I’d like to welcome J. M. Donellan to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing.

Favorite foods: The tears of my enemies.

Things that make you want to gag: Dagwood dogs. They are satan’s snackfood.

Favorite music or song: My all-time favourite song is Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack. I still remember the moment when I first heard it on the radio and everything just froze. I couldn’t believe music like that existed, it sounded like it was from the past and the future at the same time. It was soul, electronic, hip-hop, orchestral. There’s entire worlds in that song. Speaking of music, I made a playlist for Rumors of Her Death because I’m a huge music nerd, you can check that out here.

Music that drives you crazy: If you play Nu-Metal anywhere in my immediate vicinity we are going to have a serious problem.

Something you’re really good at: Being wrong.

Something you’re really bad at: Admitting when I’m wrong.

Things you always put in your books: Dark humour and Nina Simone references.

Things you never put in your books: I’m very aware that this could offend a lot of people in the crime and mystery writing community, but I personally have no interest in writing about hero cops. In TV writing they sometimes call it ‘copaganda’, I think that if you’re going to talk about police you need to be addressing the systemic problems of police violence and corruption. I’d like to see more stories about activists and outsiders trying to redress the wrongs of an unjust system rather than celebrating the people who enforce it.

Things to say to an author: “I bought ten copies of your book, wrote reviews about how much I loved it, had the title tattooed on my arm as a conversation starter, requested it at my local library, and I named by firstborn after your central protagonist.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I only read books written by reality TV stars.”

Favorite places you’ve been: I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively, and Ladakh, Havana, Luang Prabang, Quito are all up there for me. However, I lived in Lisbon for a short time while I was working on Killing Adonis and I fell completely in love with it. I shared a little apartment with a cat named Pinga and drank too much wine and sat on the rooftop reading and watching the sun set over the city. I had a recently broken heart and my first major publishing contract and it was a very strange and liminal time. My wife and I went back there for a wedding a few years back and the city felt like an old friend.

Places you never want to go to again: High school.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I went on a New Year’s eve white water rafting trip in northern Laos that the guide assured my friend and I was ‘beginner level.’ We both had some experience with rafting, were nevertheless knocked out of the boat and into the freezing rapids about half a dozen times. Nothing like scrambling for your raft while your legs are going numb and a cascade of water is trying to smash you into a rock. Good times. We very carefully packed a bottle of champagne that miraculously survived and drank it in our little jungle hut that night. Still the best champagne I’ve ever had, I think the adrenaline really lifted the flavour.

Something you chickened out from doing: Answering this question.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: I generally think that our societal obsession with celebrity is borderline pathological. I don’t really care about fame, but I do admire talent. That said, I once interviewed the Coathangers, a punk band from Atlanta, and they just oozed cool. It emanated from them like ectoplasm.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: I did a supernova Comic con event with Jack Gleeson aka Joffrey once and I was like “did someone bring their kid to this event or did he just sneak backstage?” Then I realised he probably made more money that month than I’ll make my entire life. Cool. Cool cool cool cool I’m fine with it.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: This is cheating because it’s (partially) still writing, but I collaborated with a choreographer, sound designer and dancers to create a series of dance/poetry collaborations that we performed as part of the World Science Festival and other events. Had my poetry fact checked by scientists, that was a novel experience.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: During the worst of the pandemic I worked on a story-based video game I was really proud of. Taught myself some basic coding, worked with some cool people. We were getting ready for the beta release when the company crashed. That’s the tech world for you, I guess.