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, and 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.
About your Book:
Growing up during the Great Depression, Philip had to contend with scarcity, hand-me-downs and a dearth of education options. His older brothers and sisters had all been “guided” into a convent or the priesthood. So how did Philip become a stalwart family man and neighborhood icon? All by accident…he met our mother!
Philip had a passion for cooking, quoting Shakespeare and standing on his head. He could say stuff like “Anything you can do I can do better” and yet remain a humble man. He had to be humble as my mother was a hard taskmaster. He once said that his existence under her driving force was “survival of the shittest.” Not one to complain much, normally he was willing to be at Jean’s beck and call—perhaps for the sake of his sanity.
His story begins with a glimpse of his pre-Depression origins, then fast-forwards almost forty years to his colorful home life, favorite hobbies and the mini-obsessions that made him such a memorable character. Philip’s little recipes, his night job as a radio announcer, his board game “crimes” and his love for horse racing, golf and gardening all combine to paint the richly detailed portrait of a man we cannot help but grow to love.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I have purchased so many things, including books, on Amazon that it was an obvious first venue of choice. The fact that Amazon makes it easy to self publish means that the marketplace becomes the ultimate decider. You don’t have to convince anyone but yourself that you can put out a product that readers will want to read.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
No, I believe that the craft of writing can be applied with almost equal results across all book genres.
Author Bio:
Philip J 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, 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.
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Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
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