his spare time. In 2001, he returned to the US with his second family and eventually moved back to his hometown to spend more time with his father in his waning years.
A first-time author, Philip draws inspiration from his father Philip Louis.
Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon
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